Sydney pub The Rover has unveiled the final piece of its renovation under Liquid & Larder: a modern seafood bistro.
The Surry Hills venue has been given new life over the past few months, closing for a period before reopening in March this year with a new ground-floor bar.
Now, the final piece of the puzzle is up and running, which sees Pip Pratt lead the upstairs venue after test-driving the culinary direction downstairs.
“After such a hearty reception to the menu in the bar since opening, we wanted to elevate the restaurant experience for our guests with dishes that let seafood shine,” says the executive chef.
“This is fresh and fuss-free coastal fare best enjoyed with friends and great drinks in hand.”
Guests can grab a seat in the New York-inspired dining room and enjoy a rotating selection of oysters such as Moonlight Flats served with Champagne mignonette or go all out on caviar service with potato crisps and sour cream.
Smaller plates are rounded out by raw scallop with horseradish, cucumber and dill; beef tartare with English mustard, fennel mayo and sea urchin as well as cuttlefish with almond gazpacho and black garlic.
The core part of the restaurant’s menu is the haul of the day, which sticks by a mantra of: ‘if the little buggers taste good, we’ll serve them”.
Prawns, scallop, scampi and mussels take pride of place on the seafood display, with mains also covering mulloway with red wine jus; whole flathead with clams and garlic and a fisherman’s pie with smoked trout and potato gratin.
Group Sommelier Kyle Poole has put together a wine list with more than 50 options, covering mainly organic and biodynamic drops.
“We’ve hand-selected wines that bring out the best flavours and curated a list featuring predominantly sparklings and whites that synonymously marry with and bring seafood dishes to life,” says Poole.
Group Bar Manager Alex Gondzioulis is behind the rest of the liquor offering that charts plenty of whisky options along with house cocktails such as a riff on a spicy margarita called the Hypermania.
The Rover’s restaurant is open Monday to Friday from 5pm and Saturdays from 12pm for lunch and dinner.