Longrain is a thai restaurant in Surry Hills, Sydney.
Modern Thai institution on Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. The caramelised pork hock has stayed on the menu for more than two decades.
Signature dishes: Caramelised pork hock, Eggnet salad, Crispy fish salad
Must order: Caramelised pork hock with five-spice and chilli.
Tip: Communal long-table seating; bookings recommended on weekends.
Address: 85 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, Sydney
Japanese izakaya on King Street, Newtown, Sydney. Yakitori from binchotan, tonkotsu ramen, sake-and-highball list, late-night walk-in tables.
Signature: Yakitori skewers, Tonkotsu ramen, Karaage chicken
Order: Yakitori chef's selection and tonkotsu ramen.
Tip: Open till midnight Fridays and Saturdays.
Long-running Lebanese family-run restaurant on Haldon Street, Lakemba, Sydney. Mezze, mixed grills, halal-certified, generous family-style service.
Signature: Mixed grill, Hummus with lamb, Tabouleh
Order: Mixed grill platter for the table and the hummus.
Tip: Cash-friendly; the Ramadan late-night service is famous in Sydney.
Sydney's canonical charcoal chicken shop on South Street, Granville. Whole chickens, garlic toum that defines the Sydney garlic-on-chicken canon.
Signature: Charcoal chicken, Garlic toum, Tabouleh
Order: Whole chicken, large toum, family-size chips.
Tip: Open late; takeaway queue moves faster than the dine-in line.
Italian neighbourhood room on Belgrave Street, Manly, Sydney. House-made pasta, Italian wood-fired pizza, the kind of beachside trattoria Manly was missing.
Signature: Pasta alla Norma, Wood-fired pizza, Tiramisu
Order: Pasta alla Norma and an Etna red.
Tip: Book ahead on summer weekends; the terrace is the trophy seat.
Gelato Messina's Darlinghurst flagship on Victoria Street, Sydney. House-churned gelato, weekly special-flavour drops, walk-in friendly weeknights.
Signature: Salted caramel and white chocolate, Pannacotta with fig jam, Doughnut sandwich
Order: Two-scoop cup of salted caramel and pannacotta.
Tip: The doughnut sandwich is a hidden Messina menu item, ask at the counter.
Modern Middle Eastern cafe on Kepos Street, Redfern, Sydney. Chef Michael Rantissi's shakshuka for breakfast, mezze plates and lamb shawarma at dinner.
Signature: Shakshuka, Lamb shawarma, Falafel plate
Order: Shakshuka and the lamb shawarma plate.
Tip: Daytime walk-ins, evening bookings; the Friday set menu is a sleeper hit.
