Taste of Amalfi
New venue St Siandra is blessed with location, cuisine and service.
11 October 2023
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St Siandra has launched on Middle Harbour. At first, you might think Siandra might be the patron saint of Seven Spice Calamari or Spring Bay Mussels with green pepper salsa verde, but no. Siandra is the dual Sydney-Hobart winner and the namesake of this new restaurant.
You step in from the sand after finding an easy parking spot and are immediately transported to the Amalfi Coast via the bright yellow walls framed by white curtains and pocketed with huge windows that look out to the calming waters and opulent Middle Harbour real estate.
If you’re feeling particularly flash, you can arrive by private boat or water taxi and access one of two private moorings offered by the restaurant.
Sitting by one of the large windows you look out to crisp white sand dotted with a few blue beach umbrellas and bobbing boats.
It’s a place where you can while away the time sipping on some delectable cocktails such as the Flying Cloud made from Malfy Gin Rosa, Aperol, citrus and fresh watermelon.
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Make like a multi-millionaire by selecting the Scallops Rockefeller. This is a take on the famed oysters Rockefeller created in 1889 by Jules Alciatore and named after John D Rockefeller to reflect the richness in flavour of the oysters smothered in a rich buttery sauce with a blend of finely chopped greens and breadcrumbs and baked to perfection. The scallops lacked the breadcrumbs but they were backed to a definite succulence fit for Mosman royalty.
Accompanied by melt-in-the-mouth potato flatbread, which you can have with either smoked garlic flavour or in a dish with fermented green chilli. These are a must-order along with the garlic, chilli oil king prawns.
The head chef Sam McCallum, who has been transported from Nomad in Surry Hills, has created a menu that is not just about the Amalfi but the whole Mediterranean.
He has done a wonderful job in creating a tasty menu for a variety of tastes from the bugs mornay pie with gruyere and soft herbs through to the parsnip croquette, walnut tarator, and preserved lemon.
But it is the desserts that had me discombobulated. Ricotta fritters with cinnamon sugar and banana caramel or spiced persimmon pavlova with crème fraiche, and molasses.
Then there was the Sicilian citrus tart with strawberry and toasted meringue or the rocky roads with pistachio and condensed milk.
We chose the Aleppo brownie with the orange preserve sorbet and chocolate rocks and were not disappointed. In fact, I would make the journey back just for this dessert (and the relaxed vibe.)
It’s refreshing to dine at a restaurant with such interiors and views and to be met with friendly and helpful waiters courtesy of the hospitality duo of Mitchell Davis and Gavin Gray behind the restaurant.
These former chefs have added Adam George as General Manager to make an all-star cast at St Siandra, Mosman.
This is not just a restaurant for a long lunch or an indulgent dinner. They also serve exotic brunch such as stracciatella toast with caramelised onions, pistachio and chilli oil, and shakshuka eggs with chickpea and labneh.
St Siandra also offers a first-floor events venue called the Bluebird Room and Deck. This duck egg blue space with bar caters for up to 70 people. There’s also a place to get a takeaway coffee from St Dreuex and pastries by Seaforth’s Staple bakery.
This restaurant offers a trip to the Mediterranean without the hefty airfare. It’s well worth crossing the bridge for – whether it’s the Spit Bridge or the Harbour Bridge, you won’t be disappointed.
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