Harbourside Ploós brings the opportunity to take a deep-dive into the world of Greek wines matched with share-friendly Aegean eats by a legendary Sydney chef.
Nearly 30 years ago, Peter Conistis earned himself the first-ever Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Chef’s Hat for a Greek restaurant. The tiny Cosmos introduced Sydney’s eastern suburbs to all sorts of exotic delicacies – taramasalata! moussaka! – that of course plenty of Sydneysiders, mostly from west of the Anzac Bridge, had been eating for generations. The city was hooked and his subsequent restaurants – Eleni’s, Omega and Alpha – were equally beloved.
In 2022 he geared up for a new challenge, opening Ploós (meaning “to sail” or “to voyage” in Greek) in the notoriously tricky Campbells Cove dining area in The Rocks on Sydney Harbour. Its footprint is more broadly Aegean than pure Greek, however, its cuisine takes inspiration from Greece, Cyprus, Crete and Turkey.
Proving that Peter has still got a few boundaries left to push, even in 2022, perhaps the most interesting part of the offering at Ploós is found on the wine list – it’s packed with a fascinating range of Greek wines selected by sommelier John Clancy (formerly of Quay and Guillaume), with even more to be added as he adjusts the list over time. And customers are going all in. “Many Australians aren’t familiar with Greek wines aside from the clichéd wines we all know about, but they are loving them,” John says. “Anyone who’s been to Greece in the last 10 years or so and dined in the restaurants will understand that Greek wine has gone way ahead. The production volume is low compared to, say, Italy or Spain, but the variety, quality and value is very, very high.”
The Campbells Cove area is one of those spots that should be a jewel in Sydney’s crown and packed with proud locals. But an unfortunate trend of tourist-trap restaurants over the past decades means that most Sydneysiders have given it a wider berth than a sailboat dodging a P&O Cruise ship arriving at the Overseas Passenger Terminal. That’s all starting to change. A much better breed of restaurants is dropping anchor in the area, Ploós being one.
The cream-on-cream rattan furnishings and sofas against the sandstone of the heritage warehouses give everything a sense of depth and place, but the Opera House view does most of the decor heavy lifting. A fresh, light harbourside lunch or dinner with a glass of something interesting? That’s about as Sydney as it gets.
Go Greek. Or don’t – there’s plenty more on offer from the Old and New Worlds, from purring Otago pinot noirs and classic Hermitage shiraz to Spanish albariños and verdejos.
But, really, you’re here to explore the Aegean and sommelier John Clancy makes it easy for you, with Greek wines of all colours and weights listed by both the bottle and the glass. Aromatic Greek whites are a natural match for Greek food, especially seafood – like a chardonnay-malagousia blend, which is a dream with sardines or feta. Or for a red, the Ktima Voyatzis Estate Xinomavro is a medium-bodied, highly perfumed purple-red drop made from a grape indigenous to Greece, and ripples with notes of spiced berries, herbs and olives. It stands up beautifully to lamb or Conistis’s Cypriot sausages.
Ploós is also a top spot to dip into ouzo and other Greek spirits, with around a dozen to explore. And they’re more than just an aperitif or digestif: with the right food – look for corresponding aniseed flavours – you can enjoy them throughout the whole meal.
Ouzo sits very happily with any food in the same aniseed-flavour family, and you’ll notice the Ploós menu has a strong aniseed theme – you’ll find tarragon, watercress and dandelion everywhere, and fennel fronds scattered over the top of most plates. That makes it pretty easy to create yourself an ouzo-matching menu.
Whatever drinks you run with, other standout dishes include the single curl of perfectly springy occy from Western Australia’s Abrolhos Islands sitting on a bed of the palest tarama cured roe topped with caper leaves, and the rich, dressing-heavy nisiotiko salad, a hardcore version of a Greek salad built with aged feta and given an extra juicing via a scattering of samphire.
