It doesn’t matter whether you’re there for the hangover-curing lasagne spring rolls or the grain fed, slow cooked lamb rump, the new menu at Upper East Side Bondi is doing magical things with food.
With a new chef to-boot, fresh from the rounds of the Merivale franchise that dominates Sydney’s food and drink offering, chef Leigh McDivett has taken what was already a winning menu of the latest, funky eastern suburbs eatery and turned it up a few notches, playing with new flavours, new ingredients and new looks.
“I’m actually steering the menu and the venue as a whole towards what I know and value in cheffing,” said Leigh. “I believe in minimal wastage of food and cooking the beast from nose to tail. The offcuts get turned into dishes of their own. I believe in sustainability and seasonality and bringing something special to our guests.”
And that shows. From the colour and life injected into the menu with a flavour all its own, the new menu at Upper East Side is as much built for sharing and grazing as it is for those who are after something more substantial all to themselves.
“My cooking is generally inspired by those around me who influence me. Like my wife who is Italian. Her love of cooking and feeding me lasagne led to my creation of Little Italy meets China Town – the lasagne spring roll. I also am inspired by traditional French techniques. You can’t go wrong with the classics!” said Leigh.
He brings a nice taste of what he calls ‘nose to tail philosophy’, using farm-grown produce to introduce their guests to sustainable produce. I also like to educate them on the motto that if you use amazing produce then you need to do very little with it and let it shine on the plate. It works for an area like Bondi and for an appetite that is totally Australian all its own.
“There is something so amazing about Bondi. It really is an amazing cuisine suburb filled with different cuisines and fabulous drinking venues,” he said.
Upper East Side in Bondi doesn’t stop there, though – with great new food, quality new cocktails and a streetside set-up that is the envy of its neighbours it makes an ideal local hangout as much as it does the ultimate way to kick-off a weekend.
See more at the Upper East Side Bondi website.
