A business associate recommended this place just 15 min by car from the Sydney CBD to meet on a weekend as most downtown places would not have opened so early.  

The first thing that strikes you about the space is the amazing high ceilings. The restaurant’s space is so big that the use of different sections for different dining experiences is clever; there’s an option for everybody.

Rushcutters Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, about 3 kilometres east of the Sydney CBD. This new and upcoming neighbourhood has attracted many new eateries to set up shop among the Industrial Age factories and buildings that have been preserved. Among them, is the chic and popular Rushcutters.

Rushcutters is led by executive chef Martin Boetz (previously from Sydney and Melbourne’s famed Longrain Thai restaurants) alongside head chef Kasper Christensen, and took over the cavernous space vacated by Neild Avenue, which was the brainchild of chef Robert Marchetti and restaurateur Maurice Terzini from Icebergs Dining Room and North Bondi Italian that operated here between 2010-2013. I guess the trend for dining in Sydney is moving towards more casual and relaxed choices, so a über-chic joint like Neild Avenue decided to take an early exit after the triumphal entrance.

The Food

The menu is mainly European, with many good artisan bread on offer in the bakery/delicatessen by the front door that you can takeaway when you are leaving.

We started with a dozen of freshly shucked Sydney rock oysters from the Central Coast. The oysters were so good that we ordered another half dozen before we hit the road.

The salads were freshly made to order and used very innovative dressing that are organic and easy to the body – another dining trend these days.

But for some of us, we decided to stick to the meats. They have their own paddock to table suppliers and the rotisserie chicken that we ordered was juicy and plump that I felt it was overdressed with the pesto and buttermilk drizzling. Although we did not take any more pictures, but their pizza and pastries were outstanding too.

The atmosphere is relaxed on this Saturday afternoon, with unobtrusive servers that miraculously appear the moment you looked up from your conversation. Highly recommended if you have an afternoon to spend in Sydney.

Rushcutters
10 Neild Avenue, Rushcutters Bay
New South Wales 2011, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9326 9348

Date visited : Oct 2014

Closed in 2016. Location now taken over by Bar M

PS: Unfortunately, they did not manage to survive the awkward location that does not have any food traffic. Maybe they were just a couple of years ahead of their time.