Open This Week: The Pellegrino 2000 Team Takes New York With Clam Bar, an Ode to the Great American Steakhouse in the Sydney CBD
Words by Dan Cunningham And Lucy Bell Bird · Updated on 03 May 2023 · Published on 01 May 2023
It’s been a big year for big CBD restaurant openings. Last month the Love Tilly Group opened its dream neighbourhood trattoria on Clarence Street. And in March, The Bentley group dropped a grand European brasserie at the base of the Capella hotel off Bridge Street.
Now come the big three: Dan Pepperell, Andy Tyson and Mikey Clift will crack the lid on Clam Bar – their hotly anticipated NY-style seafood grill and steakhouse, also on Bridge Street – this week, with dinners kicking off Wednesday and lunches from Friday. Reservations? You’ll certainly need one, and they’re open right now.
Teased since November, Clam Bar will be the team’s third venue in as many years, hot on the heels of Italian stallion Pellegrino 2000 and neo-bistro Bistrot 916 , in Surry Hills and Potts Point respectively.
And while those venues take cues from Rome and Paris, Clam Bar takes inspiration from New York and its iconic steakhouses.
“We did a trip in September last year and went to all the classics,” Tyson tells Broadsheet. “There are little bits from each, but there’s not one main inspiration. It’s basically our best amalgamation.”
The grill format is primed for showcasing Aussie seafood and beef, with the team installing a Josper charcoal oven to fire out premium cuts of beef and whole fish, including Murray cod and rainbow trout – which are filleted tableside and paired with your choice of sauce. “We’ve got a béarnaise, for example. It’s almost like what you’d do at Golden Century, where you could choose ginger and shallots or garlic butter,” Tyson says.
Starters will riff on old-school American classics, with oysters Rockefeller, prawn cocktails and a wedge salad. There’ll also be a full raw seafood bar, with platters expected to be a huge hit. Head chef Sam Galloway (formerly of Bistrot 916) and Pepperell will lead the kitchen.
On the drinks front, Tyson says cocktails will be a bigger focus this time around. “A lot of the drinks are like classic New York cocktails, verging on Tiki. We’ve got the classics like the Martini and Manhattan – really good versions. But then we’ve got a Blue Daiquiri, a spicy Margarita and a Jungle Bird in this really cool Tiki glass.”
Tyson has also curated a wine list that’s approachable but still “packs a punch”, peppered with iconic international producers.
The space, previously home to chef Ross Lusted’s legendary Bridge Room, has been given a luxurious revamp by architect Mike Hanna, who was involved in the design of Potts Point’s Fratelli Paradiso. The room is split between booths and tables, glowed up with Murano glass sconces and art deco chandeliers. Custom artworks by Sydney’s Laura Jones (who was just shortlisted in the 2023 Archibald Prize), and Melbourne’s Nadia Hernández will beautify the walls.
Clam Bar will open at 44 Bridge Street for dinner from Wednesday May 3 and for lunch from Friday May 5. Reservations are open now.
