Café Paci x Embla

“This perpetually busy restaurant is one of Sydney’s most meaningful dining experiences,” was how the Good Food critics put it back in July in a rave review. Café Paci might be tricky to classify sometimes – Finnish chef, vaguely Mexican name, a menu elastic enough to somehow offer rye tacos, devilled eggs, fish with smoked butter and Aleppo pepper, and a credible steak Diane all on the same page – but it’s very easy to like.

In fact, the best way to get to grips with the whole question is to dive in. And what better way to get your taste than when chef Pasi Petanen parachutes into the Embla kitchen this festival to make merry with everyone’s favourite Russell Street gamechangers?

Don’t come necessarily expecting a lot of chat from the talent – Pasi makes Embla chef Dave “Man of Extremely Few Words” Verheul seem positively verbose in comparison – but you can roll up in full confidence that you’ll eat and drink very, very well and have a damned fine time along the way.