6 Hours of Sydney Eats

I was thrilled when the folks at OpenTable shot through an invite to try some vegan grub in the big smoke using their app! So, I booked a fancy overnight stay at Ovolo Woolloomooloo (which I paid for) and opened my OpenTable app to start checking out the dope vegan eats available nearby in Sydney (and also realised I had used OpenTable once before in Portland!)

By either entering a location or using location services on your phone, you can easily scroll through a bunch of different restaurants and use the filtering options to find restaurants that cater to all of your needs e.g. vegan. And I’m not alone, OpenTable’s recent Sustainable Dining Report found that a plant based menu is important to 14% of Aussies (BTW, you can check out the top sustainable restaurants on OpenTable here)! I didn’t have to scroll for long, because the Ovolo has its very own plant-based restaurant right in the bloody hotel. While scoping out the menu on the OpenTable app, the bar and dinner options at Alibi looked outstanding but I couldn’t go past the miniature sweet and savoury options of their High Tea.

For a v reasonable $55 per person you cop a glass of sparkling and unlimited tea by Newy’s own Rabbit Hole but obviously it’s all about the food; the teeny, tiny, tasty food! My pick of the savoury options was the Forest Mushroom on Toast with Wasabi Almond Cream and for the sweet, well it’s a toss up between the Black Sesame Cream with Raspberry Rose and the Mixed Berry Cheesecake with Strawberry Compote. Oh. Em. Gee! Plus, the staff were an absolute dream, super attentive without being too attentive (no hovering here.)

After high tea, it was time to check head back to our room, raid the (free!) mini bar, spend some time using the (free!) wifi and head downstairs to for the (free!) happy hour before walking, oh, approx. 400m to our dinnerstination (a word I made up combining the words dinner and destination.)

Otto Sydney is a beautiful waterfront Italian restaurant overlooking the wharf with a small but tasty vegan menu. Still a little full from high tea, we kept it fairly modest with the outrageously tasty Ravioli of Finely Sliced Pickled Beetroot, Jerusalem Artichoke Soup plus kept it carby with some fresh sourdough and fries. The food was fresh, the atmosphere was sophisticated and the service was impeccable. And BTW, if you’re using an iPhone, the app sends you a little option to turn your phone on Do Not Disturb mode while you dine because when you’re in a classy place like this, it’s best to avoid your 99 Problems ringtone blasting through the restaurant when an unexpected call comes through.

Then it was back to the Ovolo to catch some Zs and chomp on a (free!) continental breakfast before heading home to Newy to hop into bed to review the restaurants on the OpenTable app and plot my next eating adventure. Don’t forget to follow @OpenTableAU on IG to keep up to date with new restaurant finds.