Great Sydney BYO Restaurants

[Gianna]

Dear Forum

I haven't logged in for a long time, so my apologies that I am only logging in to ask advice on BYO restaurants in Sydney (CBD and surrounds preferably), but I need some help.

I'm looking for the type of place that appreciates and caters for me bringing a magnum of 1998 Mt Mary Quintet and a 2010 Yattarna to dinner, but hopefully have the food to match it. A great steak place would work, as too would a high quality Italian restaurant. Anything up to $200ph for the food is fine.

I am open to suggestions and forever grateful to anyone who can help with their local knowledge.

To add a tasting note whilst I am here, I recently took a punt and bought a few 1991 Wynns Centenary Cab Shiraz online and was wondering how they have held up. Well, to anyone who has a few of these, you are very lucky indeed. A simply superb wine of great depth and character. A firm and tight structure with a real backbone. The nose was of deep ripe plums, subtle oak, coffee and blackcurrants. A truly lovely wine to swoon over. The palette was intensely earthy but the fruit was still there and with air time it continued to develop in the glass. Very dry and left with that familiar lip smacking action at the end. I have another 2 bottles will find the right occasions to open them. A perfect food match would be a medium rare rib eye but interestingly something like a pan seared skin-on salmon would not disappoint either. A very good wine. I rated it as highly commendable.

[Seven]

Tetsuya used to be my favourite BYO restaurant in Sydney but I just got told that they no longer allow BYO...

[Mike Hawkins]

Meat and Wine Barangaroo isn’t too bad for steak. $30pb corkage last time I went

[TiggerK]

EST is superb, it's proper fine dining with world class service, not at all cheap, yet within your budget. $50 corkage a bottle though I think, but not unexpected given it's 3 Hats. Not sure on steak, but would imagine they'd having something suitable on the menu to match those wines.

Slightly less fine dining, but still solid good is St Claudes, much cheaper, french bistro influenced, 7 days a week BYO friendly and a nice overall vibe.

For Italian, but with a modern twist, check out Russo & Russo in Newtown. Maybe not exactly a match for those two wines, but a really good BYO venue with interesting and creative Italian food.

Not had a Centenary 1991 for a couple of years, but had quite a few before that! Bottle variation is a huge factor, but then they are good, yes excellent wine.

I hate to say it, but keep cork issues in mind!! You may want to open in advance and have a backup option available. Probably OK, but you never know...

Enjoy your night Gianna! And I love your sig.

Cheers
Tim

[Rossco]

I have never been (im not in sydney) but I understand Golden Century is the stalwart of great food and BYO
for the locals (hoping you sydneysiders can confirm). Not a steak or Italian though (maybe a venue for another dinner)

We have had a 3 bottles of 91Centenary's in 2018, and there is a LOT of bottle variation. This could be due to storage, not sure
with wines of that age, however the last one we had (in September) was the best of the 3. My notes:

1991 Wynns Centenary Shiraz Cabernet – Coffee, Coffee and more coffee. Both Ground and Bean version. Old leather and again the shoe polish. Old wine, all secondary characters now, but probably the best example yet. Wont improve, but still has a time left and will hold. Tobacco, earthy, lead pencil and slight mint/eucalypt. Sensational wine…. Stunning in fact.

[TiggerK]

Yep, Golden Century is legendary, good Chinese food, byo friendly, open until 4am. It’s a second home to many wine tragics, myself included. Didn’t seem to fit what Gianna was after though, but always worth a mention!

[mjs]

1991 Wynns Centenary Shiraz Cabernet – Coffee, Coffee and more coffee. Both Ground and Bean version. Old leather and again the shoe polish. Old wine, all secondary characters now, but probably the best example yet. Wont improve, but still has a time left and will hold. Tobacco, earthy, lead pencil and slight mint/eucalypt. Sensational wine…. Stunning in fact.

Rossco,
As you might reasonably suspect, I have had more than one or two Wynns Centenary in both bottle and magnum formats over the years. Always good, usually excellent, occasionally stunning as you suggest. Probably really only available on the secondary market now, which is where I have sourced many wonderful bottles. I would always try to find out something about provenance, if a wine that has been in bottle 27 years has just been lying in a rack in the dining room somewhere or in a cupboard, then it's unlikely to be in stellar nick after all that time. Always difficult to be sure about provenance over such long time, but if there is nothing at all said about provenance then I would be unlikely to touch it, that approach equally applying for me to all other 20+yo wines at auction, not just the Wynns Centenary. I've also had some cork issues, but tbh, these have been quite rare. Can't recall a corked wine, but one or two have been bit flat. So, it's a bit of a lottery, provenance is the main issue for me, if you can stick to those bottles that you can have some level of confidence in provenance, then the outcome is usually exceptional. Of course, it's a wine that's on that gentle downward slope now, it won't improve as you say. but it's still definitely worth searching out.
cheers, mjs

[mjs]

Oh, I have also been to Golden Century a couple of times. Good food as TiggerK said, def worth trying

[Rossco]

Rossco,
As you might reasonably suspect, I have had more than one or two Wynns Centenary in both bottle and magnum formats over the years.

Hahahaha understatement if the year Malcolm.
Great to see you back on here as well, might just be me, but I haven't seen you post for a while. Hopefully we can catch up this year for another magnificent dinner..... Coonawarra theme?

[Gianna]

Once again, apologies for the late reply, but thanks to those who responded.
FYI, I've booked The Meat and Wine Co in Barrangarro.

[brodie]

Hi Sydney forumites, will in Sydney late Nov early Dec and would really appreciate any updates to Byo recs. Staying in Darlinghurst area and will be on public transport and Uber. Will have a couple of high end GC burgs with me.
Is EST still an option?
TIA
Brodie

[Polymer]

Brodie,

What about an offline w/ Auswiners?

Est is still an option....50pb or 100head.

I think Sake still does BYO.
Glebe Point Diner still does BYO.
Golden Century can be very good for BYO..and I think Chinese food can go very well with Burgundy...obviously staying away from the spicy food...Pretty reasonable at 8 or 10 a person....

[Kevhussey]

Most places offering BYO in sydney are simple type.
Chaco bar darlinghurst (Ramen/Yakitori), Bar reggio (simple italian), Malabar (indian), Phamish (vietnamese)
but close by surry hills/woolloomooloo
If you are looking for a good pizza and BYO Vacanza surry hills has neapolitan pizza and BYO.
Il Baretto is a great italian surry hills https://www.ilbarettosydney.com/menu
OTTO woolloomooloo has a BYO group menu $110 inc corkage https://ottoristorante.com.au/sydney/menu/#menu-tabs
If you near the city Mamak in haymarket is a favourite of mine (mayalsian: roti - wow) as well as Golden century for amazing chinese

[Polymer]

I think Via Napoli does BYO for max 8 people?
Would like to check out Vacanza....always need more good pizza places with BYO..

[brodie]

Here is the reply from Est about BYO

“Hi Brodie,

Thank you for your recent enquiry.

All Merivale venues are fully licensed and do not permit BYO, we do apologise for any inconvenience.“

Humph!
Brodie

[dave vino]

Are you in the PDR at est? Makes a difference I believe.

[brodie]

Are you in the PDR at est? Makes a difference I believe.

Thanks Dave but no we are too small a group

[mjs]

Brodie,
Not coming to Melb?
cheers, Malcolm

[TiggerK]

Getting a bit sad for fine dining with BYO here these days, esp on a Fri or Sat.

Golden Century is great food, and so BYO friendly, but sounds like you want somewhere a bit more 'posh' and fair enough. EST is due to close I hear too, not sure when, as is St Claudes. Duh.

Kevhussy and Polymer are on the money up above. Sake in Double Bay is definitely worth an ask, great Japanese food, beautiful space, good service, semi-private spaces for small groups, was BYO last time we went. Brown Sugar in Bondi is a little squashy but also BYO friendly with good food. Jeez the more I think the less there are! Alfredo's in Glebe is cosy rustic for Pizza, as is Via Napoli in Surry Hills and Lane Cove. There's a few north of the bridge, like Ripples and further up to Cafe Lyon in Lindfield, but maybe too far and no BYO on Fri or Sat (not sure on Ripples on Fri/Sat but could be worth a look, vibe doesn't grab me much, not tried the food since forever, but location is fabulous)

We call it the Grapemates Curse, the better a place is that does BYO, the higher the likelihood that it will close soon after we discover it.

At GC, get the salt and pepper prawns, the famous XO pipis (with double noodles) and the peking duck (we usually go the pancake and noodles for the two dish option), then feel free to hit up the tanks for a lobster (in garlic butter, or however you want it). Add Champagne and some white and red burg, good night done right.

[Ozzie W]

Getting a bit sad for fine dining with BYO here these days, esp on a Fri or Sat.

Sadly, we have the same issue in Melbourne with very limited BYO options.

[brodie]

Brodie,
Not coming to Melb?
cheers, Malcolm

Hi Malcolm, sadly not this time

brodie

[Ozzie W]

Brodie,
Not coming to Melb?
cheers, Malcolm

Hi Malcolm, sadly not this time

brodie

Let us know when you're next in Melbourne, Brodie. It'd be great to catch up.

[Benchmark]

Brodie,
Not coming to Melb?
cheers, Malcolm

Hi Malcolm, sadly not this time

brodie

Let us know when you're next in Melbourne, Brodie. It'd be great to catch up.

About time you all got to Kuala Lumpur.