REVIEW
In bringing their interpretation of a Japanese listening bar to life, Ante’s co-owners Matt Young and Jemma Whiteman may have also inadvertently opened one of Sydney’s most exciting restaurants. So while bookings aren’t taken and you’d be unwise to rock up with more than three others, the limitations here pale beside the possibilities. Like the 2500-strong record collection, spanning Ethio-jazz to Austrian trip-hop, waiting for a spin on the big rig. Or the stockpile of 70-plus junmai sakes, poured from stunning vessels by staff who know the score. Then there’s the menu, which segues from perfect pickles and a knockout celeriac katsu sandwich to a cracking chawanmushi bucked up by brown butter and blue swimmer crab or tagliatelle with fermented mushrooms that outsmarts most Italian kitchens in town. It’s a fully realised synergy of so many strong and singular ideas, with uncommon transportive power.
ABOUT
Ante
Contemporary
146 King St, Newtown
Chef Jemma Whiteman
Price guide $
Bookings Not taken
Wheelchair access Yes
Open Lunch Sat-Sun; Dinner Thu-Sun
This review was written independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way. To learn more about the process, head over here.
Gourmet Traveller Annual Restaurant Guide
Our guide gives a yearly snapshot of the best restaurants to eat at right now. The best-rated restaurants, as judged by the reviewers’ first-hand experience, form our national guide.
