Howard Chen

2 weeks ago | broadsheet.com.au | Howard Chen

You can hear S’wich’s new mocha-hued shop from afar. Seventies funk pulsates through modified vintage Spica TC-50 speakers and stepping inside, you’ll notice the curves of the future-forward fit-out by Studio Shand. It’s a far cry from how Jordan Abram and Jay Fink began their journey into hospitality. The childhood friends ran a three-week makeshift pop-up at an old Bellevue Hill deli in 2019.

4 weeks ago | broadsheet.com.au | Howard Chen

There’s nowhere to eat kamameshi in Sydney, according to chef Shimon Hanakura. So, he opened Izakaya Gaku with fellow chef Haru Inukai. The restaurant in Five Dock is now the go-to for the Japanese comfort dish where rice is cooked in an iron pot with a punchy broth. As you approach, you’ll spot the small dining room glowing under a striped awning. Up a few steps and you’re in a space that, quite honestly, feels true to Japan.

1 month ago | broadsheet.com.au | Grace MacKenzie |Howard Chen

In 2010, Sydney’s cafe scene was nowhere near as strong as it is now. When you found somewhere like Room Ten – the Potts Point hole-in-the-wall known for standout coffee and simple salads and sandwiches – you held onto it. But now, the team wants to set Room Ten apart. And give Pina, its sibling eatery directly opposite, a run for its queue. “I have to compete with my own shop,” owner Andrew Hardjasudarma tells Broadsheet, laughing. “At the moment it looks like I’m playing chess with myself.

1 month ago | broadsheet.com.au | Howard Chen

Crossing Marrickville Metro’s concourse, you’ll hear a cleaver thwacking on a chopping board. Then you’ll smell the intoxicating aroma of meats grilling over embers. It’s intriguing enough to divert any grocery plans to investigate what’s going on. It’s El Taco, a Mexican food truck from cousins Edson Dominguez Tapia and Miguel Seynos. “We’ve been working in construction for a while, but we didn’t like it at all,” Tapia tells Broadsheet.

1 month ago | broadsheet.com.au | Howard Chen

One of the beautiful things about the digital age is how speedily food trends can travel across the globe. First we had the cronut and croffle proliferate our cafes and bakeries, then the crombolini and the crookie. And Asian Australian bakeries are booming right now. The latest wave to crash onto Sydney’s shores is Korean carbs, and you can find them at Buttered. “From the beginning we decided we’re not doing croissants, we're not doing sourdough,” Anece So tells Broadsheet.