Sydney Grapevine

It's easy to miss Rocket Restaurant, perched on the first floor of an office block in Chatswood. You have to walk up a flight of stairs and then turn sharp left. But on subsequent visits all you have to do is to follow the steady stream of dedicated foodies heading for this first-rate eatery where the food and the wine are taken very seriously indeed. For the price of an average meal in Europe, Rocket serves the sort of food that would easily qualify for what the French call gastronomique anywhere in the world.

But another lure of this seven-year-old restaurant, which has been attracting accolades for nearly as long as it's existed, is that the staff are friendly, efficient and extremely knowledgeable. There aren't many restaurants in Sydney where you can have a vigorous discussion about the merits of serving Roquefort as a dessert, but at Rocket such debates are par for the course. The "open theatre" kitchen almost allows you to check the restaurant's leading suppliers, who turn out to be a who's who of top providores from Wright's the Butcher to Matt Brown's Greens. There were six entrees and each cleared the "can't decide which one" hurdle. The nods went to confit of crispy pork belly, poire William puree and apple and pear chutney and warm salad of golf ball tomato, Kryten goat's curd, eggplant and roasted beetroot. And there was an equal tussle deciding on the mains before the orders went to seared duck breast, parsnip puree, almond crusted potato and wild berry relish and smooth bouillabaisse, prawn and champagne risotto cake, mussels and seared scallops. 
Many people come here just for the wine list, which rounds up first-rate bottlings from Australia, New Zealand and France at all price levels from a 2006 Edwards Chardonnay to a 1996 Chateau Charbonnieux Grand Cru Classe. The decor is equally classy, as was the much-discussed Roquefort mousse with grilled honey pears and toasted brioche for dessert. A true gem of North Shore dining. Cnr Help and Railway Sts, Chatswood; phone (02) 9411 8233.

I have been a big fan of the La Grande Bouffe restaurant in Rozelle for years, so it didn't take much to lure me to Apres restaurant when I found out that both restaurants were linked to David Poirier and Joshua Renshaw. Well, the boys have pulled off the same trick twice in creating a restaurant where the food and the atmosphere compete for top honours - although the second eatery has the edge in hipness. Located in the historic Minerva Building in Orwell St, Potts Point, it has chic pillars and burnished floor reminding you that the space was once home to the legendary Roosevelt Hotel. Value is very much to the fore in these straitened times and a three-course dinner is priced at $60 per person, with an eight-course degustation costing $85. A French influence comes through loud and clear with entrees like pan-fried scallops with boudin noir and cauliflower puree and Macleay Valley rabbit terrine with hazelnut and beetroot salad. And continues with mains - from eight-hour braised lamb, puy lentils, lardons and truffle jus. The wine list is also Francophile and very carefully selected, from Domaine La Barroche Chateauneuf-du-Pape to Domain Courbis St Joseph ‘Les Royes', but there are enough first-rate Australian bottlings to keep patriots happy. Open for lunch Monday-Friday; dinner seven days. 32 Orwell St, Potts Point; phone (02) 9331 1889.

Super sommelier Clint Hillery has a lot of top-notch wine lists under his belt - think Light Brigade, Verandah and Gazebo. For his latest venture, Time To Vino, he has teamed with his brother Nathan to create one of the buzziest winebars-cum-eateries in town. The downstairs room is long and narrow, but upstairs the lounge fans out to accommodate about 50 patrons and boasts a counter constructed from old wine crates. Clint is committed to a constantly changing wine list and on my visit there were about 35 French, Italian, Australian and Spanish varietals up for consideration - many of which were also available by the glass. The traditional food classifications - entrees, mains and desserts - have been discarded in favour of the demographic realities of the last Census, which revealed a rise in the number of single householders - ‘Waiting for Friends', ‘Friends Are Here' and ‘Who Needs Friends'. Chef Thomas Green has the credentials to make quirky as delicious as it is amusing. Chow down soon on warm duck salad with poached egg, foie gras mousse or one of the large crowd of daily blackboard specials.
66 Stanley St, Darlinghurst; phone (02) 9380 4252.

Sometimes you just want a quick bite in town with friends or a business colleague but you don't want to head too far downmarket with your food choices. The answer to this perennial problem is Bar Cupola at Angel Place Office Tower. It's a bit hard to spot from the street but this laidback jewel was voted Best Casual Restaurant and Best Cafe two years in a row by the readers of Sydney magazine. The menus are constantly changing, but you can expect dishes along the lines of warm lamb salad with roast beetroot, kipfler potatoes, chick peas and minted yogurt and fettucini with scallops, tomato and basil in a vodka cream sauce. The fabulous decor is anchored by the sort of arty mural you would expect to find in New York. Gallery Level, Angel Place Office Tower, 123 Pitt St; phone (02) 9221 3377.