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EATING OUT – AT HOME warm change With the arrival of summer, it's time to venture out and try some new places to eat, places where the welcome is warm enough to chase away any lingering chill in the air. STORY SALLY HAMMOND Bécasse Westfield Sydney, Corner of Pitt Street Mall and Market Street, Sydney, NSW. (02) 9283 3440 Sydney's newest city precinct is drawing more than just shoppers. Several top- drawer restaurants have opened there, including Justin and Georgia North's vastly scaled-down 25-seat Bécasse in the historic sandstone of Westfield's Pitt Street façade. If this looks like they're throttling back, think again. The Norths will also open a gourmet food emporium, an additional 80-seat restaurant, the new Bécasse bakery and a cookery school at the centre, as well as a specialty wine store adjacent to Bécasse. Fans of this couple's previous restaurants are ecstatic. www.becasse.com.au Merchant 495 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC. (03) 9614 7688 The name, the address and even the website are witty clues to the provenance of the dishes on Merchant's menu. Order a plate of Guy Grossi's cichetti (the standard antipasti in Grossi's hometown of Venice) with a bellini and you'll soon be seeing St Mark's Square instead of Collins Street outside the door. It's the osteria you'd seek out in Italy – but it's in Melbourne, under the sure hand of one of this country's premier restaurateurs. Grossi already has Grossi Florentino in Bourke Street, St Kilda's Mirka at Tolarno and the Grossi Trattoria InterContinental Hotel Bangkok in Thailand. Surely Venice is next... www.merchantov.com Ethos Eat Drink 100 Elizabeth St, Hobart, TAS. (03) 6231 1165 Patrons were understandably saddened when their much-loved Piccalilly shut its doors in February this year. However, the closure allowed time for the team to open two new restaurants in Hobart – Ethos in the former stables of one of Hobart's most historic buildings in the city centre, and Battery Point Steakhouse. Chef Iain Todd is a former Fenix (Melbourne) chef, and his tapas and small plate menu ensures Ethos will remain a restaurant that is both modern and classical. A match for Hobart itself. www.ethoseatdrink.com Tartufo Ristorante + Bar Emporium 1000 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley, QLD. (07) 3852 1500 The name hints that this restaurant is a classic Italian addition to the popular Brisbane dining strip. La passione per il cibo, a passion for food, is a catch-phrase here and the menus are set to please all comers with breakfast, degustation, a la carte and a bar menu. This is yet another venture for chef-owner Tony Percuoco, formerly of Fellini on the Gold Coast, which explains the surety of the menu and service, while the fab new location – the former Belle Epoque site – perhaps explains his shift from beachside to city. You won't hear the locals complaining – now they can lap up some truly good Italian fare. www.tartufo.com.au Saké Restaurant & Bar 45 Eagle Street, Eagle Street Pier, Brisbane, QLD. (07) 3339 0999 Saké has hit the ground running, a testament to the popularity of contemporary Japanese cuisine and the wisdom of choosing a riverside setting. The Brisbane restaurant, opened at the end of 2010, is a sibling to the popular Sydney restaurant, which opened a year before, with décor and menu closely following the tried and tested template. The menu created by Executive Chef Shaun Presland is tailored to suit Queensland palates and pays appropriate respect to fine local seafood and seasonal produce. And of course the food is expertly matched by fine Japanese sake and shochu. www.sakerestaurant.com.au/ brisbane travel&living 19