Stanton & Co: Well Worth the Effort

By Siriol Dafydd on December 14, 2018 in Food

I’m going to start this review with a little spoiler: Parlour Group has absolutely nailed it with its Stanton & Co restaurant in Rosebery. I’ll admit, it was a bit of a bitch to get to from Bondi (thank god for Uber), but trust me, the journey was well worth it. And before you get on your high horse about The Beast being an Eastern Suburbs magazine and Rosebery being anywhere but the Eastern Suburbs, it’s worth noting that Parlour Group is helmed by Bondi’s Brody Peterson, the hairy, tattooed Canadian responsible for the Flying Squirrel and Stuffed Beaver (among others), which set the tone for beachside dining when they arrived on the scene nearly a decade ago – let’s just say we were willing to make an exception.

Almost hidden in the Cannery Rosebery complex, Stanton & Co neighbours many other restaurants, along with distilleries, bakeries, galleries, gyms, coffee shops and much more. Though you may struggle to find it at first, in what otherwise seems like a fairly industrial area, this restaurant will not disappoint.

Stanton & Co has the kind of decor that somehow manages to seem trendy and up-market whilst also being comfortable and unpretentious. With exposed brickwork and high ceilings, it embraces the industrial surroundings and complements them with stylish furnishings and an open kitchen. On one hand, this is the kind of place you could take your parents, a client or a date, but on the other it’s a great place to go with friends or take the kids. I’m not sure how, but it miraculously fits into both categories.

The entire menu is designed to share, which is just as well because every dish is absolutely breathtaking. I took my sister and a friend, who were visiting from elsewhere, as I figured this was a great way to smugly show off my fabulous Sydney life – and boy am I glad that I did.

First of all we were brought three different cocktails to try. The Bee Keeper #2 is a new twist on an old favourite. Made from rhum agricole, ume wine, yuzu and honey, it’s served with a honeycomb sherbet rim. The Regal Rosebery showcases the Archie Rose signature dry gin, which is available at a neighbouring distillery in the Cannery complex. This gin is accompanied by elderflower and rose vermouth with hibiscus petals. The third cocktail was the Makino, made from Japanese whisky, house made cardamom liqueur, blackberry tincture and lemon. All three were delicious.

After getting slightly buzzed on cocktails, our first dish was the smoky soy truffle oysters and the second was kingfish sashimi served with smoked garlic and yuzu soy. Both were utterly divine. Then,
we were served the Cone Bay barramundi, which was accompanied by cauliflower and turmeric dashi butter – creamy yet light, it was fabulous.

The sides are also impressive with creative twists on otherwise regular vegetables. The carrots are served with honey labna and spiced hazel- nuts, whilst the broccolini is served charred with pepita furikake.

The star of the show has to be the crispy pork knuckle. Served with seeded soy mustard and a pickled apple, this 1.2kg behemoth is nothing short of heavenly. At this point, my guests and I were sufficiently stuffed, but little did we know there was still way more to come.

As if the aforementioned delights were not enough, the Stanton dessert platter is a real showstopper. Consisting of four different desserts served on an impressively decorated revolving plate, it is easy to share (or fight over) and is absolutely delicious. The liquid lemon meringue is both sharp and sweet whilst the chilled rhubarb crumble with white chocolate is insanely tasty. The salted caramel ice cream is infused with chocolate textures and the crème brûlée is on fire… literally.

Words cannot quite express the culinary delights on offer at Stan- ton & Co; you just have to go and try it for yourself. I’ll be honest, it isn’t super cheap, but nothing is in Sydney these days. For me, the quality justifies the price and the experience is well worth the effort.

So go forth and dine, and remember not to skimp on dessert!

Stanton & Co
Web www.parlourgroup.com.au/stantonandco/
Address Level 1, 34 Morley Avenue, Rosebery (@ The Cannery)
Facebook stantonandco Instagram @stantonandco_ Phone 8339 0580
Open Wed-Sat 12pm-late; Sun- day 10am-5pm
Prices Sashimi Taco $9, 1.2kg Crispy Pork Knuckle $46
Cards Mastercard, Visa, AMEX
Licensed Yes