It used to be that Sydney was ace at fine dining and Melbourne had the monopoly on mid-tier dinners out, but over time Sydneysiders have been going out for dinner more often, and opting for the fun and dynamic middle bracket when they do. As a result the city has been losing fine dining establishments at a rate of knots. Gone are institutions like Marquee, Rockpool, Sepia, and Bilson's, and later this year it's also curtains for Chinese-Australian stalwart Billy Kwong.
And now news has landed that it is last service for the Bridge Room, Ross and Sunny Lusted's eight-year-old CBD dining room that was particularly beloved by the pre-theatre crowd heading to the Opera House. The Bridge Room was a place you went for classically prepared food from Lusted, who was once the Executive chef of Rockpool, and to dine in luxurious city surrounds.
The final service at the Bridge Room is set for Saturday April 27, so if you fancy some old world glamour book a table before they're gone. But that's not all she wrote – the Lusteds have plans to open a new dining venture in early 2021. Given the long lead time, we'll be keeping an eye on some of the city's new developments as likely locations.
Here's eight Sydney dining institutions that any food lover should tick off their bucket list.