On the highly scrutinised stage of the Sydney Opera House, chef Peter Gilmore gets it right. With head chef Rob Cockerill, Gilmore has created a uniquely Australian menu in arguably our greatest building, and in doing so he has added an assuredness to Australia’s place on the world gastronomic stage.

There’s no faulting the deliciousness of the food here. It’s an unstitched menu featuring three courses for dinner, and served on unclothed tables that offer a happy relief from the space’s stuffier predecessors. Fittingly for a restaurant named Bennelong, the menu has an Australian-grown and native-ingredient bent.

John Dory is roasted whole on the bone and comes decorated with white turnip ‘scales’ and is served with a rich umami butter and coastal greens. Macleay Valley suckling pig is crackling and soft at once, and nestles up to a tumble of confit carrots, pickled onions and dots of black and white garlic. The roasted Tasmanian octopus is a touch on the tough side, but the shaved southern squid and nori udon are a remarkable pairing with fermented seaweed juice. It’s just so delicious, and the experience is all the more remarkable when you take a moment to look into the gilded ribs of Jorn Utzon’s ceiling.

Still, there are some off notes to this otherwise beautiful production. Upon entry, the staff seem unimpressed that you’ve arrived, it’s a welcome unfitting of such an icon. Perched at the entryway on a wobbly and too-high-for-many stool with a glass feels underwhelming, until a more charming maitre d’ finally, and graciously takes you to your table.

For the slip ups, there are many more grace notes. There’s the inescapable grandeur of the Opera House, the thrill of the views, and a fit-out deserving of the building’s iconic status. And then there is the extraordinary presentation of Australian cuisine. With modernised nostalgic desserts of pavlova and lamingtons, plus whiting, pippies, John Dory and native greens all appearing proudly, Bennelong is enough to pull on any patriotic heartstrings.

 Must eat dish: the lamington
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