Ignore the oft-repeated (and somewhat pretentious) New York Brasserie tagline that’s dogged this fancy remake of the Brooklyn Hotel. It reads like a gastro-pub to me. Think upmarket suit-dude food; and it seems that where there be bankers and bivalves, stiletto heels follow. The whole package plucks the bits I liked best about Sean’s Kitchen – produce driven seafood, and a man who can handle crabs – and sticks them somewhere more appropriate (outside of a casino). As I feel myself sliding into an intimate moment with a clean, herbaceous Bruny Island Oyster ($4.50/each) accentuated by a good Col Vetoraz Prosecco ($14.50/glass), I understand the appeal: if I was a suit, I’d want pubs like this too. So pick up the flavour-packed Crab Toast ($18) with your fingers and get stuck into their by-the-glass bounty. The snow crab snack bests Bennelong Bar’s famous crab sandwich; though I wasn’t quite as enamoured with the hot version – Chilli Snow Crab Linguine ($26). While the Wedge Salad ($8) tasted overdressed to me, it’d definitely work with pretty much any animal cooked over coals. If you’re just snacking, the Burrata and Beet Salad ($20) is a better bet, as you sip Stella Bella Margaret River Chardonnay ($14/glass) and pretend to be one of the people Clover Moore adores.
The Morrison
225 George Street, Sydney
Ph: (02) 9247 6744 themorrison.com.au
Seafood $$$$
