With just one month to go until the much anticipated opening of Chippendale’s new seafood paradise, Longshore, we thought it time to let you in on all the lip smacking details, AKA the down low.
So! Let’s take a deep dive shall we? First up, the *delicious* nitty gritty — the ‘who’, ‘what’ and most interestingly, the ‘how’. For this, we spoke to our friend, Head Chef and Longshore co-owner, Jarrod Walsh for what he expects will land as a house favourite — the soon-to-be critically acclaimed (according to our inside sources), steamed Sand Whiting with XO pipi butter with charred green garlic and native greens.
In a nutshell, Chef Walsh and Dorothy Lee, who have already left their mark on the Sydney food scene with their highly acclaimed Hartsyard restaurant, are set to once again make culinary headlines, this time, here, at the Old Clare. This is no ordinary seafood extravaganza; Longshore will be almost entirely sustainable, run with the mission to source and serve only the freshest, locally caught, and sustainably harvested seafood. Now, that’s what we call a green flag!
The menu will offer clever and creative dishes with Asian inflections, such as glazed green-lip abalone crumpets and the aforementioned steamed sand whiting in XO pipi butter, all guaranteed to tantalise the palate and leave the lot of us begging for more, more, more.
In addition to the saucy seafood offerings, Longshore will also offer snack “flights,” perfect for those looking to sample their way through the menu. From zero-waste cocktails made with locally sourced ingredients (also served in eco-friendly glassware!) to eco-friendly waste practices in the kitchen, Walsh and Lee are determined to ensure Longshore remains, wholeheartedly, and almost entirely, environmentally conscious. Did we say green flag?!
Now for the beverages — with a focus on white wines, the list has been carefully curated to match the seafood menu, courtesy of newly appointed Head Sommelier, Isobel McFadden (Chin Chin, the Lucas Group) alongside co-owner Dorothy Lee.
Here’s what McFadden had to say:
“You’ll see plenty of classics and also emerging, innovative producers and styles. A balanced ratio of local and international producers, both female and male winemakers. Everything on the list is at least made sustainably, if not biodynamic. We are definitely a riesling house, so expect plenty of delights in that realm. An abundance of texutral, salty whites, rosé in everyway and reds on the slinky side of life. A humble suite of sherry, vermouths and amaros. Some sexy cocktails too. There will be something for everyone.”
So! In the spirit of all the adventurous asiatic and oceanic flavours to come, let’s dive into a very tasteful dish-debrief from Chef Walsh himself.
“The Steamed Sand Whiting with XO pipi butter, charred green garlic and native greens will feature exclusively on our set menu. This is a dish which really resembles what Longshore is all about — Sand Whiting is a coastal fish and one which has always been close to my heart as these were in abundance when I was growing up. They were also my favourite fish to catch and still are to this day! On top of this, pipis were always so accessible for bait (when fishing Whiting) and so we thought, why not keep them together on the plate?!”
What’s the process?
“First, we fillet, skin and brine the Whiting before placing some crispy toasted laver seaweed on the fillet, rolling it up, then placing it on a metal skewer and gently steaming it. Then, we make our own XO sauce, using dried scallop, oysters, abalone, fish offcuts, shallots, garlic and chilli, emulsifying this into an umami-dashi butter sauce. The pipis are lightly steamed, and the juice is kept for another dish, and these are gently warmed through the XO butter. With the charred green garlic, we simply blanch lightly then char to get a smokey flavour. To finish, we plate the dish alongside a selection of native greens such as seablite, warrigal and samphire.”
Damn.
Hold tight and watch this space folks, clearly, we’re in for a big one. Over and out.