66 W I N E S TAT E September/October 2012

s y d n e y g r a p e v i n eELISABETH KING

Left: Bay Tinh resturant. Right: Bay Tinh’s pork skewers.

THE ORIGINAL Bay Tinh restaurant in Marrickville has been packing them in since 1985. The founding owner, Tinh Tran, who cooked for some of Vietnam’s top dignitaries before arriving in Australia in the late ’80s, handed over the reins to his protege, Harry Hoang, five years ago. The entrepreneurial and ebullient Mr Hoang decided to extend the franchise to Crow's Nest last November and the move has produced another smash-hit.

Unlike Marrickville, Vietnamese restaurants are thin on the ground on the North Shore so there was an element of risk in the new venture. Getting a Kojak parking spot in Crow's Nest is a Mission Impossible day or night, so head straight for the Woolworths parking station kitty-corner to the Bay Tinh. Decor isn't the major appeal of the Marrickville outpost and its northside cousin follows the same cosy, crowded floor plan with the addition of a wine bar. Another copycat move is the menu, which eschews the tried-and-true favourites of most Vietnamese restaurants such as pho soup and pages of stir-fries in favour of creative, innovative dishes that you won't find elsewhere.

includes several northern dishes with French colonial overtones such as slow-cooked duck with cumquat sauce and ballottine of chicken - a deboned bird filled with spiced shiitake mushrooms. "Bonfire" dishes of meat, chicken and fish cooked in a pot at the table are very popular among diners who like to mix drama and intense flavours. Another standout, not commonly available at most Vietnamese restaurants, is the light-as-air pancake stuffed with prawns, pork and bean sprouts. The icing on the cake is the seven-course tasting menu priced at $37 per person, which ranks as a major bargain north and south of the bridge. You can BYO with a $3 corkage charge, but the Bay Tinh's wine list is remarkable for a reasonably-priced restaurant of any ethnicity. Bay Tinh, 16 Falcon St, Crow's Nest; phone (02) 9438 5118.

JEREMY STRODE'S menus at Bistrode CBD are anchored by the sort of fabulous British dishes that Rick Stein encounters on his TV rambles through the UK - Scotch broth, calf's liver and onions, and whole mackerel in green sauce. All cooked with the style and

prefer mains such as the Blackmore wagyu beef and grain mustard white sauce or blue eye with Indian spices, curry leaf and Basmati rice. Wines by the glass swivel from Villa Wolf Pinot Gris from Germany to The Graillot Project No 2 Syrah, but full bottles mainly hail from Australia. A great choice when you're looking for honest-to-goodness food cooked with brilliance. Bistrode CBD, Level 1, Hotel CBD, 52 King St, Sydney; phone (02) 9240 3000.

Cutting edge, smart and not up itself, 4Fourteen is the sort of restaurant you know you will return to again and again. Colin Fassnidge, of the Four in Hand, one of Sydney's top gun chefs, is the guiding light behind this casual diner which delivers the goods, from freshly shucked Clair de Lune oysters to chicken wing parfait, crispy tortilla and quince chutney. You won't find crumbed pig's tail on many menus but there could be a revival on the way if Fassnidge's reworking is any indication. Served with crab and corn salad and avocado puree, this tasty titbit is one of the hottest items on a wide-ranging menu. Even if you haven't imbibed a huge amount of alcohol that needs "soaking up", the Irish breakfast is highly recommended at all hours of the day. A hot frying pan is brought to the table filled with duck eggs sunny side up, chorizo and creamy blood sausage. Still crazy for meat? Try the beef ’n’ bone for two - brisket, beef tongue and marrow offset by celeriac remoulade, carrots and turnips. Turn up early to select from the cocktail list served at the central bar to stretch out a memorable lunch or dinner at one of Sydney's hottest new restaurants. 4Fourteen, 414, Bourke St, Surry Hills; phone (02) 9331 5399.

Hoang mixes the ingredients for the dish simply called small rice cakes himself because he wants to keep the recipe a trade secret. He's on the money. A traditional dish from southern Vietnam, the crunchy outside is a marriage made in heaven, with the silky rice flour and coconut custard interior. Such delicacy is hard to mass-produce and doesn't keep for long periods, so the portions of six arrive at the table just-cooked to perfection. Hoang could found a cocktail party business on these scrumptious morsels alone and repeat visitors always order them. The large menu

flair you would expect at a restaurant with one chef's hat in the 2012 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide. Strode is no stranger to stellar ratings, though, following a stint at Michel Roux's Michelin 3-Star restaurant, The Waterside Inn at Bray.

The sleek, first-floor dining room at this Merivale-owned city eatery is predominantly filled with suits with sophisticated tastes. I come here for another reason. Strode's wonderfully-named Hearts and Minds is an offal lover's dream dish - deep-fried lamb's brains and tartare sauce with lamb's hearts and bitter greens. More squeamish friends

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