Ester may very well be Sydney’s ‘it’ restaurant of the moment. I can see why. Hard to get into but they allow some seating at the bar. The waiters all seem to be various degree of hipster. The food has its own personality. They do offer a banquet option, but it’s not the fussy old-style degustation (which I happen to like). They’re hearty plates to share, combining a home-dining feel with something really upscale, as if you were pals with a really amazing cook who agreed to let you into his industrial kitchen.
So, dishes above were typical: bone marrow, with an awesome sauce and even the bread, charred from the grill tasted awesome.
The duck was crazily tasty and rich. Perfectly crispy skin. Very rich. Very more-ish. Not a delicate individual serving, yet not something you’d be able to cook at home.
Some yummy peas and corn (again with a charred, smoky, grilled theme) was particularly liked by our group of three; oh, and the wine list is really good. We had a very interesting orange wine, and a lovely, almost effervescent bio-dynamic white. It’s not a cheap wine list, but it’s a goody. Treat yourself.
We were far too full to have dessert, and it was kind of fun to be too full to try too many dishes. It’s impetus to come back again. Nice atmosphere. Great staff. They didn’t mind us packing up the extra pieces of duck to take home (how could we waste that, it was delicious on a salad the next day for lunch!).
Seems like Chippendale is the new Hippendale in Sydney, with new restaurants and a gallery and residents moving in. And Ester’s obviously led the way.
ohhh yessss that bone marrow!!