LUXE for LESS

In 2023, customers are looking to dip in to fine-diners a little more lightly. ALEXANDRA CARLTON and LARISSA DUBECKI share how to experience the best of Sydney and Melbourne for less.

- ALEXANDRA CARLTON, LARISSA DUBECKI

The best restaurateurs are excellent at reading the moment; giving the people what they want even before they want it. And this point in time belongs to tighter budgets. This reality bites hard as corporate entertainment spends are capped and cost of living increases.

Of course, classic three-course meals and dégustations will always have their place, but increasingly, diners are looking for more entry points to the establishments they love. They want snacks at the bar, set lunch menus, and generous golden hours.

They want it with finesse, knowing the cash they are parting with is money well spent. As ever, hospitality is about being hospitable and some of Sydney and Melbourne's best industry minds are tailoring their menus to oblige.

As Tristan Rosier, founder of Jane in Surry Hills, explains, it's about finding creative ways to offer great value so that "people want to keep coming back". And at $2 an oyster, surely, we will.

If this is the winter of democratic fine dining, book us in for an express table or a seat at the bar.

Quay 

Experience an abridged version of Peter Gilmore's famous Quay menu with the special four-course dining experience, Quay to Lunch. Available every weekend until the end of September, $205 will get you a seat at one of the country's best restaurants and those magical harbour views. quay.com.au

Kuro

Dinner at this Japanese fine-diner is a three-figure affair but on Fridays and Saturdays it throws open its door for lunch, where two courses costs just $45, with choices such as kingfish sashimi with yuzu kosho ponzu as entrée and full-blood wagyu beef with crisp potato for mains. kurosydney.com

Lana