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Celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge thinks the best type of dining is recreational and not for doing business.
"I never really dine out for a meeting or something that's not fun," he says. "Dining out for me means conversation. It's a leisurely thing."
Here are some of his favourite spots to enjoy food conversation around Sydney.
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Michelin-level cafe food
"The chef there used to work for me at the Four in Hand and then he left to do his own thing and he helped the cafe. So, it's a Michelin-star chef doing local cafe food."
The Little Kitchen is known for its relaxed vibe and English-inspired menu, which revolves around local and organic produce.
Thai food and pizza
While his favourite brunch spot has an English-inspired menu, two of his preferred places for lunch or dinner serve authentic Thai food.
"I go to on Wentworth Avenue. It's like Thai food for not white people, let's put it that way," he jokes. "It's the real deal. They don't water it down."
Dining out for me means conversation. It's a leisurely thing.
Spice I Am has garnered praise from reputable food critics, won multiple awards, and has been said to be "possibly the best Thai food outside of Thailand" by the Australian Good Food Guide.
The other Thai restaurant Fassnidge loves going to is in Haymarket. Instead of oil, pork fat is used to cook dishes, hence the name of the restaurant.
"It's only new, but it's already got a chef's hat. I usually get the vermicelli noodle with prawns and, pork cheeks," he says. "Because I'm in the city quite a bit, I usually duck out to eat and pretend I'm in a meeting," he laughs.
While he enjoys Asian cuisine for substantial meals, Fassnidge says that pizza also hits the spot for him and his family.
"We go to this local pizza shop in Malabar called . It's just great pizza, plus they make their own limoncello which I drink a lot of."
Nude Pizza specialises in thin Italian pizza and deep-fried panzerotti.
Good restaurant foundations
While Fassnidge loves trying new places to eat, he says that he gives restaurants a bit of breathing room before he gives them a try.
"I usually give them a little while to open – like a month or so – just because they're trying to find their feet at the start, and you want them just to be in the groove when you go."
It's about feeling welcome and being made happy.
When he does go through their doors, there's one thing he pays attention to – before he even tastes the menu.
"It's about feeling welcome and being made happy. Food is the major component, of course, but a lot of it is also about the front of house. It's about making people feel at ease and comfortable, especially if you don't eat out a lot."
