NOW EXPERIENCING:Longshore
Drinks Directory|Good for groups|Restaurant|Wheelchair accessible

Longshore

5 Kensington Street, Chippendale, NSW, 2008
Phone
(02) 8277 8522
Website
longshore.com.au
Instagram
@longshore.syd

Read time 4 Mins

Posted 10 Jan 2024

By
Matty Hirsch

A young, dynamic hospitality duo is putting the fun back in fine dining at a holy grail Sydney site, with sustainably sourced seafood and killer drinks leading the way.

Why you goFirst-rate seafood isn’t in short supply in Sydney, but restaurants that specialise in sourcing the ocean’s finest and take it to another level? Surprisingly hard to come by. Longshore, which opened in mid-2023, stands right up there with the best of them. And so it should, given Jarrod Walsh and Dorothy “Dot” Lee are captaining the ship. The partners in business and life – he the head chef, she the sommelier and general manager – solidified their reputation among Sydney’s savviest young operators when they overhauled Hartsyard, an inner-west neighbourhood favourite, in early 2019. Now, the couple have upped the ante, sliding into the two-storey space that was once home to edgy fine-diner Automata, and they’re smashing it out of the park with an offering that celebrates our coastal riches and exemplifies Australian dining in the here and now.
The interiors at Longshore in Sydney's inner city
Why you staySydney designers Guru Projects have done a bang-up job with the interiors, taking the chill off the site’s notoriously industrial aesthetic with an eye-catching mixture of on-theme materials and finishes. In the wrong hands, “nautical” can be all kinds of tacky (think toilet doors labelled “Buoys” and “Gulls”), but here the use of rope and seagrass, soft linens and terrazzo brings laid-back elegance to the concrete bones. That same zest for detail comes through at the table, too, by way of beautifully shaped crockery, recycled coasters and stemware you want to hold, even if the glass is empty. It’s the perfect marriage of refinement and approachability.
What drink to orderWhere to begin? With a 60ml pour of cloudy sake or briny manzanilla sherry? A tinnie of seltzer or a half-bottle of Normandy cider? A local IPA or a large-format grapefruit sour beer from Catalonia? A killer cocktail? That’s before you even consider the wine: some 170-ish labels from near and far, with a minimal-intervention bent and an eye to female, non-binary and trans producers. It’s one heck of a list – thoughtful, inclusive and not confined by any boundaries but its own, with pours by the half-glass and carafe available for exploration. Dive in and dive deep. (And should you find yourself completely overwhelmed, take the wise advice on the opening page: “If you simply can’t decide, drink riesling!”)
A cocktail at Longshore in Chippendale
Several dishes at Sydney's Longshore
What to pair it withMuch like the drinks, the food offers plenty in the way of adventure, with four different menus to choose from. There’s à la carte, a three-course lunch ($100) and a $150 five-course tasting, but the ultimate move here has to be the “snack flight”. For $80, you’re presented with 10 items that move from small bites (pickled Jervis Bay mussels, perhaps, or taramasalata-coated purple radishes) to the more substantial likes of glazed lamb ribs and grilled Clarence River octopus skewers. Jarrod’s sure-handed technique shines from start to finish, as does his knack for melding Asian flavours with native Australian ingredients. No matter which path you pursue, there’s one dish that shouldn’t be missed: a green-lip abalone party pie with pine-mushroom ketchup, wholly deserving of signature-dish status.
Why we love itSeldom is the finer side of dining as flexible and fun as it is here, with possibilities at every turn (and even some cheeky RuPaul on the uptempo playlist). In theory, you could come for every service of the week and still not scratch the surface. But if that rare sense of practically endless potential – drinks and snacks or full-blown meal? Upstairs or down? Inside or out? – is what draws you to the place, it’ll be the service that keeps you coming back. Dot is a sparkling presence on the floor, and her playful yet attentive tone trickles down through her entire team, especially all-star sommeliers Isobel McFadden and Elly Webb.
Mixing drinks at Longshore
Scallops served at Longshore in Sydney's Chippendale
Make it fancyFor the most part, wine mark-ups are level-headed and there’s value to burn in the food prices, too, given the high calibre of produce and skill on display. Even so, you can – and probably should – push the boat out a bit, perhaps with a $400 bottle of vintage grower Champagne and a dozen oysters with kumquat dressing ($72) to start. Where you’ll really want to stretch your credit limit, however, is the wine list’s cellar selection, which offers full and half-glasses of almost 20 global classics with the help of Coravin’s wine preservation technology. At $90 a glass, Albert Boxler’s lush, peachy and endlessly complex 2015 riesling might be the priciest of the bunch, but sometimes you really do get what you pay for.
Authour image
Matty HirschMatty Hirsch is a Sydney-based writer, critic and editor whose work has appeared in Time Out, Delicious and Gourmet Traveller.
Tags
Drinks DirectoryFamily affairNon-alc OptionsOutdoor areaDate nightGood for groupsGreat tunesA+ spirits listFancy occasionTop notch wine listRestaurantKiller cocktailsSydneySydney – Inner CityWheelchair accessibleBar
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