The Devonshire

Surry Hills’ Devonshire Street has seen a number of restaurants come and go in recent years, including the space that now houses the aptly named The Devonshire on the site of the former Smokehouse.

This classically elegant space is smart yet still cosily intimate, with decorative mirrors lining the walls and small tables with the all-important white tablecloths to add a hint of occasion.

What the guys are trying to do here is offer professional service and good food without taking themselves too seriously. Head chef and owner Jeremy Bentley (formerly Restaurant Balzac) brings his take on modern European cooking to the venue with a small but well formed a la carte menu or for the more adventurous, an eight-course degustation.

Dishes on both menus range from the Anglo-centric spiced pork rillettes with pickled belly, celeriac and apple remoulade, radish, sage and crackle to the French inspired Steamed Palmers Island mulloway with spanner crab, avocado vichyssoise, roast garlic and brioche crust. The signature desert to try here is the Devonshire tea crème brulee, which comes with scone ice cream, cherry jam and whipped cream.

There’s a great Friday lunch special with three courses for $35 per head, and a pre-theatre or early bird menu for $45 per head, Tuesday to Saturday evenings.

The wine list is small, but offers a good range of European and French wines with option of BYO Tuesday to Thursday, with no corkage charge on Tuesdays.