Universal, Darlinghurst – October 2009
About Universal
Universal opened in Sydney in 2007, after a 7 year absence of chef Christine Manfield from the Sydney restaurant scene. Unviersal aims for exceptional service and repeat patronage, in their words:
“We intend to make UNIVERSAL as broad based and user friendly as possible, to extend it to a wider cross section of people that reflects the dynamic location of the restaurant in Sydney’s vibrant inner east.”
Universal has won many awards including 2 chef’s hats from the “SMH Good Food Guide Awards” in 2009 & 2010, as well as winning Maitres d’ of the Year in the “2009 – Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Awards”.
At the 2008 Food and Wine Awards in New York, Universal was nominated as one of the World’s 10 best new restaurants.
About the Chef Christine Manfield
Manfield has run acclaimed restaurants at the Paragon and Phoenix Hotels at Circular Quay and Woollahra respectively before opening the acclaimed Paramount in Potts Point.
In 2003 Manfield headed to the UK and opened East@West, in London’s Soho. She has now returned to Australia and in addition to running Universal, Manfield has authored 5 books, and has her own Christine Manfield Spice Collection product range.
Manfield also hosts luxury gastronomy tours around the world. For more information see christinemanfield.com.
Signature Dish
Universal does not proclaim a signature dish, rather Manfield says:
“It is my ambition and desire to introduce diners to flavours of the world inspired by world travels, with distinctive and definitive flavour combinations that are not limited by traditional boundaries.”
Menus
A sample menu can be downloaded from their website here Universal Sample Menu.
Reviews
The Sydney Morning Herald’s 2007 review says: “Exciting, spectacular, seductive” and “There’s a remarkable harmony to her flavours, which work as a strong ensemble cast supporting the occasional star”
Gourmet Traveller says “the food is really good” and “There’s also no filler on the plates. No potatoes, no rice, no chips, none of the things that normally allow you to recoup your food costs. It’s no-retreat, no-surrender all the way, with full-bore flavours in just about every mouthful, pop, pop, pop.”
Website:
Address
Republic 2 Courtyard Palmer Street, between Burton & Liverpool,
Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Ph: (02) 9331 0709
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Excitement – our Foodies Club Dinner will be the A Travel + Leisure reader event for the 2009 International Sydney Food Festival. David Thompson, Kylie Kwong and Frank Camorra join Christine in the kitchen to cook this extraordinary dinner.
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