There's a new energy at Hedonist Collaroy, and it's noticeable from the moment you walk in. With Head Chef Joaquin Bordato now settled into the kitchen, the menu has found a clearer shape, a more confident voice. It's the kind of shift that doesn't need to announce itself. You just feel it in the food arriving at the table.

Chef Bordato's cooking tells you exactly where he's been. Born in Ramallo, a small city on the Paraná River outside Buenos Aires, working in kitchens by fifteen. A decade in Florianópolis, Brazil, built a deep understanding of food and people, and Sydney has been home since 2016, where time spent in some of the city's most prestigious kitchens sharpened his craft further. At Hedonist Collaroy, all of that comes together quietly on the plate.

Modern Australian cooking, French technique, and Argentinian instinct. None of it labelled, all of it present.

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From the first dish, the kitchen announces its intent. Sydney Rock oysters with lime and pepper granita: clean, bright, precise. The Angus Beef Tartare, layered with anchovy cream and cured beef, is beautifully composed, rich in flavour without being heavy. Then the Goat’s Cheese Soufflé arrives, almost too perfect to disturb.

“I want people to feel something when they eat. Not just taste the food, but understand where it’s come from and why it’s on the plate,” says Chef Joaquin Bordato.

The wine list holds its own. Bold Malbecs from Mendoza, Argentina set the tone, and the list travels from there, spanning Australian and New Zealand regions, European classics, and South American selections. By the glass, Hunter Valley Chardonnay and Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc; by the bottle, Burgundy and Central Otago Pinot Noir. Reds roam from Barossa to Tuscany to Sicily. Happy Hour runs daily from 5–6pm, with $12 cocktails and $9 house wines and beers.

Chimichurri runs quietly through the menu, less a condiment than a point of view. It sits alongside the 12-hour slow-cooked lamb shoulder, built for long tables and unhurried afternoons. The Tajima Wagyu Rump and Rib Eye arrive with fennel and cabbage salad, the chimichurri carrying Bordato’s Argentinian roots into every serve. The Chicken Supreme, slow-cooked with porcini cream and crushed potatoes, is comfort cooking handled with real care.

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Not everything here is built for occasion. The Angus Beef Burger is exactly what a good burger should be, confident and satisfying without needing to try too hard. The pan-fried gnocchi with confit cherry tomato, capers, broccolini and garlic emulsion is lighter, quieter, and just as assured.

Dessert earns its place. Poached pear in red wine. Crème Brülée with dulce de leche. Both deeply satisfying, neither rushed.

Chef Bordato has brought something lasting to Hedonist Collaroy. A sense of identity, a clarity of purpose, and food that gives you a reason to come back.

Open for lunch Thursday to Sunday from 12–3pm and dinner Monday and Thursday to Saturday from 5pm – close. Bookings are recommended, walk-ins always welcome. Follow their socials for weekly specials and updates.

Sunday Whole Roast

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Sunday at Hedonist is worth planning around. At $45pp, the meal opens with a house-made empanada before moving into the roast of the day. Cuts rotate across pork, lamb and seasonal selections, served with garlic bread, salads, broccolini and chimichurri.

"Sunday should feel like a celebration. Good food, good people, no rush," says  Chef Joaquin Bordato. •