Darling Glebe
Heritage and style combine in spectacular form in this subterranean restaurant, which features reimagined brasserie classics and a dedicated martini lounge.
Overview
One of Sydney's most storied dining spaces has officially entered the next stage of its life, with 134A Glebe Point Rd — previously home to pioneering farm-to-table eatery Darling Mills, an Indian restaurant and moody cocktail lounge Becketts — now reborn as Darling Glebe. A labour of love for its creators, the subterranean space is now divided into a martini bar just past the entrance, a main dining room, an omakase-style chef's table and two private dining spaces, including one with a purpose-built wine cave that can hold up to 2800 bottles.
There's a distinct heritage feel throughout, thanks to convict-cut sandstone blocks that meet vaulted ceilings and brick sourced from the remains of Edmund Blackett's original St John's Church. But that doesn't mean it's dusty and aged — those surfaces combine with a polished floor, velvet-wrapped colonnades, silk Hermès scarves and vintage cut-crystal and hand-etched glass detailing.
It's the physical manifestation of the influences for Chef and Restaurateur Jeff Schroeter, a Riverina native whose CV spans The Savoy in London, Manhattan's Royalton Hotel, Sydney institutions Bistro Moncur and Bayswater Brasserie (and a stint as a co-owner for the site's previous life as Beckett's), as well as cooking for high-profile figures including Queen Elizabeth II and Madonna.
The menu is rooted in the tradition of classic French brasseries, with signatures including a revived 130-year-old oyster Rockefeller recipe, escargot en cocotte with a puff pastry lid (essentially, a gloriously buttery escargot pie), foie gras with poached strawberries (born from a delicious kitchen accident) and duck à l'orange with zingy Archie Rose Sunrise Lime gin and orange kumquat glaze. Save room for desserts such as Little Marionette coffee crème brûlée and chocolate fondant with burnt honey cream and chocolate shavings.
Schroeter has also assembled a top-shelf operations team, with two-time Diageo World Class Australian Bartender of the Year Charlie Ainsbury overseeing the drinks program and Sarah Biswas (Odd Culture Group, Restaurant Hubert, Banksii) stepping in as venue manager.
In a nod to the site's origins, Schroeter sources produce from Darling Mills Farm — the still-thriving property owned and run by the Adey family, Darling Mills' founders — and plans to revisit elements from their decades-old recipe book, reinterpreting dishes that once put the venue on the map. "The room has always told me what it wants me to serve," says Schroeter. "I'm just here to listen."
Top images: Christopher Pearce.
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