hugh wennerbom in chippers

92 Abercrombie St
Chippendale, NSW
no website

There’s nothing like an underground restaurant to get the jaded [and not-so-jaded] food lover excited.

I was introduced to Hugh Wennerbom last year by a wine merchant mate of mine and have been loving the occasional dinner that he puts on in a little cafe in Chippendale.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure whether Hugh would like being reviewed on a blog. So I asked him and he was a little hesitant – apparently he prefers to keep it a word-of-mouth, friends-of-friends affair. That way people know what they’re getting themselves in for.

So I promised that my blog was pretty much a friends-of-friends affair and that I’d explain the concept, just like I do when I take people to Hugh’s for the first time.

Hugh is a providore with a farm down near Taralga. I think he has a wholesale business but on Thurs, Fri and Sat evenings he takes over an unassuming cafe in the inner city and puts on a seriously good spread. As I mentioned before, it’s a word-of-mouth thing. There’s no menu. You just turn up with your mates and something good from your cellar and let Hugh feed you. It’s all shared. It’s always seriously delicious and fresh. Excellent produce being treated as simply as possible.

Just remember that if you do go with your wine merchant mate and his colleagues that there will be LOTS of delicious vino to match the food and that it’s a good idea to pace yourself. Next time.

loved

the set menu – no difficult decisions required
the simple cooking style – letting amazing produce speak for itself
the scampi with a salad of samphire, shaved fennel and dill – a big taste of the sea
mulloway – lovely moist fish – something that was served at quay recently [note to self - eat more mulloway]
the salad leaves – so crisp and fresh
the cheese – crumbly cheddar with a hint of blue
the relaxed vibe
that everything is served in the middle to share
BYO – lots of good booze

didn’t love

pork with mash – way to wintery for a swealtering summer evening and a little on the dry side
the morning after BYO – too much good booze

ate

pate and salumi with the most delicious baby wild olives & cornichons
scampi with a salad of samphire, fennel and dill
mulloway with green beans and cherry tomatoes
braised pork with mash
mixed leaf salad
aged cheddar with fresh currants and rye bread
cranberry & maccadamia nougat

drank

1996 Vouvray
+ too many amazing wines

value

brilliant – $60 per person. No corkage.

reservations

by email only hugh.wennerbom@bigpond.com

perfect for

fresh fabulous food

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on stonesoup
5 ingredients. 10 minutes – How to cook pasta in a flash.

for sydneysiders:
Fish Friday, which will be taking over Martin Place in Sydney on Friday 18th February 2010 from 12 noon until 2.30pm.

Chefs Jeff Turnbull (Aqua Dining), Max Lukeman (Nick’s Seafood), Stewart Wallace (Garfish) and Adam Lord (Coast) will be showing off their skills and showcasing some of the best seafood on offer from the Sydney Fish Markets. They will be joined by chefs from Doyles at the Quay, who will be preparing a simple meal of fish for the general public. Sydneysiders will be invited to donate what they would usually spend on lunch to show solidarity with the millions of people in our world who rely on fish and rice as their staple diet.

All proceeds will be going to Caritas.