Unique Australian Flavours in Sydney

One of the joys of travel is tasting the cuisine of a new land, and Australian food offers a cornucopia of superb ingredients deftly handled by a foodie community that is passionate about quality and flavour. Here are six unique Australian flavours, and the best places to sample them, all located in inner Sydney.

Seafood

Fresh, local seafood is one of the defining pleasures of Australian dining. With its big open windows overlooking the beach, North Bondi Fish is an exceptional spot to try some local specialties just a few steps from the sand. There are small plates like soft-shell crab sliders, grilled Tasmanian scallops, rock oysters, and whiting tacos, as well as beer-battered flathead and chips, and whole baby hiramasa kingfish. For a unique Aussie flavour, try the XO Moreton Bay bug, served with zucchini, garlic chive noodles, bacon dashi and shiso. These bugs are curious creatures, resembling small lobsters with a shovel shape and a sweet, rich flavour.

Bush Tucker

First things first: Aboriginal communities have been enjoying the unique produce of the Sydney region for millennia, and in recent years more bush-tucker flavours have found their way onto the city’s menus. Learn all about it at the Royal Botanic Garden on Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday, when Aboriginal guides lead group heritage tours incorporating cultural education and taste-testing of bush tucker (adult/child under 8 $40/free). Alternatively, visit Biri Biri Aboriginal Cafe at 137 Redfern St, Redfern, where Aboriginal elder Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo trains Indigenous people in the culinary industry, drawing on a repertoire of recipes such as ‘bushetta’, with native tomatoes and outback spices, or paperbark-smoked salmon with aniseed myrtle arancini.

Kangaroo Fillets

For many people, kangaroo is the must-try meat while visiting Australia. This lean, juicy, and strong-flavoured meat is popular among locals, unlike touristy fare such as emu or crocodile. You can find kangaroo dishes all over town, from casual pub grills to upscale fine-dining establishments. If you’re invited to a BBQ, a roo steak (marinated with soy sauce and honey) is a perfect choice. For a stunning ambiance, head to the architecturally striking Barangaroo House, led by ex-Noma chef Cory Campbell, where kangaroo is served with munthari (a native berry) and blueberry ($38). Alternatively, try the kangaroo burger at Moo Gourmet Burgers in Bondi, Coogee, Newtown or Manly ($16.95), served with sage, garlic, caramelised onions, tomato, rocket, mayo, and, like all great Aussie burgers, beetroot.

Classic Sausage Sizzle

If you are in town during an election, don’t miss stopping by a primary school for a ‘democracy sausage’ – typically sold by P&Cs who set up fundraising barbecues outside school halls used as polling booths. You’ll receive a white roll, a greasy sausage, some tomato sauce, and, if you’re lucky, some burnt onion, thereby participating in a great Aussie culinary tradition. If there’s no election, community groups serve the same fundraising favourite outside Bunnings hardware stores every Saturday and Sunday. Groups like netball clubs, churches, and childcare centres raise funds by sizzling sausages for weekend shoppers – try the branches in Alexandria (8/40 Euston Rd) or Randwick (cnr Clovelly Rd & Kemmis St). Sausages usually cost about $2.50. Enjoy!

Fusion Food

Modern Australian cuisine has been heavily influenced by the culturally diverse communities that call Australia home. The 2016 Census revealed that 49% of Australians are first- or second-generation migrants, creating exciting flavour fusions. Sydney’s multicultural dining scenes are reflected in precincts like Harris Park for Indian and Pakistani food, or Marrickville and Cabramatta for Vietnamese. An exciting fusion experience awaits at Billy Kwong in Potts Point, where the Australian-Chinese menu celebrates the sweet, sour, salty, oceanic, peppery, tart, citrusy, bitter, floral, and woody notes of Australian native ingredients. The menu includes dishes such as dumplings with warrigal greens (a native vegetable), saltbush cakes, and the famous red-braised caramelised wallaby tail with black bean and chilli.

Smashed Avocado on Toast

In late 2016, this simple dish created quite a stir. An Australian columnist connected the difficulties millennials face in entering Australia’s challenging real-estate market with their penchant for ‘smashed avo toast’ instead of saving for a deposit. Since then, this cafe staple has become an ironic food trend in Sydney, where housing is the second most unaffordable in the world. Want to splurge your savings? Our recommendations include avocado toast topped with fire-roasted capsicum hummus, chargrilled corn, grape tomato, jalapeño, Meredith chilli chèvre, and seasonal leaves at Two Chaps in Marrickville or the smashed avocado, artichoke hearts, and heirloom tomatoes garnished with spicy coriander and za’atar at Israeli-European Shenkin in various Sydney locations including Surry Hills, Randwick, Newtown, Enmore, Balmain, and Erskineville.