Dine like a local: Dan Hong’s guide to Sydney

Ester is a uniquely Australian restaurant. Everything's cooked in their wood-fired oven. From steaks to salt-baked mud crab to the desserts, everything at Ester is delicious. [Chef] Mat Lindsay is a genius. 

[Chef] Federico Zanellato’s Italian, but the style at Lumi is Japanese-Italian – he incorporates a lot of Japanese techniques and flavours. And he arguably has the best snack game in Australia. He calls it the omakase there, but when you get the tasting [menu], you get about 12 snacks before you even start your mains. There are only about four or five plated dishes. Everyone loves to eat like that. 

One of my favourite places for a long, beautiful lunch. Mimi’s is considered a fine-dining restaurant, but when you go there, you just feel so relaxed. They make you feel at home. The food is not very complicated, made with the best produce and mostly cooked over charcoal. Some of the best seafood and steaks you can get. One of my favourite dishes is the potato scallop – a slice of beer-battered potato – with caviar. 

Porcine is my favourite Sydney bistro. They do amazing things with charcuterie, amongst other unique and forgotten recipes. 

Porkfat is a Thai restaurant in Chinatown, run by two awesome friends of mine, a couple, Tanya and Jack. They do authentic Thai food Inspired by Royal cuisine, using amazing Australian produce. We're fortunate to have a plethora of amazing Thai restaurants in Sydney. 

Royal Palace does great live seafood. I love getting stuff like live lobster simply done with ginger and shallots. Also, pippies with XO sauce. Refined, delicious Cantonese food.  

Saint Peter is probably the most exciting restaurant, arguably, in Australia. Josh Niland is the king of fish, and what he does with different fish and seafood is really unique. It's just a great experience. 

A casual Hong Kong-style restaurant doing authentic, rustic Cantonese dishes. I always order the sizzling silken tofu. It’s delicious.  

This is a sushi restaurant run by a chef called Toshi [Toshihiko Oe]. He does my favourite sushi omakase in Sydney. It's a minimum of 30 courses. He uses the largest variety of Australian fish and seafood, and it celebrates that, whether it be on nigiri or simply just a sliced piece of kinmedai (Australian alfonsino), just served with salt and wasabi, or eight cuts of tuna.  

This is my favourite Korean restaurant. Amazing homestyle soups and stews. I also love their kimchi pancake.