Bishop Sessa
The closure of Bistro Bruno has seen restaurateur Erez Gordon really focus his tender loving care upon his Crown Street star attraction. With Chef Paul Cooper’s cooking already on point – my beloved Scallop Ceviche ($18) with cucumber, avocado, lemon and ginger beer sorbet thankfully remaining on his updated menu – Erez has directed his attention elsewhere. Upstairs he’s added a wall-length, quintessentially Sydney (without being clichéd) cityscape by photographer Shane Rozario. He’s also very invested in the floor, from explaining the whole-carcass, nose-to-tail philosophy, to constructing original cocktails, including the appetite-inducing Gin Yum ($17.50); described as “an Asian vacation” in a glass. However it’s in personalised wine service where Erez really shines; down to cheeky (verbal) descriptions of grapes being trampled “by unwed girls” where one can “taste the desperation”. The 2008 Tibooburra Solitude Vineyard Pinot Noir ($77) over-delivered with a surprising floral, feminine edge against Roasted Aylesbury Duck Breast with ‘Ducketta’ ($33). The best dish I ate – a truly unctuous jowl of Melanda Park pork with Hawkesbury River calamari and barbecued corn – can only be ordered via the outstanding value six-course Degustation ($69/head). Chef brined the (already standout) pig for three days, rendering the fat into a beautiful, soft protein that sensuously echoed the tender, translucent calamari – sensational.
Bishop Sessa
527 Crown Street, Surry Hills
Ph: (02) 8065 7223 bishopsessa.com.au
Modern Australian $$$$
