Baby, it's warm inside: Sydney's cosiest new restaurant openings

The Rocks is having a foodie renaissance. Amid the cobblestone laneways, star restauranteurs are bringing culinary clout to the historic neighbourhood. The latest, Le Foote, from the award winners behind Restaurant Hubert and Shady Pines, fills a heritage, two-storey timber space with a wine bar, pub, restaurant - and oodles of atmosphere. Cosy up by candlelight over charcoal grilled meats and seafood, or sip from a selection of 300-plus wines in a moody, art-lined room with black leather banquettes and views of Circular Quay.

Clam Bar pours a generous measure of New York steakhouse nostalgia into a chic CBD corner space with chandeliers and toffee-hued timber. Settle into a booth and tuck into signature spaghetti clams with lashings of butter and garlic, a charcoal grilled New York Strip or juicy cheese and bacon burger. Like the note-perfect food, cocktails are classic and beautifully executed - and the martini is a standout.

Perch at the long oval bar in this sultry, soft-lit brick and timber space and watch talented chefs deftly blend their Japanese craft with Italian influences in an all-day menu that roams from tasty snack to full-blown feast. Wafu Spaghetti - pasta Japanese style - with miso cream sauce, bacon and onsen egg is a delicious east-meets-west take on carbonara, while a succulent wagyu sirloin with smashed kipflers and moromimiso sauce is an ideal winter warmer. Toast with a Japanese-influenced cocktail, served in a little sake barrel for sharing.

Who says waterside dining is just for summer? Sheltered inside, but right on the Middle Harbour sands surrounded by blue water and luxury yachts, the prettiest new spot in town is a suntrap for winter rays streaming through picture windows onto daffodil-yellow walls and candy-striped cushions. St Siandra is an all-year Amalfi, and Chef Sam McAllum matches the gorgeous visuals with vibrantly spiced Med and Middle East dishes. Seasonal showstoppers include melt-in-the-mouth lamb shoulder, mafaldine pasta in a mushroom ragu and a rich and creamy bugs mornay pie.

Sydney's first Korean tapas wine bar occupies a cosy little 30-seater corner terrace in Surry Hills, where head chef Sunny Ryu applies his formidable pedigree (stints at Bennelong and Quay) to snacks roaming the spicy, pungent, eclectic spectrum of Korean cuisine and paired with a dazzling array of wines. There's breakfast, lunch and dinner, and immense fun to be had choosing a drop - or maybe a soju or Korean beer - to complement your slow-cooked pork jowl or dry aged Murray cod.

When veteran restaurateurs Nick Hildebrandt and Brent Savage meet Sydney's most stunning new luxury hotel, Capella, there's bound to be magic. Old-world opulence emanates from the listed building's grand sandstone architecture and gleaming marble floors, while an open kitchen with theatrical charcoal grill sets the scene for showpieces like whole roasted duck, Coppertree Farms rib eye or southern rock lobster. Glamorous, but grounded in honest-to-goodness local ingredients from small producers and old homestyle skills - curing, smoking, fermenting and pickling. Luxury with a warm heart.

A gorgeous Parisian poster child for Sydney's new love affair with nostalgic brasserie dining, Armorica channels the city of light with blood-red banquettes, European oak and smoochy curved booths. This is indulgence made for winter: you can tuck into no less than five types of steak frites; Gundagai lamb Barnsley chop; whole lobster or whole chicken (they literally don't do things by halves here) then bliss out with insanely decadent Armorica Signature Chocolate Bar - a Valrhona chocolate mousse, salted caramel and choc chip cookie.

READ MORE ON EXPLORE:

Acclaimed Indigenous chef Mark Olive's just-opened restaurant at Sydney Opera House is a spectacular celebration of native produce, with winter ingredients currently in the spotlight. A pre-theatre menu has bush tomato soup, braised wallaby shank and smoked blue gum barramundi, and there's a tempting Native High Tea complete with kangaroo mini pies.

Two words: dessert trolley. Your inner child will jump for joy when this three-tier cart trundles your way bearing its crave-worthy cargo of entire cakes, bite-sized delights and the star: a towering 28-layer Russian honey cake. It's a lovely touch that sets The Charles apart among Sydney's bevy of new brasseries and adds an extra layer of comfort to the sumptuous caramel leather booths, pitch-perfect service and menu of classics including aged pork cutlets and John Dory roasted on the bone.

Everything's rosy in this art-deco fabulous, ruby-hued hotel lobby bar with glittering chandeliers, velvet banquettes and a peach marble counter - including young star chef Rosy Scatigna's flavour-intensive Italian sharing menu. From tasty morsels like 'nduja madeleine and a spelt and garlic focaccia from Scatigna's old family recipe to a juicy cut of flank steak with Café de Morris butter, Bar Morris is indulgent, intimate and endearingly playful. When it's time to settle the bill, you're invited to roll the dice to score a free amaro. Extend the fun by checking in to the glam boutique hotel - there'll be pancakes siciliano waiting in Bar Morris next morning.