Cafe Sydney (2025)

The last time I came was during dinner. The view of the Sydney Harbour was spectacular but the food photos turned up quite badly. This time we came back for lunch.

Cafe Sydney captures the essence of Sydney from its amazing location on the rooftop of Customs House with spectacular harbour views, delicious food, an outdoor terrace, cocktail lounge and a relaxed, contemporary interior.

There is an outside balcony and that is where you will want to sit. You will have a view of the bridge and the Opera. There probably isn’t a better place in Sydney to watch the harbour activity.

Leading the passionate team is seasoned executive chef, Sarahjane Brown. With a commitment to sourcing the freshest and the best produce in season, Sarahjane utilises locally sourced produce across all areas of the continually evolving contemporary menu, delivery a dining experience that is unique.

Crumbed quail breast, roasted quail breast, pickled eschalot, radicchio, blackberry jus 

Not quite a starter to share, it was absolutely delicious this appetiser of quail done two ways was. One portion of quail breast was breaded and deep-fried like Southern chicken, and the other breast was grilled on a hot plate. I liked both, but had slightly higher preference for the grilled one because the accompanying sauce was perfect for it.

Mooloolaba tuna carpaccio, buttermilk ricotta, caper, finger lime, yuzu oil, rye crisp

The carpaccio used locally sourced albacore tuna that tasted buttery and fresh, and marinated with yuzu oil and caper brine.

Yellowfin tuna and king salmon tartare, ginger, yoghurt, white soy dressing

The next appetiser was a joyful one with audience participation, where one scooped spoonfuls of soy-marinated yellowfin tuna and NZ king salmon tartare onto sculptural sesame-smattered rice cracker shells and eating them like tortillas. Simple, fresh, and straight from the sea.

Crustacean Platter

Served chilled in the shell with mayonnaise, cocktail sauce, lemon

Cafe Sydney’s Crustacean Platter was something to look forward to. I used to eat one of these 2-tier chilled seafood tower on my own (as appetiser, main and dessert), but it is good to be shared among 3-4 persons too. Oh feel my reluctance!

My colleagues shared the oysters, while I worked through the crustaceans. Except for the scampis, the rest of the shellfish was sweet and delicious.

Berkshire pork cutlet, koji, roast peach, spring onion, marjoram, romesco sauce

I got plate envy when this was served. The Berkshire pork loin looked sumptuous with the bone placed on its side and half a caramelised roasted peach on top. And the chicharrónes (deep fried pork rind) looked delicious and completed the plate perfectly.

Grilled swordfish, Swiss chard, roman bean, tomato chermoula dressing

Another colleague who was much more health conscious than I was picked the white meat of the sea, grilled loin of swordfish. Swordfish has a mild, slightly sweet flavour with a firm, meaty texture. Its taste is often compared to that of tuna or other dense fish, but it is usually less oily than those varieties. I take umbrage for how restaurants these days use regional food names like chermoula (which is primarily based on parsley) and butchered it as tomato based sauce for the fish.

Perhaps it was early or perhaps we were lucky, but it wasn’t the busy lunch spot in CBD these days as less business folks go back to the office. We managed to get a balcony seat for three persons without reservation (not that we are suggesting to try your luck every time) and had a really enjoyable lunch.

Cafe Sydney
Level 5 Customs House, 31 Alfred St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Tel : +61 2 9251 8683 (Reservations)

Visited May 2025