The Marke Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Sydney

The name “The Marke Kitchen and Bar” derives from the fact that this restaurant is at the junction of a multitude of places. X marks the spot. From here you can head off internationally or domestically via the airport, you can drive 20 minutes to the Sydney CBD, but it is also the gateway to the south coast, western suburbs and more, hence this location has been branded to focus on bringing together the best of both worlds.

This restaurant is located within the Novotel Sydney Airport, and if you’re staying in the hotel, there is no need to go any further, for there is a wonderful lounge bar, bar food and a high quality restaurant for lunch and dinner (as well as their buffet breakfast). However, we would promote this as being a destination restaurant too. It is in a residential area so it is perfect for the locals to come for a sophisticated dinner, or if you’re from afar there is ample parking on site. The venue is of a significant size, so you could certainly hold functions or corporate lunches and dinners.

The styling and menu has been inspired by Sydney’s natural beauty and colourful city life. The bar area has comfortable lounges, bar tables and is a cool area to catch up for drinks and bar food. They have some amazing cocktails. From the “Bondi Summer Obsession” to the “CBD Concrete Jungle”, their names and flavours take inspiration from different areas of Sydney. They also have your typical cocktail classics. With a huge bar, they are not short of good spirts and wines either

For those who love a sunset spritz, to those who prefer a night cap, they’ve got it all.

The restaurant decor is laidback, yet sophisticated. Peach and green tones, with fashionable wall-paper, velveteen lounges, white tables and chairs. Their menu is focused on using local produce of high quality to produce culturally diverse offerings that reflect a natural and urban lifestyle. The menu boasts a range of seafood, pastas, grains, vegetables, dairy and meat. We were part of a group hosted by Travel.lifestyle and the Hotel and they had organised a shared table of a multitude of the menu offerings. We tried a few things from their snack menu including the Beautiful Sydney Rock Oysters, presented colourfully with Lime Caviar and Chilli. We enjoyed the unique flavours of the dressing in the creamy oysters. We also shared the Salt & Pepper Hawkesbury Calamari with Pickled Cucumber and a Squid Ink Ailoi as well as some delicious Green Yamba Prawns, served with Rodriguez’s Hot Smoked Chorizo, peppers and a Tumeric Hummos. These are great little sharing options and perfect with a drink at the bar. For a seafood entree, we loved the spiced Beetroot Cured Salmon with Pomegranate, Sumac and a Radish Remoulade. This was presented so beautiful and it’s taste was lovely and refreshing. The Vannella Burrata, served with pino’s prosciutto and an olive and basil salad is a great entree choice. This combined with some of their amazing focaccia and chilli oil certainly was popular with the group. It was hard not to devour the whole bread plate, but we needed to keep room for the mains. The mains were amazing. A beautiful Goldband Snapper was served with Confit Fennel, Prawn Bisque and Rouille. The flavours on this were well developed and a stunning fleshy fish with all its accompaniments was divine. I think the crowd favourite was the Melanda Park Pasteured Pork Belly with a crispy skin, served with Fennel, Salt and an Apple Sauce as well as the Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Chilli Labna, and roasted potatoes. We also tried a vegetarian pasta - the Busiate Al Pesto with Broccoli and Pecorino and a couple of sides; the Green Beans with Anchovy Butter and Pinenuts, as well as the grilled Corn, served with Barley Miso and Lime. The flavour was superb, I must have devoured the...

The Marke Kitchen & Bar is Novotel’s latest culinary offering. Set opposite the gorgeous Cahill Park, this stylishly understated restaurant is the perfect introduction to Sydney life. With a seasonal menu that celebrates a native and home-grown pantry, The Marke is a unique and beautifully Australian culinary experience.

Featuring an abundance of locally-sourced ingredients and styles, the menu is designed to emulate Sydney’s colourful natural landscapes and diverse personalities. The seafood is all caught in NSW, and with the menu changing with the seasons to reflect the locally-grown produce made available, there is no doubt that the chefs have laboured long and hard to present the best that Sydney and Australia have to offer. And it really is the best – with the most sublime calamari and oysters I’ve ever come across, as well as brilliantly tender lamb and some inspired takes on classic desserts, such as chocolate brulee, and a stunning bombolone with Creme Pasticcera to remind us of The Marke’s Italian influences.

The dishes I sampled are certainly worth writing home about – the calamari in particular was an excellent mix of crispy and well-seasoned, accompanied by a squid ink aioli I haven’t come across before, but will definitely be seeking out in the future. The pork belly was tender, and juicy, with a phenomenally crispy skin – the sign of a chef who certainly knows his business.

The cocktail menu is extensive, and features local brands such as the Archie Rose gin distillery, served in such cocktails as the ‘Summer Obsession – Bondi”, presenting itself as a refreshingly new take on an old classic – as does the “Concrete Jungle – CBD” made with Australian wheat vodka. The cocktails here are designed to take the edge off the summer heat – and they do just that. My own experience with the Summer Obsession – Bondi can attest to this, with a greatly refreshing taste and one I can recommend most highly. The wine list is similarly both Australian and impressive, as is the selection of on-tap beers, most of which are proudly Australian and all of which are a welcome change from those traditional hotel beers.

The interior stylings manage to hit that sweet spot of homeliness and comfort, while still maintaining the elegant facade that Novotel hotels are renowned for – a truly remarkable feat for their interior designers. The wait staff are similarly attentive and knowledgeable, with the chefs coming to us personally to explain their dishes and make sure all is satisfactory. Of course it is!

Set close enough to the airport to be convenient, yet with none of the associated roar of engines and hum of cars on the highway, The Marke Kitchen & Bar has exceeded expectations and presented a brand new take on what it means to be in Sydney – and as someone who has grown up here, and seen every ‘new take’ there is, it’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised by something such as this.

Open from 5.30am on weekdays and 6.00am on weekends for breakfast, with the dinner menu being offered until late all days...

I had high expectations for Mark Kitchen and Bar, given its aesthetically pleasing appearance and reputation. Unfortunately, my experience was a complete disaster, leaving me shocked by the sheer lack of professionalism and basic customer service.

Firstly, it was quiet, but the service was beyond rushed. The staff barely gave us a moment to decide on our order and seemed irritated when we asked for clarifications or recommendations. The south Indian manager, instead of supporting the staff, appeared to get in the way of their workflow, adding to the confusion.

When the coffee finally arrived, it was lukewarm at best—an absolute disgrace for a cafe that markets itself as a premium establishment. To add to the frustration, none of the cups were labeled. Out of four coffees, there was no way to tell the latte, cappuccino, or mocha apart. When I asked that manager about it, the response was unbelievably rude: "I just told you! Why do I need to write it down?" This level of arrogance and lack of care is completely unacceptable from a manager, felt bad for the staff working with him actually.

It didn’t end there. When I politely asked for some sugar, I was curtly told, “Get it yourself.” The tone and attitude were not only unprofessional but also outright disrespectful.

Mark Kitchen and Bar might look appealing from the outside, but the service is a far cry from what you'd expect. The manager’s poor leadership and the staff’s lack of manners make this place one to avoid. A cafe should provide a welcoming environment with attentive service—this was the exact opposite.

Save your money and go somewhere that values its customers. Mark Kitchen and Bar has a long way to go before it can justify its good looks with equally...