The Hill Eatery, North Bondi

Sam Smith, passionate chef and avid fisherman, ex Perth’s Balthazar and Duende and Paddington’s L’Etoile has opened The Hill Eatery in Bondi along with good friends, Sarah Hendriks and Michael Benson (owners of Porch and Parlour, North Bondi).
On an unseasonably sunny winter afternoon in North Bondi, the restaurant presented us with a suitably fresh menu. Big bay windows invited plenty of sunshine and sea breezes, the airy space decorated with bright poppies in beer bottles on the dark wood tables.
The menu reflects Sam’s food philosophy, offering plenty of ethically sourced and high quality seafood with fresh flavours. Our long lunch began with freshly shucked Coffin Bay oysters and field mushrooms from Terrigal wrapped in jamon and dressed with burnt butter. Lovely plump Port Lincoln prawns were pickled in small jars, dressed in zesty lemon and herb flavours. A moreish falafel salad came next, followed by another salad of beautiful Port Lincoln calamari in a crunchy peanut dressing. The King George whiting was to die for, eaten on a piece of fresh bread topped with the tangy avocado salsa and a squeeze of lemon. The wholesome food nourishes and it’s much too easy to mosey away an entire afternoon by the sea, so definitely come for the food and stay for the view (and maybe a cocktail or two).