First Look: Stanley Brings Stellar Cantonese Dining and a Star Chef Back to Sydney

After repeatedly eating “second to none” Peking duck in Hong Kong, Louis Tikaram knew what Brisbane transplant Stanley needed when it opened on Manly Wharf: a built-in woodfire oven, designed specifically for roasting his signature birds.

“I noticed in all the restaurants, especially on the high end, they had these beautiful ovens built into the floor with long duck-hook apparatus,” Tikaram says. “It’s basically like a tall pizza oven, the heat just coming from 360 degrees off a hot wall. This duck just had the crispiest skin. Every restaurant I was going in I was just asking about the ovens.”

The tiled beauty is the defining feature at Stanley’s Sydney outpost, the 248-seater that officially opens on Manly Wharf today. It takes at least five days for the ducks to reach that hearth. First, they’re trimmed then brined in star anise, Sichuan pepper and cassia bark (also known as “Chinese cinnamon”) for 24 hours. “Sometimes it’s all about the skin, but I want that meat to be really tasty as well,” says Tikaram. They’re then blanched in large woks, before hitting a red vinegar bath.

In a coolroom, the ducks hang in tidy lines, drying out for at least four days – then it’s time to roast. Brisbane moves around 300 of Tikaram’s ducks each week, a trend sure to continue in Manly where they’ll arrive with delicate pancakes or, if ordered “imperial” style, with the bird split and served two ways: carved tableside and as san choy bow.

The chef’s Chinese Fijian heritage informs his cooking style, along with the beachy landscapes of his childhood. “Growing up between Fiji and Mullumbimby, the food I always ate was very light and refreshing, and just produce-driven – not really masking flavours up too much. I think that shines through in my Cantonese cooking. You know, it was my grandma that taught me Cantonese food in Fiji, so it was very seafood focused, always very fresh. And always the way you’d eat in Fiji, with the climate, was very light.”

Manly’s live seafood tanks hold coral trout from north Queensland and mud crabs from the NT, southern rock lobsters, and pippies sourced from the coastline between Yamba and Lennox Head. They’re all prepped to order, bolstering a list of Stanley specialties like crayfish lo mein and Moreton Bay bugs simply slicked in chilli and garlic.

Tikaram says his approach is modern – including using local ingredients that might not be used in Cantonese cuisine –  even if the flavours are not. “I guess it’s a modern take on traditional flavours, but staying in a seaside town.”

Look to the Fujian fried rice, which dazzles with the local blue swimmer crabs Tikaram missed working with since he left Tetsuya’s and Longrain. “It’s such a perfect meat, so delicate and sweet.” A velvety crab sauce is poured atop the rice, a standout in this week’s soft launches.

Back at the start of the menu you’ll find oysters zinged up with ginger and rice wine vinegar; Moreton Bay bug spring rolls; refined prawn toast; and a selection of dumplings best enjoyed via the signature dim sum platter.

Sydney’s anticipation for the opening has been heartening for both Tikaram and Artemus Group, the team responsible for Manly Wharf’s overhaul. “It’s been honestly unbelievable,” Tikaram says. “I came up in Sydney, then I went to LA. Coming back, there’s so many amazing Asian and Chinese restaurants, it was just a little bit daunting. Old-school Sydney hospitality people just saying ‘yay’ about it was just so nice. That really flowed through to how well it was received – Father’s Day booked out almost instantly.”

The Brisbane-based chef will be in Sydney for at least the next three months – and he’s happy about it. “I’m back on the Sydney rollercoaster: one day sunny, one day raining. But honestly Manly, when it’s good here, it’s just unbelievable.”

Stanley
Manly Wharf, East Esplanade, Manly

Hours:
Wed to Fri midday–late
Sat & Sun 11am–late

stanleyrestaurant.com.au/manly-wharf
@stanley_manlywharf