The centrepiece of Song Bird, Neil Perry’s latest (and reportedly last) opening, is a spiralling architectural staircase connecting three levels in the lofty Bay Street space. “If it wasn’t for the staircase and me walking up it, we never would have taken all the levels,” Perry tells Broadsheet. “It was really the experience of going up, looking up to the skylight and realising that all three levels belonged in an experience together.”

But when Song Bird was due to open, those grand steps – designed in the ’60s by renowned architect and former Woollahra mayor Neville Gruzman – weren’t ready. “It’s been a massive struggle. We’d already opened up bookings when we realised the build wasn’t going to be finished. Every milestone was missed. That’s what made it the most difficult project I think I’ve done.”

But, a month after opening its doors, Song Bird’s off and away. Dishes from Perry’s lengthy Cantonese menu travel to the ground floor through the lobby and foyer, and two dumb waiters service levels one and two. The fit-out’s demure, with retained heritage ceilings and views through the Bay Street and Cooper Street treetops.

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A seat in the ground-floor dining room, which has its own little bar, keeps you in the Double Bay buzz. But upstairs it’s spacious, with the lazy Susans on level two a “nod to the old traditional Cantonese restaurants”.

“Cantonese is a really beautiful cuisine, in that it’s really ingredient-driven, which is where my whole life is parked,” Perry says. “It really looks after produce with great craft but beautiful, light, delicate seasonings. I’ve always loved Chinese cooking – and high-quality Chinese cooking. When we cook Chinese food, we don’t ever try and reinvent the wheel, other than maybe bring in more modern craft to it so we’re really looking after the proteins.”

He’s focused on the basics. “What’s a great ginger and shallot fish taste like? What’s the best way to do a very traditional Peking duck? What’s the best way to handroll the pancakes so they’re thin and beautiful? Or, indeed, how to make a har gow from a really great prawn, when a lot are made from reasonably inferior ones.”

Joining Perry in the kitchen is head chef Mark Lee (ex-Margaret, Rockpool), and for the pair, produce is paramount. Wild, hand-caught fish come from Ben and Coralie Collison, and Wollemi ducks come from Coppertree Farms – the same producers that supply nearby Margaret.

Come as a party of two and your menu explorations will be limited only by your appetite (a half-sized stir-fry and selection of dumplings is for you). With four you’re soaring. To start, house pickles and the “best har gows you’ve had” (stuffed with house-peeled Spencer Gulf king prawns) and a plate of pork pot-stickers. Then, a perfected serve of Peking duck with mandarin pancakes, and your pick of the steamed seafood – with ginger and shallot, black bean and garlic, or sesame and salted chilli. “The fish are just extraordinary. It’s a great place to eat seafood.”

Perry’s been in the game for over four decades, starting as an apprentice at Balmoral’s Misha’s. His first restaurant, Blue Water Grill, focused on fine seafood, and he went on to captain many lauded kitchens (Rockpool, Spice Temple, Eleven Bridge), before beginning his Double Bay transformation with his first solo venture, Margaret. In June, he was recognised with the Icon Award at the annual World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards.

After Song Bird’s first fortnight, the chef took to Instagram, writing “the month of September 2024 will go down as the hardest in my working life, and I have been through stock market crashes, recessions, GFC and pandemics, but never stress like this”.

So, was it worth it? “Water under the bridge,” Perry says of the opening. He’s ready for the bird to fly.

Song Bird
24 Bay Street, Double Bay
(02) 9068 8888

Hours:
Wed 6pm–11pm
Thu to Sat midday–11pm
Sun midday–10pm

themargaretfamily.com/venue/songbird
@songbirddoublebay