Crown Towers Sydney is your swanky base to a foodie adventure in the Australian city

Sipping floral cocktails and nibbling on colourful dim sum in a “birdcage” pavilion at The Teahouse lounge bar feels kitschy Crazy Rich Asians. But when you’re on a pampering getaway, it does seem very befitting.

The Teahouse is one of multiple concepts in Crown Towers Sydney, an integrated resort that opened in December 2020 in Barangaroo, a precinct in the north-western edge of the Central Business District.

Formerly known as East Darling Harbour, Barangaroo was designated for renewal as a commercial and lifestyle district in 2003 and re-named after an influential First Nation Cammeraygal woman. What was once a disused container terminal is now bustling as a foodie playground with shiny office buildings, a scenic boardwalk and park, and a new train station boosting access to all these.

Our two-bedroom Opera Tower Suite was a stylish, spacious residence in natural and aqua hues. After hanging out in the living room we could retreat to our own bedroom sanctuaries that came with well-appointed bathrooms, each containing a huge elliptical freestanding bathtub. Between lazing at the outdoor pool overlooking the harbour and indulging in therapeutic water facilities and massages at the Crown Spa, our daily agenda was to burrow through the insane number of outstanding food venues in and around the hotel.

GOURMET INDULGENCE IN THE HOTEL

Among the hotels’ dining concepts are the famous Japanese-Peruvian Nobu and fine-dining Oncore by Clare Smyth, the only overseas outpost by British chef Clare Smyth, who owns three Michelin-starred Core in London. Lately, two Sydney icons have parked themselves here: Cantonese restaurant Golden Century, favoured by the locals for late-night dining and “yum cha” brunches, and Bondi pool club expansion Icebergs Harbour Bar.

Breakfast was a predictable international buffet affair at all-day diner Epicurean. But wait, there’s a chocolate fountain and ice cream? Sugar rush here we (eagerly) come. With 349 rooms in the hotel, getting a table requires strategy: it is a breeze before 8am and after 10am; anything in between, be prepared to wait in line.

Besides Teahouse, which also serves hot and cold dishes such as chicken satay, Sydney rock oysters and kingfish sashimi, another beautiful sunset spot is the 26th-floor alfresco terrace bar Cirq. Bask in the rush of the wind outdoors or chill out inside at the high tables over tapas, seafood and a classic selection of wines and craft cocktails.

At A’Mare, it is refined but comforting Italian fare with plenty of tableside action and a few very expensive martinis such as the A$40 (S$34)  Pesto Martini (distinct but not life-changing) and A$75 Luxury Martini (didn’t try). Thankfully there was no schmancy in dishes like the signature trofie al pesto, salt-baked coral trout in crudaiola tomato sauce and lobster pasta, all of which allowed fresh local produce to shine. When we got to the tiramisu scooped out from a tray, it was pure bliss.

Our favourites, Woodcut and Oncore by Clare Smyth, were hot faves with the locals packed on a Wednesday and Friday night respectively.

Woodcut was a sensory smorgasbord of aromas heightened by open kitchen energy. Group dining is the best way to taste a variety of seasonal Australian produce prepared with techniques ranging from cured to oven baked and kettle steamed. We had sweet roasted lipstick peppers playing well with briny capers and olives; a perfectly executed 200g grass-fed fillet and 400g rump cap, the latter giving a luscious, buttery mouthfeel; crispy baked Hasselback potatoes in herb oil; and an apple tart dessert that soft landed the hearty meal. The wine list is a whopper of Old World and New World labels as well as emerging producers. The cocktails packed a punch, and the team went the extra mile to conjure up a toddy that came with a cinnamon stick, even though the drink wasn’t on the menu.

The tasting menu’s portions were small but surprisingly filling, such as the Potato and Roe, a creamy baked Australian potato topped with a carpet of roe and served in a seaweed beurre blanc sauce, and the Core-teser dessert which was a sublime dance of chocolate, malt and hazelnuts. The sophisticated cocktails hit the mark too. The Seaweed & Whisky cocktail was an eclectic but mind-blowingly clean melange of butter-washed whiskey, kelp and sea lettuce syrup while the dessert cocktail, aptly named Miles & Milo, was a smooth concoction of Valrhona chocolate-washed cognac, banana-flavoured liqueur and Pedro Ximenez dessert wine.

FOODIE EXPLORATIONS IN BARANGAROO

Lining Barangaroo Avenue is a wide array of F&B options. The beehive-like Barangaroo House has three floors of gastro-bar conceps, including boppy vinyl bar Rekodo. The Canteen is a multi-stall, communal food hall that heaves with a lunchtime crowd  tucking into everything from salad bowls to surprisingly legit char kway teow.  From coffee and donuts to Vietnamese takeaway and family-run seafood restaurants, there is something for every craving.

One of the latest openings, Callao, brought home how far Barangaroo has come. The Peruvian-Japanese restaurant serves flavourful Nikkei sharing plates and fun cocktails riffing on tropical notes and Japanese spirits in a warmly lit space by the street. Local produce and ingredients like aji amarillo, aji panca and yuzu kosho come together in on-point flavours, texture and acidity. Get the eight-course Chef’s Selections menu to savour the signature dishes such as salmon ceviche with tiger’s milk, toasted corn and sweet potato puree; wagyu tri-tip; and Skull Island tiger prawns in sea urchin butter. The cheesecake was a stunner in textures while hitting the sweet notes perfectly.

Two decades ago, no one would have thought that Barangaroo would be a lifestyle hub, much less a trending entertainment spot. It is the place to eat well and celebrate much now.