food

Seafood buffets, $12 cocktails and mountains of chocolate: where you'll want to have your Easter feast.

The Star
Thanks to our brand partner, The Star

 

Nothing makes us Aussies happier than a long weekend.

Long sleep-ins? Yes please.

Long days at the beach even if the weather’s starting to cool down a bit? We’ll take it.

Long lunches where you forget the time and how much you ate and really don’t care because you’re living your best life? GIMME.

The Easter long weekend has snuck up on us (Good Friday is April 19) and now it’s our job to make the most of it. For me, it’s all about the three Fs: Family, Friends and Food. Food is the one thing that makes both my family and friends happy – we bond over it.

Choosing the right place for an Easter lunch or dinner is a must because there’s nothing worse than staring at someone else’s Instagram wishing you were tucking into those chocolate-drizzled waffles the size of your head. A real feed is always better than an Insta-feed.

Here are some options that will make you the person with the best Easter feast, whether it’s a seafood buffet for Good Friday or an Easter Sunday roast done the five-star way. All of these restaurants are at Sydney’s The Star:

Harvest Buffet

Great for: Families and the sweet toothed.

harvest buffet
I see food...seafood. Image: Supplied.
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Buffets get me, and I get buffets. It's that feeling of fitting your plate with everything you can and judging how many repeat visits you'll make to the seafood (likely), the hot food (also likely), and the dessert station (most definitely). Harvest Buffet is the place to do it for two reasons: there's a premium seafood buffet running from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, and April is Chocolate Month so the desserts are next level.

That means Nutella crepes, chocolate waffles, spiced banana and milk chocolate glass shots, a hazelnut chocolate mousse bar, black forest gateaux and Easter eggs (handed out by a giant Easter bunny, because why not?).

Easter Friday Sunday 2019 restaurants Sydney
The one thing better than a chocolate fondue? Different flavours of chocolate fondue. Image: Supplied.
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Lunch prices start from $51.65 for adults and $29.90 for kids, and dinner from $85 for adults and $40 for kids. All you can eat...yes please.

BLACK Bar & Grill

Great for: Sunday roast lovers and harbour sunset watchers.

black bar and grill
BLACK Bar and Grill's meaty menu is a cut above. Image: Supplied.
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If you want water views, fine wines and high-quality Wagyu steaks this swish, modern bar and grill is your place. The Easter Sunday lunch makes my mouth water just a bit: there's a charcoal rotisserie, as well as a lamb shoulder to share with honey and bee wax, roasted carrots, rosemary potato and gremolata. Desserts include a chocolate tart with salted caramel ice cream (you could put salted caramel in any dessert and I'm there).

In 2018, BLACK Bar & Grill won Restaurant of the Year (Deluxe Hotels) in the Tourism Accommodation Australia (NSW) Awards for Excellence, so it comes with pedigree. Chef Dany Karam's menu is international and produce-focused, so there really is something for everyone (vegetarian and gluten-free too). Bookings must be made in advance, especially for Easter Sunday, so get in quick.

Great for: Trendy flavour seekers and foodie sharers.

the star sydney
Hot cross bun ice cream? Don't mind if we do. Image: Supplied.
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For six years in a row, Sokyo has held One Chef's Hat in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide. The long weekend is a great time to tick this one off your foodie list, while other Sydneysiders are out of town.

The environment here is intimate and sleek, pitched as Sydney meets Tokyo. By daytime, there's lots of natural light coming in - perfect for your Easter lunch - and by night, it's mood-lit and cosy.

If the Chef's Hat isn't enough of a draw, then these dishes from head chef Chase Kojima's modern Japanese menu should sway you: snapper sashimi salad; Chicken Toban with shiitake and oyster mushroom and daikon; and Donatsu, Hot Cross Bun and White Chocolate ice cream. Hot cross yum.

Flying Fish

Great for: Impressing the family, your date or just yourself.

Flying Fish restaurant
Salmon En Croute: A signature dish. Image: Supplied.
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This one's a personal favourite of mine. Flying Fish used to be at Jones Bay Wharf for 14 years and moved to The Star in 2018. If you haven't been yet, it's an absolute must because Flying Fish is simply one of the best seafood restaurants in the city. This chic fine diner sources fish from Australian and New Zealand waters, which is appropriate given the views of…Australian waters. The restaurant has a minimal waste ethos, which will impress anyone you dine with, since we're all a bit War on Waste at the moment.

Dishes will include Salmon En Croute with creamed corn and sorrel sauce (for two), and butter poached pear with chocolate cream, walnut and hot cross bun ice cream. Gah, there it is again - can't get enough of those buns.

24/7 Sports Bar, Rock Lily and Cherry

Great for: Your girls, your guys, your anyone who's free.

The Star Sydney
A good night's a choc-tail away. Image: Supplied.
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If you're around on Saturday night or looking for a Sunday session with your friends, The Star's bars are great for pre-drinks, nightcaps and free live music. Throughout the long weekend all bars will have a $12 chocolate hazelnut cocktail, which we're quite happy with the sound of, yes indeed.

On Level 1, Rock Lily will have funk, R&B and dance acts performing live, so be sure to grab that cocktail and start – or end – your night at one of these spots.

Whatever you decide to do this Easter long weekend, make sure it's with your three Fs: Family, Friends and Food. And by all means, sleep in – just don't miss lunch.

For more about Easter at The Star, head to thestar.com.au/sydney. Happy long weekend!

What's your plan for the Easter long weekend? Got any recipes we just have to try? Tell us below.

The Star

Whatever you’re looking for this Easter, the hunt is over at The Star. Feasts, fun, and full-on entertainment, all long weekend.