bennelong restaurant sydney opera house

Bennelong Restaurant, Sydney Opera House

It’s Bennelong day without you my friend.

And I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.

….Or, I can just tell you about my fantastic dining experience at Bennelong restaurant straight away.

bennelong restaurant

This has Bennelong time coming so let’s get straight to it.

The ‘Lebron James’ of Sydney’s dining scene, Bennelong restaurant had a sterling reputation for excellent food from the get-go. It feels like it’s been a staple of the culinary landscape for decades but it’s only been in business for the past year.

Demand for its tables are so high right now but I managed to snare a seat at the bar and sample their Cured and Cultured menu.

bennelong restaurant sydney opera house

Located in the iconic Sydney Opera House, does the menu live up to its spectacular real estate?

Why yes, yes it does:

bennelong restaurant tuna
Raw Mooloolaba yellow fin tuna with mushroom, soy, pickled white radish, sesame oil

God, I love tuna. I watched as the chefs sliced plump slice after plump slice. I’m pretty sure my creepy expression rivalled Jack Nicholson’s from the Shining.

There was so much umami in this dish it had me singing oooooh-mami to myself. This tuna hits you with the type of feeling you normally associate with wagyu beef. The bits of enoki mushroom top off this excellent sashimi dish and me salivating rivers waiting for the next course.

Bennelong kingfish
Raw Hiramasa kingfish with smoked oyster & seaweed dressing, native coastal greens

Imaginary trumpets boomed in my head as the kingfish arrived in the space in front of us. The kingfish is very tender and I thought the dollop of cream accompanying the cuts of fish was a nice touch. Its texture made the kingfish go down even smoother.

Yes, I am now on the Jamie Lannister tier as I absolutely slayed this king…fish.

bennelong lobster roll
Hot lobster roll

As soon as this made its debut on the Bennelong menu, I knew it had Bennelong enough wait for me. I watched as the buns were buttered and toasted as the grill. I watched as chunks of lobster were placed in between along with a single leaf of lettuce.

And I watched as it slowly vanished as I took bite after bite after bite.

Can’t wait until demand for it is so high that they’re forced to create Bennelong Burger Bar with a full-sized version of this.

A man can dream.

bennelong restaurant sausage roll
Suckling pig sausage roll with black garlic

Rolling on to the next roll I had during my lunch at Bennelong; this sausage roll has done the rounds on the interwebs as the most expensive sausage roll ever created. I personally think King Joffrey’s the biggest and most expensive sausage roll ever created but let’s move on.

It may be pricey but I think it’s worth every cent and more. You have to wait a little bit as the sausage rolls are baked to order. The puff pastry exterior is crunchy yet flakes away with every nibble. There’s plenty of pork within the pastry.

It’s less of a mince than you’d get with a typical sausage roll which I enjoy as I liked the contrast between chewy pork and crispy pastry.

The dollop of black garlic on top is the only top I’ve seen which I didn’t want to rip off because of a sausage.

Let’s move on.

bennelong restaurant wagyu tartare
Smoked Blackmore Wagyu tartare with fermented chilli paste, cultured cream & grains, mushrooms, seaweed, egg yolk

Holy textures, Batman! We’ve got so many to play with in this bowl. Every bite grants some crunch, cream and a nice amount of heat. I would have loved to have been able to wrap some of the tartare up in some seaweed or something like KIM but that’s more of a personal preference.

You’re still going to have to kill me to (tar)tare the bowl out of my fingers.

Bennelong chocolate cake
Chocolate cake from across the water

This is a cake I’ll never be able to move on from. In terms of chocolate cake, this is easily my favourite out of all the chocolate cake I’ve had the pleasure of sampling. My gut is a testament to all the chocolate cake I’ve had over the years so I don’t say that lightly.

Designed by Peter Gilmore for Quay (hence the cheeky across the water in its name), the chocolate cake is made up of 8 different textures. Yes, yes it a complex to cake to make but even the simplest mind can enjoy how incredible it tastes.

The true testament to how good this cake is that you can isolate any one of the eight textures and enjoy a pleasant dessert. You put them all together and it’s a one colour rainbow party in your mouth.

Look, I’m ok with words but I think this video will do it way more justice.

Please zip up your pants before you read the conclusion of this post.

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Here’s the TL;DR for everyone who thinks it’s Bennelong time since I was funny:

  • Bennelong has solidified its spot on my unofficial “best restaurant to take someone who has never visited Sydney before.” The location and food just work so well for a first-timer to our beautiful city (I swear I’m not sponsored by Destination NSW).
  • I’m pretty sure they’re booked out until 2054 but I swear 2055’s menu is super promising.

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Bennelong Restaurant, Sydney Opera House

Address: Look for the historic building by the water.

Opening Hours:

Mon:5:30 PM to 10 PM
Tue:5:30 PM to 10 PM
Wed:5:30 PM to 10 PM
Thu:12 Noon to 3 PM, 5:30 PM to 10:30 PM
Fri:12 Noon to 2 PM, 5:30 PM to 10 PM
Sat:12 Noon to 2 PM, 5:30 PM to 10 PM
Sun:12 Noon to 2 PM, 5:30 PM to 10 PM

Bennelong Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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