Overview
Once a staple part of Sydney's working class culture, the Walsh Bay finger wharves are now iconic Sydney real estate. A rotation of restaurants, bars and cafes have all tried their hand at establishing a long-term presence on this slip of harbour foreshore, with varying degrees of success and longevity. Seventeen, a brand new restaurant and deli, is the latest to join the ranks alongside its Walsh Bay neighbours Fratelli Fresh and Walsh Bay Kitchen.
Created by the owners of neighbouring restaurant El Phoenican, and overlooking 17 of the wharfside area's floating moorings, Seventeen will operate as a cafe by day and transform into a contemporary restaurant by night. Heading up the kitchen is notable chef Clint Jaeger, whose career spans Tetsuya's, Banc, Bill's and Hugo's.
The 100-seater's breakfast menu traverses a wide selection, ranging from a nod to Sydney's health food obsession with an acai coco bowl with almond meal and honey salted cashews, to offering up more indulgent fare with ricotta hot cakes topped with Callebaut chocolate and honeycomb butter. For lunch, think seafood — fresh Yamba prawns, slow-poached lobster rolls, and a lineup of grilled meats and salads are the focus.
Dinner turns up the fancy a notch or two, with summer asparagus with twice-cooked, coddled, brioche-crumbed egg and truffle pecorino; apple duck confit with celeriac remoulade, macerated figs and herbs; and Otway crispy skin pork belly. Finally, you can take your pick from a selection of Australian charcuterie and cheeses from The Deli by Seventeen for a little something-something to take home.
As well as breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches and more available for takeaway, the cafe will be experimenting with a concierge service, delivering brekkie in bed to local residents from February next year. If that gains traction, they'll consider offering the same service for lunch and dinner too.
Find Seventeen at Shop 2, 17 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay from December 7. Visit their website and Facebook page for further details.