I’m greedy! Not for quantity, but for variety and quality. So I love set menus for sharing food – a chance to sample lots of different dishes rather than just have a plate or two to myself.
Increasingly restaurants are writing menus designed for sharing, and most of them simplify decision-making by offering a set menu of their favourite dishes as a sharing menu. So we can get straight down to ordering a drink and chatting with friends while the kitchen just sends out plates of delicious food to share. Here are five of the best value set menus for sharing in Sydney, where the food is delicious, abundant and perfect for sharing. Book a table soon with friends and say ‘please just feed us’.
Folly’s Bar & Bistro Cammeray
Lucky Cammeray-dwellers having this versatile bar and bistro as their local. Grab a pint (or glass) in the front bar or settle in up the back with a few friends for a shared feast of excellent salumi, superb tuna crudo with pickles and lemony aioli (pictured above), char-grilled sourdough, grilled spatchcock with braised radicchio and much more, all for $85/person. Great wines by the glass and friendly service too.
Chiosco Mosman
At his bright casual diner on the wharf next to fine-diner Ormeggio, Alessandro Pavoni’s Sharing Feast menu changes regularly. As long as he keeps the best calamari fritti (tender southern calamari in crisp semolina), and vitello tonnato with crisp capers, pine nuts and parsley oil (pictured) on it, I don’t mind. There’s always house-baked sourdough, awesome pasta and much more. No one leaves this table hungry for just $79/person.
Long Chim Sydney
Thai food is designed for sharing. It’s all about balancing flavours and textures across a range of dishes, which can be daunting for the uninitiated. Thankfully David Thompson’s Maa Long Chim (‘Come, Try & Taste’) menus make this deliciously easy. Start with a few snacks (love those betel leaves) before a curry, salad, stir-fry and rice, then something sweet to finish. From $79/person.
Kitchen by Mike Sydney
Mike McEnearney’s communal tables are a testament to the sharing nature of his food. His Mike’s Menu is a feast of the freshest ingredients from exciting producers. Start with his stunning wood-fired sourdough and Pepe Saya butter, before digging into the likes of wood-grilled southern calamari and chicken with gorgeous spuds from The Gourmet Potato and salad from Newcastle Greens. From $75/person.
Nomad Surry Hills
Chef Jacqui Challinor divides her time between Sydney and the Melbourne outpost of this popular diner, while her team keeps the home fires burning, literally. Wood-fired flatbread with Persian lime and wattleseed za’atar sets the tone for the Mod-Middle Eastern sharing menu that features house-made charcuterie and the likes of barbecued spatchcock with harissa and toum, split pea hummus and delicious ice cream sandwiches. From $110/person.
Prices correct at time of publication.
Updated 20 Jul 2024
