The wider world has some great restaurants in railway stations, so why can’t Sydney? Loulou has fun with the brief, offering breakfast meetings over croissants, bistro lunch specials and post-work oysters.

The sister bistro to Milson’s Point’s Loulou has two levels of dining, with the buzzy downstairs dining room showcasing urban views over four long escalators leading to Sydney’s underbelly of trains. Ned Parker’s menu is bistro-dreamy, stacked with charcuterie platters, garlicky snails, and steak frites with sauce au poivre.

The smells are good, too – break the pastry dome over an elegant French onion soup or order the twice-cooked roquefort souffle for aromatherapy. The star dish is duck confit, the slow-cooked leg lifted by the brightness of smoked beetroot and red endive – perfect pinot noir fodder.

Be warned, the chocolate mousse with Griottines liqueur cherries is destined to be the cause of many a missed train.

Good to know: L’apero happy hour runs 4pm to 7pm ($2 oysters!)

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.