Birdie Bar and Brasserie set to make its mark on Sydney’s evolving culinary scene
A new epicurean spectacle debuts in Sydney CBD with the arrival of Birdie Bar and Brasserie. The elevated new restaurant and bar brings an Australian and British influence, skillfully marrying innovation and tradition to delight the senses.
Inspired by the curious and exotic Australian Lorikeet Bird, Birdie provides an immersive dining experience, where guests are taken on an unforgettable voyage of global flavours, where the comforting classics have been creatively adapted with a unique twist.
Its diverse menu champions local suppliers, crafted cleverly by Birdie’s Head Chef, John Lyons, a culinary visionary with an awe-inspiring background. Hailing from Northern England, and with experience working in esteemed UK establishments with Michelin stars and AA Rosettes, Lyons brings an unwavering passion for shaping superb culinary concepts, reflected in his mesmerising epicurean curations.
In a continuous nod to its British heritage, enriched interiors flow throughout the space with elements of brass gold, marble, and zellige mosaic tiles. The calming and inviting space aptly captures the feeling of being in a nest, combining natural materials and earthy tones, with mood lighting, ambient tunes, and unmatched service, setting the scene for an unparalleled food and drink experience to come. Birdie’s signature wallpaper takes centre stage, an ode to the Lorikeet Bird’s home, a welcoming and cosy oasis.
With an outlook of York Street and Wynyard Park, the space has been thoughtfully designed around the notion of creating an environment with less waste, both environmental and spatial. Birdie offers comfortable lounge seating with a high-bar area that seats up to 10, overlooking the open kitchen where guests can admire the culinary craftsmanship in the kitchen, as they serve up an oasis of delicious flavours and creative textures.
“Birdie tells a tale of time through food, which we have proudly brought to life with spices and herbs sourced from Birdie’s travels around the world. I can’t wait for people to dine in this alluring atmosphere, and try our dishes, especially those where we’ve had some fun to create something truly unique,” says Head Chef, John Lyons.
The stand-out Fremantle Octopus dish with Koji and cucumber embraces classic European techniques with world influence. While Koji, fermented rice grains used to make Miso, is local to Japan, Lyons sources Koji from Keiko Ikeda in Bondi, made from Australian organic brown rice, Tamari, natural sea salt and purified water. Lyons advocates Ikeda’s is ‘better quality’ and ‘far more superior’ than any other Koji he’s used.
An unmatched epicurean experience is Birdie’s Black Sesame dessert, showcasing a rare fruit called the ‘poorman’s orange’, an innovative take on the British orange sponge cake. The ‘poorman’s orange’ is a virtually extinct fruit that has been resurrected by a ‘chap’ called Peter Dryden in Gordon, New South Wales, and is the essence of the type of produce Lyons loves, with its unique and complex flavour, thick pith, and sweet almost-tropical tasting flesh, a cross between the pomelo and tangerine. This show-stopping dessert provides a sense of surprise and delight, where contrasting flavours are combined as one, juxtaposed, yet paired beautifully together.
Reflecting Birdie’s distinct palate are playful takes on dishes like The Duck, Garlic Bread, English Crumpets and Roasted Avocado Pie. A fast lunch menu that differs daily is also on offer, ideal for corporate lunches and travellers, which wouldn’t be complete without a Traditional Sunday Roast, trimmings and all. Another menu delight is the cheeky ‘The Bird’, offering bumps of caviar paired with shots of Grey Goose vodka, setting the scene for a late-night soiree.
The ingenious cocktail menu takes inspiration from six native Australian birds; The Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, Chestnut Teal, Red Browned Finch, Satin Bowerbird, Galah and Golden Whistler, blending each of their colours, behaviours and mannerisms into a bespoke cocktail. Satin Bowerbirds are known for decorating their nest with dark objects, which has been artistically translated into Birdie’s Irish whiskey, lemon, blackberry and hibiscus tipple, with dark blackberries neatly arranged around the glass brim. While the Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, known for its distinctive speech, brings about the theatrics with its lemon meringue foam and shortbread crumble, using Hickson House Australian Dry Gin, from the nearby The Rocks, Sydney.
The wine list can only be described as representing a ‘nomadic spirit’, traversing through the skies of Australia, Europe and South America. While beers feature Birdie’s very own lager, available on tap, and British-inspired beers from renowned Sydney breweries; Brewdog Brewery, Lord Nelson Brewery, Young Henry’s and Atomic Brewery.
Birdie is committed to optimising and improving the food cycle ‘from farm to fork’, sourcing food responsibly and locally to preserve biodiversity and reduce their environmental impact.
“We are proud to embrace and showcase many local artisan suppliers on Birdie’s menu, from the local ingredients Lyon’s creatively combines on our plates, to the breweries and distilleries we partner with,” says Director of Food and Beverage, Ben Nicholls. “Our sustainability efforts extend further to reducing food waste in our kitchen, providing an organic and seasonal menu, while also promoting fair practices for local producers, farmers and the conditions for animals.”
Birdie Bar and Brasserie is now open and invites both Sydneysiders and travellers alike to join in a gastronomical voyage of global flavours, set in a welcoming, and contemporary atmosphere.
