Book Now: Urbnsurf Is About To Get Rafi 2.0, a “Surf-Inspired” Restaurant With Views of the Waves

The barrels are rolling at Urbnsurf, and next week the hospo offering is expanding with a 165-seat restaurant joining Sandy’s , the poolside all-day spot. We know this restaurant already: Rafi , North Sydney’s impressive dining room from Applejack, the group behind The Butler and Bopp & Tone. At its beachier sibling, there’ll be panoramic views of the surf park and lagoon as backdrop a “surf-inspired menu” – and it opens on Thursday July 25.

“The brief for us was always Sydney coastal,” executive chef Matias Cillóniz tells Broadsheet. “So very colourful, seafood-based, local seasonality-inspired. [As well as Sydney], we believe all of those to be very Byron Bay, Venice Beach vibes.”

There’s a rooftop terrace and large retractable windows, so come summer the indoor-outdoor vibes will be high.

From the opening menu, Cillóniz says he’d be starting with the pita and hummus and the raw platter, where oysters join yellowfin tuna, kingfish and trevally. “I would then jump into our steamed barramundi with organic chickpea miso. It’s outstanding, and so simple. The sauce is made with yuzu kosho and is very subtle and heartwarming – very good for winter.”

There’s also a braised lamb shoulder and a refreshed serve of potatoes. “It’s a recent change to our menu: cocktail potatoes with a poached garlic puree on the bottom, with warm parsley and caper salad around it.”

On the drinks list, the Sub-Zero Oyster Martini stands out. It’s made using oyster shells from the kitchen’s shucking station. “We get the kitchen to save the top half of the oyster from the shucking process,” Rafi’s bar manager Cameron Freno says. “We wash it, then infuse Belvedere [vodka] – as a kind of Dirty Martini. The oceanic flavours from that oyster shell are essentially the dirty bit of the Martini.”

And you don’t need to catch a wave to enjoy Rafi Urbnsurf. Simply come by to get a taste of the menu, and stay for the view of surfers riding by.

“We think [Rafi Urbnsurf] is going to be a destination,” Cillóniz says. “And we’re aiming for it to be enjoyed by both surfers and locals.”

Rafi Urbnsurf opens at Sydney Olympic Park on Thursday July 25. Bookings are now open.

rafisydney.com.au/urbnsurf
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