Multiple locations,chatthai.com
El Jannah
For Granville locals,El Jannah has always been a beacon,the scent of chicken fat dripping onto charcoal in the air as they jostle for tables. While the brand may have expanded east of the Red Rooster line,the original still pumps. Go for the birds,but know it’s the pickles,pita and the prospect of way too much toum – or just enough – that really make it.
Multiple locations,eljannah.com.au
Frango Charcoal Chicken
It’s a well-known fact that the heart of Little Portugal pumps chilli sauce. It’s the closely guarded secret of the Fernandes family’s Petersham institution,where the butterflied charcoal chicken gets stuffed into foil bags with a flourish of the hot,garlicky elixir,and the burgers – featuring crumbed fillets,S&W mayo and lettuce – positively drip with the stuff. Soak it up.
Multiple locationsfrangos.com.au
Happy Chef
If you’re into Happy Chef,odds are you’re really into it,with your favourites from the enormous backlit menu of this Chinatown staple on lock. The fan favourite laksa shines even more when made with your choice of noodle,while wonton noodle soup loaded with offal is a steadying bowl of goodness. A simple noodle house,they call themselves,but that’s not even the start of it.
Shop F3,401 Sussex Street,Haymarket
Icebergs Dining Room and Bar
Two decades in and Icebergs still feels timeless. Put it down to the swell,the salt air,but most of all,to Maurice Terzini’s continued spirit of evolution,his collaboration with a line of name chefs who bring inventiveness to Italian classics.XO koshihikari risotto with spot prawn crudo? Only at Icebergs.
1 Notts Avenue,Bondi Beach,idrb.com
Mother Chu’s Taiwanese Gourmet
A three-decade-old Chinatown essential where eating is guided by cravings far more than the clock. A late afternoon pork pepper bun enveloped in sesame-encrusted pastry? Can do. Mid-morning fried youtiao dough stick to dip in warm soy milk? Come on down. Crisp-fried chicken is a crowd favourite too,plus the beef noodle soup,shallot pancakes and congee.
1/84-88 Dixon Street,Haymarket
Paul’s Famous Hamburgers
As old-fashioned surf-club,chip-shop burgers risk being drowned out by so many smash patties,Paul’s feels essential. It’s a white roll,a dense patty,a slice of beetroot,a squeeze of tomato sauce. It’s iceberg lettuce,a fried egg,hot chips spilling out of a paper bag,bare feet on the footpath,endless summers. And it’s still as busy as ever.
12 Princes Highway,Sylvania,paulsfamoushamburgers.com.au
Ryo’s Noodles
The first thing that stands out is the line. Ryo’s locals and pilgrims regularly stand outside on this unremarkable strip of residential road in Crows Nest waiting their turn. Inside it’s squeezy,fast-paced and strikingly yellow but the ramen – milk-white 12-hour tonkotsu – just rocks. Juicy chashu,jammy eggs and springy noodles bring it home six days a week,20 years and counting.
125 Falcon Street,Crows Nest
Sean’s
A person’s mood is improved by exactly 150 per cent when they have a booking at Sean’s to look forward to. True fact. It’s that favourite cable-knit jumper you reach for every winter;it’s the balm after a long day at the beach (or office). Sean Moran has been nourishing Sydneysiders with smart,generous cooking for more than 30 years,and we hope he never stops.
270 Campbell Parade,North Bondi,seansbondi.com
Sun Ming
Hong Kong’s cha chaan teng cafes traditionally offer Cantonese-European fusion cooking based on nostalgia,comfort and value,and this humble diner is Sydney’s original version of the form. Since 1993,it’s been a haven for sticky rice with lap cheong sausage,sizzling tofu and the signature pork chop. Cheese on top is optional for the baked chop,but not really. Everyone gets the cheese.
173A Forest Road,Hurstville,sunminghurstville.com
Tan Viet Noodle House
All are welcomed by massive tabletop tea urns and brisk,friendly service at this house of crispy skin chicken and flat egg noodles (but really,it’s all about the chicken). Each chook maryland is tremendously juicy under its salty,moreish,shattering skin,and only needs a big glass of iced tea on the side (maybe a little soup,too.)
100 John Street,Cabramatta,tanviet.com.au
Temasek
Susan Wong opened her Singaporean-Malay restaurant in 1992 after working in securities for National Australia Bank and realising she preferred cooking more than dealing with debentures. It’s still in the same half-hidden spot on a low-rent laneway,the laksa forever complex and balanced,and the Hainanese chicken rice a gold standard.
71 George Street,Parramatta,temasekrestaurant.com
Tetsuya’s
A move is on the cards, but as longtime regulars who were introduced to Tetsuya Wakuda’s singular and seminal blend of French and Japanese cooking in Rozelle in the ’80s know a restaurant is less about the where than about a feeling,a tone. Be assured that what’s currently on offer – sophistication,subtlety and a master’s touch with seafood (the confit ocean trout still hits hard) – will continue.
529 Kent Street,Sydney,tetsuyas.com
The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2024 magazine is on sale for $14.95 from newsagents,supermarkets and atthestore.com.au.