Hot packet:Annata combines small-bar buzz with big-time restaurant cooking.Dominic Lorrimer14/20
Contemporary$$$$
You know when the bloke behind the bar pours your wine into a large jigger before pouring it into a glass,that you're in more of a bar than a restaurant. And you know when the lightly seared scallops come topped with soft furls of melting guanciale (cured pig's jowl) and taste like warm sashimi,that you're in more of a restaurant than a bar.
OK,Annata,you have my attention. This merging of boundaries between small-bar buzz and big-time restaurant cooking is the dream of first-time owner Christian Blair,who formerly managed Eau de Vie and was behind the bar at Rockpool Bar&Grill. Delivering the food side of things is head chef Jimmy Richardson,who has cooked with Ross Lusted at the Bridge Room and Pasi Petanen at Cafe Paci.
The long,narrow,split-level space starts with outdoor tables on the street,then steps in to a stool-lined bar walled with gleaming bottles and glassware,and up to a bare-brick and dark-wood dining room that mixes high/low seating.
Flathead in kataifi pastry,with nori seaweed,peas,and grapefruit and oyster mayonnaise.Dominic LorrimerFloor staff are keen,charming,and ready to roll with either a cherry cobbler ($17) or a complex,spicy,2014 Vinteloper pinot noir from the Adelaide Hills ($14/$75) from the 100-strong wine list,a tickle-your-fancy blend of the strange and familiar.
The menu is more cryptic than a David Astle crossword;the listing of ingredients giving little away. An entree of prawns ($16) is a dramatic compilation of two lightly cooked king prawns,marinated in a fragrant curry oil and cooked sous-vide for three minutes until the proteins just set. Charry grilled corn and miso corn butter add sweet umami,and a tan crumble of popped corn and prawn head,dehydrated and blitzed,adds crunch. The textures really pop,and so do the flavours;terrific stuff.
Early menu dishes are small,so you'll need one of the three mains-sized dishes on offer. Rangers Valley sirloin ($32) is trimmed,grilled and served with a dollop of smooth onion soubise,a dusting of porcini powder and a finger of dense rye bread compressed with the beef juices and topped with pistachios and pickled Spanish onion.
Flavours pop:Prawns,char-grilled corn,miso corn butter and curry oil.Dominic Lorrimer It's fine,but the chef has such a good touch with seafood you'd be mad not to go for the flathead ($26). The fillet is rolled in nori seaweed and kataifi pastry like a slender spring roll,deep-fried until crisp and teamed with fresh peas,baby fennel and a rich,smooth grapefruit and oyster mayonnaise. Ironically,after all that work,it's the same simple pleasure you get from eating great fish and chips.
Desserts are just as structured,including a pleasant puddle of macerated cherries in Pedro Ximenez ($14) with bitter chocolate sorbet and almond butter under a pavilion roof of chocolate crisp.
Intrigued? You should be. But with a caveat. The"designed to be shared"dishes come out one after the other,possibly in an attempt to not overstretch the kitchen. Such a regime means an entreée and a main each here for two people is more like a shared four-course degustation that takes twice the time.
For sharing:Scallops,hazelnuts,button mushrooms,chamomile.Dominic LorrimerIt's great to see such a hot packet of next-gen talent in a place like Crows Nest instead of Surry Hills or Chippendale. The fact is that Crowy is changing,attracting a younger crowd who like its big-city feel,public transport and buzzy cafe life. Hopefully,Annata is landing at the right moment with its inner-urban sensibility and high-detail,share-plate dining. Time,and Crows Nest,will tell.
THE LOW-DOWN
Best bit: Finessed food in a fun setting
Worst bit: One dish at a time
Go-to dish: Flathead,kataifi,seaweed,peas,pomelo,oyster mayonnaise,$26
Terry Durack is chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and senior reviewer for the Good Food Guide. This rating is based on the Good Food Guide scoring system.