Morena

Morena is a Latin American restaurant by chef Alejandro Saravia, who’s widely credited with bringing Peruvian cuisine to Australia.

At Morena, Saravia calls on his native Peru for inspiration as well as the flavours of Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil. The Sydney CBD venue joins his two Melbourne restaurants The Farmer's Daughters and Victoria by Farmer's Daughters.

“With Morena, I aim to create a culinary journey that transcends borders, celebrating the rich tapestry of flavours inspired by my Latin American heritage,” he says.

“We really want to change Australians’ perspectives of Latin American cuisine and I want to showcase the diverse history of food in these great nations.”

Morena is in Sydney’s historic GPO building in Martin Place, with 200 seats spread across the main dining room, an atrium under the impressive glass roof, counter seats overlooking the kitchen and bar, an outdoor terrace on Martin Place, and a private dining room.

The restaurant was designed to showcase the history and personality of the 150-year-old building while also evoking Latin American architecture and the tabernas of Peru, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia, with original stone and tile elements complemented by natural timber, bronze, linen and soft brown upholstery.

On the menu, local NSW and wider Aussie produce sits alongside imported Latin American ingredients to best represent the flavours of the region. Highlights include a few takes on ceviche like yellowfin tuna with aged soy dashi, daikon, aji rocoto and wasabi leaves, Kaloola Farm suckling pig served with mojo sauce, Abrolhos Island scallops with parmesan cream, lime, aji and amarillo butter, and Gundagai lamb picanha with a cachaça marinade.

12 signature cocktails nodding to Latin America (with a take on a pisco sour, of course) lead the drinks offering, which also spans a broad selection of wines including a notable range of Latin American regions and varieties.

Morena launches on Monday 15 April, and will open Monday–Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Now check out more of the best restaurants in the Sydney CBD.

Image credit: Morena | Supplied