Joy Restaurant

The verdict

Occupying the space in Bakery Lane left by I Heart Brownies, this latest in schmick eateries is brought to us by Tim and Sarah Scott. After a career in hospitality that includes stints at premier Sydney establishments like Sepia, Sixpenny and the much-decorated Automata, a natural progression for the couple was to take on running a restaurant of their own.

As longtime front-of-housers, the Scotts wanted to remove the divide that insulates diners from the action and break-neck pace of a commercial kitchen. Don’t expect to wander into a placid, dimly lit dining room with mellow jazz through the speakers, when you come to Joy you’ll be entering a workplace. The space is deliberately intimate with capacity for just ten diners, each one in a front row seat to the creation of the meal. As for the food itself, expect both Scandinavian and Japanese influences executed on fresh local ingredients.

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Image credit: Joy Restaurant