Peter Doyle may have retired from the kitchen, but Est carries on. The world could be burning outside and the staff wouldn’t miss a beat, pouring flutes of blanc de blancs from the Champagne trolley and checking the creases in the linen to the very last. The room itself almost demands it. Pressed-metal ceilings soar, soft light spills through the front windows, plush banquettes are strewn with cushions. On the plate, chef Jacob Davey presents dishes concerned foremost with classic flavours and polished execution. A meaty tumble of spanner crab topped with trout roe and a chiffonade of cavolo nero and underscored by lemon jam, say, or roasted abalone on a collagen-rich braise of pig’s trotter cut through with capers and served with a crisp toast shipping abalone-liver butter and herbs. Sous-vide baby snapper with a buttery sauce is sweet and fresh, while a side of deep-fried potato flavoured with wagyu fat takes hash browns to their upper limits. And the wine list is the best fun you’ll have with an encyclopedia. This is a place that transcends trends – whether that lands as hushed or stifled, classic or stale, or polished or stiff in 2019 is in the eye of the beholder.
Gourmet Traveller’s restaurant guide gives a yearly snapshot at the best restaurants to eat at right now. The best-rated restaurants, as judged by the reviewers’ first-hand experience, form our national Top 50. The wine star-ratings, which range from zero to three stars are made by wine editor Max Allen on the strength of the quality of the restaurant’s wine list. View our rating key here.
Nikki To
