Opening night at 4Fourteen – the latest cool Sydney restaurant from the Four crowd – Four in Hand, Paddington Arms and now their new restaurant at 414 Bourke St Surry Hills. Sydneycool couldn’t wait for this new restaurant as we think Colin Fassnidge is one of Sydney’s top chefs.

Walking into the space that was Le Pain Quotidien which never quite worked for us, we were struck by how well 414 fits into this place – it could have seemed like a barn as it’s a large space but they’ve given it a warm comfortable feel by breaking it up into different areas – each with their own intimate surroundings. There’s a central bar area with high tables where Joe Saleh – co-creator of 4Fourteen together with the culinary vision of Colin Fassnidge – told us you could just pop in for a quick drink. The kitchen in one corner is encircled by a dining bar, and on the far side tables running against the wall with comfortable banquettes.

Talking with Joe – the idea was to emulate the feel of Four in Hand where there’s a bar alongside the dining room but of course with its own very young Surry hills vibe – this works well in this large space.

We sat at the dining bar and got to experience at first hand the energy of a high octane kitchen – great chefs are hard task masters and that shows here. Now to the serious stuff – the menu is familiar like Four in Hand, but modernised and broken up into fish, meat, salads and starches, rather than by starters and mains – designed to share but work just as well on their own.

The Irish Breakfast attracted fairweather’s attention – guessing it must have black pudding. We asked Kelly, our waiter, who told us this is a very autumn menu – sure enough, black pudding, chorizo, slivers of crispy bacon, barley with a light touch of balsamic – topped with a fried duck egg. Kind of like breakfast in Kerry, Ireland – but black pudding that was soft and melt in your mouth. Great counterbalance with the spiciness of the chorizo – yum, yum, yum! more please.

Continuing our OD on meat, we went for the Licorice ‘Beef and Bone’ for two – served in a cast iron pot – beef brisket, beef tongue, nuggets of deep fried beef marrow, a celeriac remoulade served in a beef bone that had been cut in two also with cubes of carrot and turnip.

The brisket was slowly cooked – heavily caramelised on the outside yet moist with the fibres separating perfectly – and just a hint of aniseed and licorice coming through from the stock. Like a meal within a meal, this dish had the basis of good hearty food but inspired with modern influences and a balance of flavours. We opted for the mixed grain salad – we’re loving the re-discovery of grains in restaurants.

The wine list is broad – Australian wines well represented alongside a few choice Italian and French wines – Samantha the sommelier recommended the 2010 Barbera d’Alba from winemaker Mauro Molino in Piedmont – a very good match – not too heavy but with enough body to work with all the meat.

Dessert – Ribbons of cucumber gently flavoured with vanilla, sitting on white chocolate ice cream wedged between handmade wafers – one small worry here, one of our wafers was too burnt and had a bitter taste.

A exciting dining experience for sydneycool – 4Fourteen will be one of our favourites – it was a warm welcome, sharp service from knowledgeable staff, good food and wine. We loved how they created a very professional but relaxed environment.  This is already a cool Sydney restaurant.

4Fourteen

414 Bourke St Surry Hills 2010

sydneycool rating ♥♥

4Fourteen Website