A Moment For: Fire-Licked Oysters in a North-Side Dining Room

Poetica opened in a breezy upstairs space in North Sydney in late 2023, with a flame-powered open kitchen led by head chef Connor Hartley-Simpson. When I visited, I was there for the bivalves. I’d heard all about the tasty suckers, and I couldn’t stop saying the word “flambadou”. I appreciated the fun addition to my vocab, and as a bonus, the spicy, warm oysters were excellent.

A burst of flames announces the rendered beef fat held in a red-hot flambadou – a cast-iron cone on a long handle – has ignited and is liquifying. The instrument then drips the hot fat onto the glistening, awaiting oysters. There’s a spicy kick and the salty whack of ’nduja, too. It’s no wonder everyone wants them.

Here are all the details.

What: Flambadou oysters, a Sydney Rock bivalve topped with beef fat, guindilla peppers and ’nduja.
How: “We have the metal cone sitting in the fire, and the oyster with ’nduja and guindillas [alongside],” Hartley-Simpson says. “The cone comes out of the fire, we put some rendered beef fat in and it instantly ignites. [It] starts to melt then drips onto the oyster, slightly cooks it and caramelises the ’nduja.”
Cost: $10 each
Where: Poetica in North Sydney.

Regardless of which side of the bridge you live on, Poetica’s flame-licked menu is worth a visit – three-minute Sydney Metro ride (from Barangaroo) or not.

@poetica.sydney