Oncore By Clare Smyth Restaurant Barangaroo
By Lisa Nguyen | Published 29 March 2024
Does this spot match the hype?
TL; DR | Summary
Oncore by Clare Smyth is located inside the upscale Crown Sydney in Barangaroo and gives you a visually stunning dining experience. Everything from the views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the interiors and ambience scream sophistication. Whether you go for the set menu or pick something off the a la carte menu, it's one of Sydney's top spots for high-end dining.
Oncore by Clare Smyth Review
@bestspots.com.au Where upscale dining soars to new heights with unmatched elegance ⬇️ Inside the upscale @crownsydney 👑 in Barangaroo, you can expect @oncorebyclaresmyth to give you a one-of-a-kind visually stunning dining experience 🤩 Everything from the views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the interiors and ambience scream sophistication 🎩. Whether you go for the set menu or pick something off the a la carte menu, it's one of Sydney's top spots 🏆 for high-end dining ✅ Some dishes we had: - Jellied Eel, Toasted Seaweed And Malt Vinegar Tartlets - Chicken Liver Parfait And Madeira 🍴 - Smoked Duck With Orange And Spices - Core Fried Chicken (CFC) 🍗 - And many more! 🫢 📕 Photos and detailed findings about the full Oncore dining experience is available at bestspots.com.au #oncorebyclaresmyth #barangaroo #barangarooeats #finediningsydney #finediningrestaurant ♬ Made my day - Sweet William
@bestspots.com.au The Most Beautifully Presented Food Ever ⬇️ At @oncorebyclaresmyth really shines through ✨! The best thing about Oncore is how much they focus on the little things 🔍. Everything from how the food is presented to the taste and even the excellent service shows how professional and attentive the staff are 🤗 This makes the whole experience at Oncore that much better 💯 and ensures that you'll remember your time there 😁. This is precisely why it's one of Sydney's few three-hatted restaurants 🎩🎩🎩 🔥 Dish highlights 🔥 - Smoked Duck With Orange And Spices 🦆 This dish is carefully made with a tasty mushroom stuffing 🍄. The mix of smoky smell, a hint of citrus 🍋, and the rich filling brings together a bunch of great flavours, making every bite something you won't forget 🤯 - Bowl Of Bonito, Mushroom Broth 🍄 This soup, served with lots of greens 🌿 and flowers 🌸, mixes the deep tastes of bonito and mushrooms in a light broth that feels both soothing and rich. ⚠️ And there's easily 10+ dishes we had and tasted! All easily found on bestspots.com.au ✅️ #oncore #oncorebyclaresmyth #hattedrestaurant #toprestaurants #barangaroo ♬ Colorful World - Kathryn Ostenberg
As soon as you walk into Oncore by Clare Smyth, you find yourself in a place that's both beautiful and flawless. The restaurant's setup makes the most of its location, with huge windows that show off the Sydney CBD, making the view a big part of the dining experience. If you sit by the window, you get an amazing view and feel pretty fancy, thanks to the plush chairs and sophisticated decor that add to the classy feel of the fine-dining restaurant.
The menu, put together by the famous Clare Smyth, lets you choose between a carefully planned set menu and a flexible a la carte option. My time trying the set menu wasn't perfect, but I think we just got unlucky with our choices. Still, I really suggest checking out the a la carte menu if you want to pick your own dishes for a dining experience that's both smooth and memorable.
Oncore By Clare Smyth Menu: A Posh Dining Experience
The food at Oncore really shows off Chef Clare Smyth's talent, with dishes that look as good as they taste. The best thing about Oncore is how much they focus on the little things. Everything from how the food is presented to the taste and even the excellent service shows how professional and attentive the staff are. This makes the whole experience at Oncore better and ensures that you'll remember your time there. This is precisely why it's one of Sydney's few three-hatted restaurants.
Even though not every dish in my set course was great, I'd go back to try their a la carte menu. The main problem for us was getting too many rich, cheesy dishes one after another, but I think that was just a one-time thing.
About the cost, expect to start at $250 per person. The seasonal and tasting menus are priced from $340 to $395, and with drinks and extra items, you might spend over $400 per person. For our visit, we ended up paying $880 for two people. It's definitely on the pricier side, but you're paying for a fine dining experience that's both beautiful and memorable.
Jellied Eel, Toasted Seaweed and Malt Vinegar Tartlets
These tartlets are served on a mix of small stones and green leaves, mixing sea and land tastes. It's a bold start, with the jellied eel being smooth against the crunchy base of the tartlet.
Chicken Liver Parfait and Madeira
Don't be put off by the "chicken liver" in the name because this parfait is a tasty treat. It's smooth and flavour-packed, with a sweet Madeira wine twist, all in a crunchy tart. It's a great way to start your meal. That's why I suggest trying as many of their entrees if you're going a la carte.
Smoked Duck with Orange and Spices
This dish is carefully made with a tasty mushroom stuffing. The mix of smoky smell, a hint of citrus, and the rich filling brings together a bunch of great flavours, making every bite something you won't forget. If I got to eat this dish, I'd be very happy.
Core Fried Chicken (CFC)
This chicken is soaked in a mix of seasonings and spices, making it really crispy on the outside and still juicy inside. Each bite has just the right mix of tastes, thanks to the smart choice of spices. Honestly, it's tough to eat just one piece, especially with all the sauce they give you!
This was an-add on entree dish we ordered because we couldn't resist!
Creamy Dipping Sauce for the Core Fried Chicken
The creamy sauce adds a rich, smooth touch to the dish, making the core fried chicken taste even better with its silky feel. It's too bad I didn't have more things to use this sauce on because it was really good and it felt like a waste not to use it all.
Oyster Rockafeller
This is a fancy version of a classic dish, with oysters covered in parsley and garlic butter, then sprinkled with toasted breadcrumbs. It's a really fun experience to eat through the greens and breadcrumbs to find the tasty oysters underneath, which are soft and full of different textures.
Black Truffle Gougere
These little pastries are filled with Parmesan cheese and topped with black truffle, mixing earthy and creamy tastes in a great way. They're the perfect appetiser because they're just the right size and won't make you feel too full or sick from too much cheese.
Mocktails and Sodas
Oncore has a large selection of mocktails and sodas that are really refreshing and go well with your meal. They're great for cleansing your palette between the heavy tastes of the food. I definitely suggest getting a drink to freshen up your mouth.
Half a Slice of Rye Bread with Pepe Saya Butter
Spreading the creamy Pepe Saya butter on a crunchy piece of rye bread they make in-house is a simple but great choice to start your meal or to have on the side.
Bowl of Bonito, Mushroom Broth
This soup, served with lots of greens and flowers, mixes the deep tastes of bonito and mushrooms in a light broth that feels both soothing and rich. It's surprising how they serve each bowl with a bunch of fresh flowers and greens. As you can tell from the photos, it looks amazing!
Potato and Roe with Seaweed Beurre Blanc
This dish mixes creamy seaweed beurre blanc, herring, and trout roe with potato, making a dish that's full of sea tastes and has a rich texture. Also, this was the beginning of a set of really heavy courses.
Murray Cod with Grilled Mussels
They serve a beautifully plated piece of Murray Cod with leeks, fennel, and Irish moss on top. This dish is a playful twist on sea flavours, made even better with a bit of light foam.
Truffle Linguine with Aged Parmesan and Truffle Velouté
This pasta is coated in a truffle sauce and topped with thin slices of black truffle and aged Parmesan cheese, making it a dream dish for anyone who loves truffles. Even though the truffles were a nice touch, I kind of wish I hadn't ordered it because it made the meal even more rich.
Cheese and Onion with Alliums, Aged Cheddar and Onion Broth
This meal stacks cheese and onions, served in a tasty onion broth, mixing the cosy taste of aged cheddar with the sweetness of onions. Since it came right after the truffle linguine with aged parmesan, we found it hard to enjoy this one because we had too many cheese dishes too close together.
Black Sesame Scroll
This small scroll is a picture of elegance, with every bite mixing a bit of black sesame seeds into its rich, layered inside. This pastry is a fine mix of textures and flavours that stay with you.
Beef And Oyster
This dish pairs Blackmore wagyu beef with a Sydney rock oyster in one serving. It's an unusual mix but done really well, blending the deep taste of the meat with the fresh, salty flavour of oysters in a memorable way.
The oyster part of the dish is loaded with a great ragu mix of dehydrated oysters, diced carrots and onions, and micro greens, topped with a crispy nori garnish.
Core Apple
This dish is a fun twist on a toffee apple and uses classic flavours of caramel and apple in the mousse. It tastes just as good as it looks and is a refreshing start to the finale of courses.
Core-teser
The Core-Teser dessert is absolutely stunning! It layers flavours of chocolate, malt, and hazelnut to remind you of the fan favourite Malteaser chocolate. If our previous dishes were lighter, I guarantee we would have enjoyed this dessert even more.
Baked Chocolate Mousse Tartlets
As we near the end of the meal, these chocolate mousse tartlets are a rich treat. With their smooth chocolate inside and crunchy outside, they make a luxurious last impression on this memorable meal.
Balls of Jelly
The colourful jelly balls are a striking end to the meal, sitting on tree-like decor in shades of red, brown, and yellow. Each jelly has its own wine flavour, ending the meal on a memorable note.
RECOMMENDED
- Choosing the a la carte menu
- Choose more entrees dishes
- Save room for multiple desserts
- Request a window table
Final Words
Oncore by Clare Smyth takes you into the heart of modern culinary brilliance. With its incredible views, beautiful interior, and creatively presented dishes, it's a place you must go to see the best of Sydney's dining scene.
Whether it's for a special event or just to try top-notch food, Oncore offers an experience that goes above and beyond, leaving you with memories that last long after your meal. That said, I suggest going with the a la carte menu for more choice over your dishes. From my experience, the heavy use of rich ingredients was a bit much at times.
Where To Find Oncore by Clare Smyth At Crown Sydney
Address
Hours
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: 5:30 – 10:30 PM
- Wednesday: 5:30 – 10:30 PM
- Thursday: 5:30 – 10:30 PM
- Friday: 12:00 – 3:00 PM, 5:30 – 11:00 PM
- Saturday: 12:00 – 3:00 PM, 5:30 – 11:00 PM
- Sunday: Closed
Website
Phone
+61 2 8871 7171
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Absolutely adoring the writeup and captures you took at Oncore by Clare Smyth!
Thank you!! While the course was heavy the presentation is absolutely stunning 🙂