Stunning views, chardonnay by the glass and a smart Mediterranean menu mixing familiar crowd-pleasers and modern flourishes is the winning trifecta at Turkish chef Somer Sivrioglu’s latest Sydney venture Hamsi Taverna.
Turkish$$
American betting sites Kalshi and Polymarket are surging in popularity by offering odds on just about every possible outcome in entertainment, sport and politics. At the time of writing, it’s possible to trade on whether the US government will soon announce that aliens do exist and who will be cast in the next Miami Vice movie. Australian regulators consider these “prediction markets” to be illegal gambling, but it seems inevitable that they’ll eventually take off here, too, and it’s easy to imagine Sydneysiders betting on the success or failure of high-profile restaurants. At some point we’ve all said, “I give that new Italian sushi joint six months.”
On a recent visit to the new (and very much improved) Sydney Fish Market, I couldn’t help mentally predicting how many of its two dozen or so restaurants, cafes and takeaways will make it to next year. In what is, essentially, a food court, where most people seem to want oysters washed under tap water (please stop doing this) and everything else deep-fried, some of the new spots may be too conceptual for their own good. I would never root for a venue to fail, but if I were going to bet on which fish-market restaurant has the greatest chance of success, the smart money is on Hamsi Taverna.
The 200-seater, run by Turkish chef Somer Sivrioglu’s Efendy Group, is, according to its website, “inspired by the Bosphorus fish restaurants and the beach clubs of the Aegean coast”. Alkot Studio has done a handsome job on the interior design – exposed brick, marine pastels and textured surfaces – and terrace seating looks over the CBD, Pyrmont and tree-lined Glebe. It’s a stunning view at sunset, made even better with crisp skewers of Port Lincoln sardines.
Hamsi’s Mediterranean menu is a smart mix of familiar crowd-pleasers (lightly fried calamari, whipped taramasalata, deliciously charred and hefty chicken thigh flanked by cacik – Turkey’s refreshing cucumber and yoghurt dip) and modern flourishes, such as teaming baked conchiglie pasta (go for the frazzled, caramelised edge bits) with flecks of spanner crab and a punchy vodka-sauce bisque. A fillet of baby snapper is lightly cured with sea salt, skin-crisped in a hot pan, and finished in the oven to retain its moisture. Head chef Erdi Akyol brings precision and restraint to the kitchen.
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If you’re the kind of diner who isn’t fussed about the bill, there’s a rib-eye that tops out at $250 and – for $260 – a whole eastern rock lobster grilled over charcoal, finished with a citrus and butter emulsion, and joined by lemon orzo. For the rest of us, I recommend the honking-big Skull Island prawns wrapped in kataifi pastry and paired with muhammara, a capsicum and walnut paste.
Some caveats: service can swing between highly invested and barely there, and there’s often a DJ in the evenings, which is fine if you’re outside, but indoor diners may be put off by the high-volume oonce-oonce.
Sivrioglu is a smart and seasoned operator, though, and Hamsi Taverna is well-positioned to settle into itself and its surroundings. Water views, grilled seafood and chardonnay by the glass: the winning Sydney trifecta.
The low-down
Atmosphere: Big, bright modern tavern for long seafood-led lunches
Go-to dishes: Baby snapper with bean and tahini piyaz ($55); crisp sardine skewer with parsley salad ($18); king prawns wrapped in kataifi ($32); baked conchiglie with spanner crab ($60)
Cost: About $190 for two, excluding drinks
This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
Callan Boys is Good Food’s national eating out and restaurant editor.Connect via X or email.
