Sydney is in a spin over the playful pasta dishes and funky orange wines at Alberto’s Lounge, which has topped the annual delicious. 100 round-up of the most mouth-watering restaurants in NSW in 2019. Just when you think Italian is going to be predictable, Alberto’s swoops in with pickled cucumbers on a bed of tangy goat’s curd and burrata with eggplant caponata so silky you can eat it with a spoon. 17-19 Alberta St, Sydney; albertoslounge.com.

Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham of the famed burgers have revived the subterranean space once home to legendary live-music venue, The Basement, and there they’re subverting Sydney dining categories with a big-night menu and bringing back the music

A restaurant for locals, Arthur focuses on best-in-class seasonal produce and turns the notion of the degustation on its head to deliver a generous feast that falls somewhere between shared meal and traditional tasting menu.

The Merivale formula for success is in full swing at Italian eatery Totti’s. The current ‘IT’ restaurant of Bondi, Totti’s hits that sweet spot of casual neighbourhood meets eastern suburbs chic, a magnet for a young, trendy, well-heeled crowd.

Offering all the elements that lured us into the inner west’s best deli in Newtown, Continental CBD is more of a restaurant and bar, than the deli/bistro/bar of the original.

This cute dimly lit cottage on Darlinghurst’s once infamous Stanley St has an even cuter menu, that places importance on pasta as a mid course. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find better pasta anywhere in Sydney — it’s that good.

You won’t miss the meat, the cheese, or the dairy. At Paperbark, vegetables are given the spotlight, native ingredients the mic, and it rocks hard.

Ben Devlin has a “deep connection” to the Northern Rivers. Proud of the region and its produce, having dedicated the last four years to Cabarita’s Paper Daisy, now it’s Pottsville’s turn — and his.

Chef Michael Box, supported by QT creative director Robert Marchetti, highlights the provenance of ingredients on a menu that pays homage to brasserie classics.

From the culinary prowess of Sokyo’s Chase Kojima and Lee Ho Fook’s Victor Liong comes a brand of fusion that’s been formulated over generations.

In just a few short years the mere utterance of the word “vegan” has gone from “leave a bad taste in your mouth” to “must-eat” thanks to restaurants like Peppe’s.

Taralga is not the sort of place you stumble upon, and if you did, you might be completely unaware of the beautiful food offerings that lie within its quaint surrounds. The Southern Tablelands has been the forgotten cousin of the Highlands for many, but more adventurous journeys take us another hour down the freeway, to a region that deserves some road-trippin’ attention. The Argyle Inn was originally built in 1875 and sensitively restored five years ago to its former Victorian glory with a contemporary touch, including the hotel rooms upstairs. The restaurant is open Friday and Saturday nights, and for lunch on Sunday, and the menu changes often. Chef and co-owner Hugh Wennerbom is the farmer of Holmbrae chickens, served in many of Sydney’s top restaurants, and they often appear here – perhaps roasted and served with sautéed corn and leek. Their eggs enrich the hand-cut pasta that’s served with a ragù of duck, say. While you’re in Taralga, don’t miss another gem on the same street (you’ll need to stay the night after overindulging). Grand Ettie, whose cafe menu is scrawled daily onto butcher’s paper hanging from the wall, features hits inspired by produce pulled from nearby. A succulent lamb toastie or fried eggs come with black pudding and a generous grating of black truffle. Together these eateries put Taralga firmly on the foodie map. 80 Orchard St, Taralga. theargyleinn.com.au

With its rattan screens and peach terracotta walls, you’d be forgiven for thinking nothing’s been done to upgrade the ‘little house’ formerly known as Gringo’s. Wrong — this place has been impeccably thought out.

Potts Point has a knack for dishing up good restaurants. New French brasserie Franca is packed and walk-ins are being turned away — for good reason.

It might be a clever morphing of a bar and restaurant, but its true lure is the warm and gentle manner of host and owner Eric Morris.