Historically, hotel restaurants in Australia don’t have a great reputation. This offering from Sydney’s Ross and Sunny Lusted, attached to new hotel Hyde Melbourne Place, turns that reputation on its head. Channelling Portugal from its striking design – warm earthy tones via brick, timber, tile and fabric details – to the menu and wine list, Marmelo also spruiks excellent local produce, perhaps lightly cured Corner Inlet garfish, ribboned onto skewers and flavoured with coriander seeds and apple cider vinegar, or superb fried lamb sweetbreads teamed with local mushrooms and a fried egg. Flavours are admirably bright across the menu, from the paella-like Arroz de Marisco, piled with seafood and served in a cedar-lidded cast-iron pot, to a zest-perfumed olive oil cheesecake delivered straight from the wood-fired oven. A hefty wine list bristling with Iberian options and an enthusiastic staff help answer the question of whether there are any great Australian hotel restaurants with a resounding “yes”.
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