Concrete Playground

The brakes have been put on the mobile food truck phenomenon of a few months ago (well, a minor movement). Not that they've disappeared from Sydney's streets, it's just that the founders of the food vans have set down roots. First it was the Mexican-flavoured Cantina Mobil setting up shop in Surry Hills, now it's the owners of Eat Art Truck taking over the space above the Beach Road Hotel.

Bringing along former Tetsuya's sous chef, Stuart McGill, TruckStop has parked in a spacious room with a bar, outdoor area and canteen-like kitchen. Competing with the hotel's kitchen downstairs, TruckStop has mashed together strange combos, such as grilled prawns on sweet brioche-style cornbread next to a poached egg in a moat of creamy hollandaise-like sauce ($22). It's a bit messy and odd, much cleaner is a little wooden tray of pretty sushi, artfully divided between tiny towers of kingfish and salmon and crisp rice tablets ($18).

The sweet pork belly in molasses ($20), a Southern American sugarcane standard that's rare to see on a Sydney menu, is great, and easy to quickly inhale. If vegetarian and calorie-counting are higher on your agenda, the tofu and spinach ($10) is light and cleansing.

The desserts couldn't be more different – the pumpkin pie and vanilla ice cream ($10) is pure Americana. The other choice is pure Bondi … a visual joke of a dessert. A small glass of beer-derived sorbet is topped with exploding candy ($10), and comes with a cheeky plastic pouch of white sherbert, poured in a line on the plate by the waitress. Very Bondi.

TruckStop has gained movement from its mobile younger sibling and just needs to rev up for bigger business.