On the opposite side of the square, Lilymu’s mouthwatering prawn dumplings in a Thai tom-yum dressing are culinary cross-pollination at its best. (The XO-sauce-drenched pippis, a local shellfish, are another highlight.) At Oribu, a short stroll away, ex-Nobu chef Harry Cho offers elegant Japanese in a sandstone heritage building.
The team at Circa Espresso in Parramatta spins our quality coffee and Middle Eastern-inflected dishes.
Circa Espresso
Aussies have turned breakfast into an all-day event, and accordingly, Circa Espresso is buzzing from early morning to midafternoon. Housed in a Victorian terrace house, the cafe is known for its quality coffee and Middle Eastern-inflected dishes such as Ottoman eggs: poached free-range eggs with crumbed eggplant, burnt chilli and sage butter, garlic labne and fried leeks. Caffeine aficionados also flock to Homage Specialty Coffee, where unusual choices such as a Wagyu breakfast muffin sit alongside the ever-reliable avocado toast and bacon-and-egg rolls.
All-day dining doesn’t get more stylish than at Misc., tucked away near the river in a quiet corner of the 85-hectare Parramatta Park that opens out from downtown. The adaptable Mediterranean sharing menu ranges from grilled salmon hash to lamb shoulder with minted labneh; whichever you choose, treat yourself to an order of its pillowy pita bread, best teamed with some black garlic and truffle butter.
Parramatta’s influx of newcomers hasn’t dented the popularity of the area’s longtime stalwarts that are helmed by immigrants from across the globe and dish up fabulous food at friendly prices. They include the family-run Pho Pasteur, which has been serving the area’s best pho for more than 30 years, and the equally venerable Temasek. Come with an empty stomach in order to make the most of Singaporean and Malaysian favourites like laksa, Hainan chicken, fiery Singapore chilli crab and, for those feeling adventurous, an authentic fish-head curry.
Just a short walk away, or one stop on the train line, is Harris Park, also known as Sydney’s Little India. The streets are lined with close to 50 separate eateries serving cuisines from each’s respective home country, many housed in low-slung workers’ cottages surrounded by actual picket fences. Near the train station is Chatkazz, an alcohol-free, no-reservations diner where the Bombay street-food dishes dazzle the taste buds so effectively that some diners don’t even realise it’s a meat-free zone. Around the corner on Wigram Street, the full panoply of subcontinental cuisine is on display: The aromatic Mughal cuisine at Ginger Indian Restaurant is among the standouts, offering yet more proof that Sydney’s geographic centre has been reborn as one of its most important dining hubs. – Ute Junker
Dining and Cooking