Circular Quay in Sydney now boasts four new, distinctive venues thanks to the opening of a mega-venue in the centre of the harborside CBD neighbourhood. The enormous 1860s-era sandstone building known as the Hinchcliff Wool Store resurrected as a part of the Quay Quarter’s ongoing revitalisation, has been supplanted by the new Hinchcliff House.
The public can now enter two of the four venues at the Hinchcliff House; the other two will do the same in May. The old wool store’s ground floor is home to the all-day Italian eatery and bakery Grana, while the venue’s lower level is home to Apollonia, a low-lit cocktail bar.
For a sample of Grana’s morning delicacies, arrive early. Along with a variety of breakfast drinks, consider the blue diver crab omelette ($23) or a traditional egg and bacon roll on schiacciata ($18) with chilli mayonnaise and a hash brown.
The onsite mill at Grana produces all of the company’s bread, making it perfect for dinner appetisers or fresh morning pastries. After breakfast is completed, focus on Grana’s regular menu. Sourdough is served with thick macadamia cream ($4 per person), and mozzarella is wrapped in thin, flaky house-made ciabatta ($16) in the wheat and dairy department.
It would be simple to load up on bread, so save space for the market fish tartare with trout roe ($26) or the broccoli cotoletta ($24). Of course, various healthy pasta options are available, such as ricotta and pumpkin occhi ($25), served with fermented pumpkin and lemon balm, or a seaweed gigli with Moreton Bay bug ($34).
Together with the staff of House Made Hospitality, renowned New Zealand restaurateur Scott Brown (Amano) developed all four establishments at Hinchcliff House. Since creating Auckland’s Hipgroup in 2004, Brown has operated restaurants across the Tasman Sea, including Alma, a seasonal Spanish restaurant.