If it’s been a while since you’ve been to Sydney‘s Martin Place, prepare to be blown away by its recent transformation. With a much-welcomed new dining precinct, Martin Place has received an injection of energy and finesse it has long been craving, part of a $170 million transformation of 25 Martin Place into a premium retail, dining, and cultural hub.
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Overlooking the bustling CBD area, the new precinct features an incredible lineup of venues including Cabana Bar, White + Wong’s, Sardine Cocktail Bar, L’uva Pasta & Wine Bar, Botswana Butchery, and Aalia, now joined by newly opened Japanese restaurant Kazan.
From Kazan, you can expect delicious Japanese cuisine, combined with theatre and art. The restaurant sits above the ‘Noh Stage’ – a simple traditional Japanese performance space where there is no curtain to separate performers and audience – in the open space between their talented chefs and diners. When you’re not mesmerized by the performance, feast your eyes on the food on offer – some of our favourites including the Confit duck breast with mustard soy and the Robata grilled black angus tenderloin with foie gras and honey garlic soy.
Next up is White + Wong’s, where you will get to experience all the finest street-food dishes from China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. They serve up some of the most popular and loved delicacies from these regions, which means you only have to come to one place to experience the best of what each cuisine has to offer – talk about convenience! Think Fijian-style kingfish sashimi and Korean Fried Chicken Bao, just to name a couple.
Roman-inspired pasta and wine bar L’uva provides the perfect post-work drinks and dinner spot. The menu is designed to share, so the more the merrier! We recommend some oysters to start, followed by fusilli with veal ragu, accompanied by a beverage of your choice from a wine list built on boutique wineries from Europe and our own backyard.
For an innovative, more relaxed dining experience, there’s Botswana Butchery. Sprawling across two levels, you’ll find DJs on the rooftop from Wednesday to Friday, alongside a flavoursome menu favouring fine-cut meats and locally sourced ingredients.
Middle-eastern cuisine is not left out of the new precinct with Aalia fulfilling that particular craving. The menu beautifully combines ingredients from across territories and times, contrasting tradition with modern techniques to offer diners an Arabian nomadic time-travelling odyssey of dishes.
In terms of drinks, there are plenty of options for you to discover. Upstairs from White + Wong is Sardine Bar, the perfect place to start, or end your night, depending on how you roll. The cocktail bar is fancy, with a side of quirkiness. And, you can grab bites from White + Wong’s menu so you don’t have to hop around. Cabana Bar is not too far away, nestled in a lush inner-city oasis with an open-air terrace spanning over 100 metres overlooking Martin Place. The menu has it all – local beers, unique cocktails, and a Mexican-inspired menu.
Now all you have left to do is put on a pair of your nice shoes, and make your way to Martin Place to immerse yourself in a CBD culinary experience unlike any other.