Celebrating their 25th anniversary, Sydney Cove Oyster Bar is hosting its first Good Food Month event! On offer every Saturday during the month of October, families and friends can enjoy a sumptuous BBQ seafood feast against Sydney Harbour’s stunning backdrop, without a hefty price tag! A fantastic way to play tourist in your own city!
Sydney Cove Oyster Bar is one of those venues that fly under the radar in comparison to nearby neighbours Aria and Guillaume at Bennelong. Fair enough, it’s a lot less fancy in ambiance, but who needs that when you’re dining alfresco, basking in the warmth of Sydney’s perfect spring warmth?
As the BBQ is turned on, the deliciously alluring haze wafts along East Circular Quay. Just follow your nose if you aren’t sure where SCOB is.
Food-wise, we’re talking about a focus on local produce. Head chef Rhys Ward, a true-blue Bondi lifesaver (when he’s not in the kitchen), says he hasn’t done anything particularly chefy with the food and he’s right, it’s casual, relaxed, and mostly ‘what you see is what you get’.
We start with freshly shucked oysters; Pacific oysters from Coffin Bay in South Australia and Sydney Rock oysters from Pambula in the South Coast of NSW. Au natural is the best way to enjoy oysters and these are divine. Wedges of lemon, a merlot vinaigrette and bottles of Tabasco are readily available.
Keeping to the backyard barbie theme, drinks are even served from ice-chilled Eskies! There are beers by Sydney Brewery from World Square Sydney and wines by Simon Gilbert from Orange NSW.
There’s also the iconic ‘shrimp on the barbie’. An abundance of succulent large king prawns, shells on, are spread over the flaming barbecue and served with just the right amount of charred goodness. A variety of mayonnaise makes its way around the table, a favourite being the subtly spicy chipotle mayo.
We then move onto the meat course with plentiful marinated lamb skewers being dished from the BBQ. The lamb isn’t too lamby if you know what I mean. It’s fragrant and juicy, and I welcome the token vegetables on the skewers.
Ticking all the boxes, there’s also a salad. Curious of how the chef managed to pull off such gorgeously tender octopus, he reveals that there was a chef’s touch. They were first sous-vide! I’ll have to keep that in mind when cooking octopus at a BBQ next time!
The octopus salad is surprisingly the best rated dish among the kids present. It’s textural, zingy and so inviting. I love the fresh summery combination of fresh mint, Spanish onion, bean sprouts, pineapple and cashew nuts.
Last but not least, scoops of lemon gelato are served on cute wafer cones!
The Harbourside Beach Barbie is $55 per person (excludes drinks) and will be running throughout Good Food Month every Saturday (October 5, 12, 19 & 26) between 12-3pm. Bookings are recommended.
Sydney Cove Oyster Bar
Lot 1, East Circular Quay, Sydney NSW
Phone: (02) 9247 2937
Web: sydneycoveoysterbar.com
I Ate My Way Through dined as guests of Sydney Cove Oyster Bar
