20 Chapel

Overview

Light the beacons: we've found Sydney's best potato wedges … on an industrial estate in Marrickville. If that strikes you as odd, don't worry. Once you cross the threshold of 20 Chapel — the pyro-powered, pigeonhole-defying neighbourhood bistro now occupying the former warehouse digs of Stix Cafe — you'll soon forget everything you thought you knew about how elite dining in Sydney should look and feel.

At first glance, the well-lit 66-seat dining space looks normal enough – indeed, regulars at the cafe that preceded it will find the room uncannily familiar. Little has been done to update the existing decor, save for having the dining chairs powder-coated black (conveniently at a neighbouring warehouse) and the addition of a sprawling marble-topped bar along one wall, also sourced from around the corner — one of the advantages of opening a restaurant surrounded by builders' merchants.

20 Chapel's potato wedges with Coppertree Farm creme fraiche and caramelised chilli

Linger longer, however, and the curiosities begin to mount. You'll notice a Sichuan-spiced duck with a smashed cucumber and sesame salad being carried to one table while a glossy bowl of pumpkin-stuffed agnolotti, topped by a glistening amber orb of almond-dusted yolk, is being ushered to another. A lick of flame from the open kitchen catches your eye as the scent of woodsmoke teases your nose. The waitstaff laugh and joke with their customers — no stoney service sentinels here. And is that a Poor Toms negroni being poured on tap?

Chef Corey Costelloe, the former Culinary Director of Hunter Street Hospitality including Rockpool Bar and Grill, is the man behind this refreshingly different diner. To make his first independent venture a reality, Costelloe has assembled an all-star team, who also all happen to be close friends. The bricks and mortar come courtesy of ​​David Allison, the chef and owner of Stix Farm, a much-lauded grower of organic produce located near the banks of the Hawkesbury just north of Sydney. In the kitchen, Costelloe's former protege from Rockpool, Owen Okada, joins him as Sous. And finally, managing front-of-house matters, there's Anthony Qalilawa, Rockpool's former maître d' and Costelloe's best mate since the age of 13.

(L-R) Owen Okada, David Allison, Corey Costelloe and Anthony Qalilawa

As skilled as this hospitality super group undoubtedly is, it isn't just the combination of their talents that has created such a uniquely winning energy here, but also the combination of their shared experiences. Because what 20 Chapel offers is not so much a menu as it is a collective memoir, told through stellar food and heart-warming service.

Subtle storytelling is an ingredient you'll find in every dish and beverage, from personal winks such as the nostalgia of childhood pub visits that inspired an elevated take on wedges, to neighbourhood nods, like a bread course of crusty white banh mi-style baguettes as an homage to Marrickville's Vietnamese community. Even the kitchen's custom-built woodfired grill is a tribute to Costelloe's past working with Neil Perry at Rockpool.

"We could cook on a regular gas burner, but you can't change that — there's no hot spot, no smouldering spot, no cooler spot, you've just got flat heat, nothing else," Costelloe shares. "You need to be able to work with the flame — we've got like ten zones on our grill, where you can get that smoke or that char or you can deal with steaks that are harder or softer. Without that flame, everything just tastes the same."

Corey Costelloe

But I digress — back to the wedges. After an overnight brining, each identically sized sliver of spud is parboiled, blast-chilled and then deep-fried in tallow rendered from offcuts of Blackmore wagyu steaks until the golden outsides are perfectly crisp and the creamy innards are pillow-soft. Each rich, beefy bite demands a generous scoop of Coppertree Farm creme fraiche mingled with house-made caramelised chilli, lofting the pub-grub classic of wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce into another dimension of texture and taste.

The steaks donating their unwanted fat to these heavenly wedges are another star of the menu. Inspired by David Allison's low-impact practices at Stix Farm (where the bulk of the restaurant's fresh produce is sourced), little goes to waste from the beef carcasses processed on-premises, from the four butcher's cuts of 9+ marble score wagyu and the 17-day aged bresaola to the mince in the intriguing tomato-free cavatelli "white bolognese". And the low-waste principles don't stop with the meat. When possible, salvageable fruit and veg trimmings find a second purpose, such as the leftovers from a sticky quince tarte tatin used to flavour one of the signature cocktails.

As I step out of the restaurant and back onto Chapel Street, it strikes me as apt that the name of this restaurant is simply its address. The vision behind it is so emotionally rich, so difficult to pin down, no pithy adjective or made-up moniker could possibly do it justice. The personality-led service, the unconventional location, the mercurial food, the laidback yet refined spirit – all of it confounds categorisation. But while the 'what' remains elusive, the 'why' is much easier to grasp. The inspirations behind the menu are not explicit, nor do you need to be aware of them to appreciate the finesse on your plate, but these intimate histories offer a through line that binds together what is otherwise a menu that refuses to colour within any clear culinary lines. It's an approach to creating a restaurant that feels in a league of its own, with friendship and memory rather than cuisine or convention calling the shots.