RESTAURANT NEWS
THE LATEST FROM CHEFS AND RESTAURANTS AROUND AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY
Clam Bar Restaurant and Grill is the latest venture from the team behind Bistrot 916 and Pellegrino 2000, set to take over the former site of The Bridge Room in the CBD. Taking cues from lauded New York steakhouses but with a sharper focus on seafood, the restaurant’s kitchen will be led by Dan Pepperell, joined by head chef Sam Galloway. “Most of the menu is heavily seafood-orientated, with a classic couple of steaks. It’s influenced by that New York-style grill and will have a slightly American vibe, and classic style,” says Pepperell. There will be choose-your-own condiments (think housemade butters and sauces, wasabi, mustards and twists on the classics); oysters, crustaceans and shellfish on ice; and a big raw bar selection. Said oysters may come Rockefeller style, while the namesake mollusc will be done as a clam coconut ceviche; and served with linguine. There will also be steak tartare; sizzling garlic prawns; crab cakes; baked scampi casino style; and a spanner crab gratin. These bold entrées will be matched by mains including a cheeseburger; New York strip and porterhouse steaks; and whole fish grilled in the charcoal oven. “It’s a beautiful old building and we’re very excited we got that space,” says Pepperell.
Over the bridge, Josh and Julie Niland will bring their scale-to-tail approach to dining to the North Shore with Petermen, a 60-seat restaurant and bar in St Leonards. The name nods to the husband-and-wife duo’s flagship venue (where fishers were once known as Petermen after their patron, Saint Peter).
For their fifth venture expect more championing of local growers and producers and for denizens of the deep to get another starring role. This time around, however, vegetables will play a bigger role on the menu.
Back in the CBD, chef Jessi Singh has opened Pinky Ji. Nodding to Singh’s Punjabi roots the menu – which is divided into snacks, raw, street, grill, wok, tandoor and curry sections – is overseen by both Singh and former Chin Chin head chef, Johann Jay. Order a whole flounder with curry butter noisette; or half lobster with Sri Lankan coconut curry leaf sambal from the grill; or try lamb chops with smoked horseradish yoghurt or prawns with green chilli coriander butter from the tandoor, joined by garlic naan, biryani and roti.
Finally in Surry Hills, The Rover has unveiled the final phase of its re-do, with a seafood-heroing British bistro opening upstairs. Here, a trio of crustaceans may come poached and served whole with Marie Rose, wakame mayo or hot butter sauce; a whole flathead may be chargrilled with clams and garlic; or perhaps you’ll want to go all out and order caviar served with potato chips. All will be joined by a biodynamic wine list and a thoughtful cocktail list.
VICTORIA
Sydney hospitality juggernaut Merivale will open its first venture in Victoria this month, with the arrival of Totti’s at the Lorne Hotel. The Great Ocean Road outpost will draw upon the Sydney formula of puffed bread and snacks to match, with founding chef Mike Eggert joined by local chef Matt Germanchis (ex-Captain Moonlite). The usual Totti’s hits will be complemented with plenty of local seafood including King George whiting, Southern rock lobsters, calamari and mussels; alongside housemade pasta and wood-fired specialties.
In Richmond, Orlo a modern Greek restaurant by former Press Club and Hellenic Republic chef Alex Xinis will open in a heritage-listed former cordial factory. Dishes from the open kitchen will include stuffed sardines, raisins, tomato and herbs to start; leek pie with sheep curd and smoked egg yolk for mains; and a restaurant-ready take on an Iced Vovo dubbed the Riced Vovo with rice cream, burnt marshmallow and raspberry. There will also be a tasting-menu-only mezzanine level, an underground cocktail bar and vine-shaded courtyard. Drinks-wise the list will pay homage to its factory origins with shrubs and cordials utilising leftover produce; while local winemakers and small producers from Greece will be on the wine list.
BRISBANE
A sprawling three-level, 120-seat restaurant will continue the rejuvenation of Eagle Street, with the opening of Babylon Brisbane. Like its Sydney predecessor, Babylon will draw on the traditions of Levantine cuisine, and its southeast Mediterranean influences.
The kitchen is centred on a custom three-metre-long mangal (Turkish grill) and two rotisseries. Here you’ll find wood-fired pumpkin kebab with coriander, lime, Aleppo chilli and muhammara (a spiced red pepper paste with walnuts, pomegranate molasses and breadcrumbs); wood-grilled Fraser Coast squid with yoghurt dill and lime; and wood-fired Angus beef with chilli butter and radish. Dramatic interiors include terracotta bricks, red marble tabletops, a green marble bar, and mahogany chairs; while two outdoor bars will make the most of the Brisbane sunshine.