Sydney Eats: Four New (and Refreshed) Diners To Try This Month

Mister Fish, Earlwood
New Earlwood fish’n’chip shop Mister Fish honours owner Evan Pambris’s Greek heritage and the Greek history of the suburb. The menu is a celebration of fresh seafood and produce: woodfired whole snapper served with a bright garden salad, and prawns, scallops, pippies and mussels that also get a smoky treatment next to the woodfire. There are also spins on fish’n’chip classics such as battered barramundi with chips, and a seafood basket with handmade potato scallops, barramundi bites, calamari rings and a crab claw. For a dish that skews more pub than fish’n’chipper, there’s the snapper pie. Sustainability is as important to Pambris as serving excellent seafood. Every Mister Fish supplier is part of the Master Fish Merchants’ Association of Australia, which oversees responsible fishing practices.
@misterfishau

Urban Jungle, Parramatta and Hurstville
Urban Jungle’s two new locations (the first was in Rooty Hill) are in the depths of Parramatta and Hurstville’s Westfield shopping centres. But the experience of eating at them is transportive. Tropical scenes – lush foliage and exotic birds – decorate the wallpaper, and there’s plenty of greenery and bright neon lighting. At its core though, Urban Jungle makes ace food and drinks. The menus differ slightly at each location, but they all offer familiar cafe dishes with Middle Eastern and Asian spins. The Jungle Brekky comes with eggs, sourdough, bacon, smashed avocado sprinkled with dukkah, wild mushrooms and sujuk (spicy sausage). The fried eggplant is coated in panko batter and served with sumac, chilli, crispy leeks and house-made XO sauce. The eggs Benedict comes with yuzu hollandaise. An extensive drinks menu spans from Seven Miles Coffee, to fancy bubble teas, to champagne and cocktails.
urbanjunglecafe.com.au
@urbanjunglesyd

Vasco, Surry Hills
When chef Nicola Ronconi (ex-Matteo) was tasked with updating the menu at Vasco, he wanted the food to reflect the venue’s rock’n’roll vibe. Named for prolific Italian rock star Vasco Rossi, the bar and eatery is known for its classic pizza-pasta menu, cocktails and what the chef calls “proper rock’n’roll” live music. The new menu features lamb cigars dipped in labneh, and wobbly, creamy burrata served with peaches, heirloom tomatoes and rocket pesto. There’s also a handful of simple pizzas, including a Napoletana with anchovies, capers and olives; smoked mozzarella with salsiccia and rosemary; and pumpkin with four cheeses and walnuts. The nine-strong gnocchi selection is gone – Ronconi thought it didn’t match the energy of the place – but he did keep two “real Italian” options: gnocchi with quattro formaggi, and gnocchi with Italian-sausage ragu.
vascojoint.com
@vascojoint

Alegre, Darling Harbour
Alegre, Darling Harbour’s new Mexican eatery, is inspired by Tulum, Mexico. Between the hand-rendered plaster and white-washed stone walls, warm timber decor and open verandah overlooking the water, Alegre does a good job of channelling the breezy holiday destination – and there’s a menu to match. Standout dishes include spice-rubbed charcoal king prawns and burnt lime; eight-hour lamb with barbacoa sauce cooked in a Josper charcoal oven that stays burning around the clock; and a crudo bar serving guajillo chilli-cured kingfish with citrus dressing and a passionfruit scallop ceviche. Rounding out the holiday experience is a mezcal and tequila bar of 150 options, including Clase Azul Ultra, of which only 100 cases are produced each year, and Corazon’s anejo, which won top spot in the World Tequila Awards 2021.
alegredining.com.au
@alegredining