Sonny’s

Is it a bar, is it a restaurant, does it really matter?

This bar-restaurant hybrid was envisaged as a local’s hangout but is now a bona fide destination that’s well worth travelling across the city for. The popularity is testament to the food of chef Sofika Boulton who stepped into the top role after her stint at another neighbourhood favourite, Bar Rogue. And don’t just take our word for it – Boulton is often one of the local talents on the lips of hospo insiders state-wide when you ask, where do you eat?

The menu is bar-centric and loaded in such a way that it pays to order strategically. You’ll want to fill the table first off with scorched flatbreads and butter, pickles and cured meats, made in-house. There’s a rotating roster of attention-grabbing small plates – like raw prawns in a vivid Granny Smith dressing – that won’t last long on the table. Load up again with, say, a pork tomahawk with bright blood-orange glaze at the centre of the table and surround with the likes of a simple chicory salad dressed with saffron mustard, potato hash to tick the need for carbs, and seasonal Torbay Asparagus with, wait for it, roast chicken butter. Finally, plan for dessert. A burnt Basque cheesecake with an almost obscene wobble is a stellar version of a dish trend we love to keep seeing.