Overview
Chippendale's warehouse-chic bar and nightclub Freda's is unveiling its newest food offering. Less than five months after opening its New York/Italian–inspired slice spot at the bar, Moon Pizza has announced it's throwing in the towel off to pursue other things. So, who will provide the food after a sweaty round of dancing?
The bar's new food collaborator is called Cheesy Grin and it sounds like it will be a more than adequate replacement. It has previously popped-up at Grifter Brewing Co. and The Midnight Special, but will take up an extended residency at the Chippendale favourite starting on January 31. Chef Wesley Jones is at the helm and will serve up a well-rounded snack menu divided into four sections: ocean, landscape, sweet and salumi. And it has a strong selection of toasties.
The 'ocean' section is inspired by Jones's upbringing on the south coast. Expect oysters — el natural or topped with nasturtium granita — and kingfish crudo, while under 'landscape' you'll find leafy green salads with herbs, flowers and veggies. The 'salumi' will include smaller nibbles, such as candied walnuts, beet pickles, stracciatella, roasted blood plum with lardo and a hearty meat plate. You can also choose to leave the deciding to Jones with the sample plate ($25).
If you're hanging out for dessert, he'll also be whipping up deconstructed strawberry and white ganache doughnuts and a crumble flavoured with Grifter's pale ale, ginger ice cream and ganache.
While the main menu will end at 10pm, Cheesy Grin will also be serving toasties right up until closing (which is 2am on Fridays and Saturdays), so you can cure that carb craving at 1am without hunting down a kebab store. The toasties will come on four different bread types — pretzel, brioche, sourdough and semi-sourdough — with a choice of fillings like sopressa and cured egg yolk, four cheeses, and snow peas and mint. If, on the opposite side of the evening, you're there early, you'll be able to order one of the few bowls of pasta available each night.
At the moment Cheesy Grin's extended residency doesn't have a set end date, but we suggest you don't delay heading in to check it out.
Cheesy Grin will open at Freda's on Wednesday, January 31. Head to the website for more details and the full menu.