Kiln

From the moment it opened, the cool factor and unmistakable style of the Ace Hotel brand was delivered in spades. And Kiln, its fantastic rooftop restaurant, is no exception.

Chef Mitch Orr has brought a menu that's equally imaginative and delicious with inventive, genre-crossing dishes that bring together Italian flavours and Japanese influences (although not necessarily always at the same time).

And despite that mashup of influences which may intimidate some diners, it's food that is ultimately very accessible and — more importantly — bloody good eating.

Potentially, the most discussed and photographed item on the menu is a carry-over from Orr's ACME days: the Jatz with smoked butter and anchovy, bringing together the high and low, which is one of the chef's menu trademarks.

But the economically edited menu is full of winners from top to tail, with one of the most unignorable vegetable sections of any restaurant in Sydney, which also features what might be the best bowl of plain rice you can find (the Randall Farm koshihikari rice).

Matching the menu is a killer drinks list, a fun electric atmosphere, and the sense that any minute, you could turn around and bump into someone famous. The buzz is real at Kiln — and exciting hotel dining has well and truly returned to Sydney.

Images: interiors by Anson Smart and food by Nikki To