By Tomas Telegramma
Beyond that, Norris keeps it “playful”. You might find octopus and merguez sausage skewers or coral trout with apricot beurre blanc. Cordelia’s “Happy Meal” is either an oyster, scallop or frites with a mini cocktail for $20; another Wednesday and Thursday special, it’s on from 3pm to 5pm.
But it’s not all seafood. Norris says Cordelia is the “only restaurant ever” to serve beef from Myall Springs, his family’s certified-organic farm in north-west NSW, which usually sells exclusively to butchers. Lean cuts become tartare, prime cuts become steaks.
With nearby Bar Bellamy nailing the cocktail game, Cordelia focuses on wines you can pair with seafood. Fun categories such as “Tang Town”, “Juiced Up” and “Volcanic Origins” make the two-page list even more digestible.
Meanwhile, design business Studio Kae, run by Gavioli’s wife, Sarah Freudendal, has revived a prime corner site – once a steak and oyster bar – into a picture of austere elegance, all tanned timbers, an apple-green marble bar and huge windows letting natural light stream in.