Edible cigars and spicy margs at new-look Ripples Chowder Bay

Sip on a spicy margarita and enjoy an edible brick pastry cigar with one of Sydney’s best harbour views, at the new-look Ripples Chowder Bay.

Sydney Restaurant Group has today relaunched the Mosman gem with an enticing new menu and eclectic and cosy fitout, inspired by the much-loved Soho House in New York.

Ex-Pendolino head chef Calvin Katz has joined the kitchen and introduced some deliciously Instagrammable cocktail and snack pairings perfect for long afternoons on the deck with friends, or a romantic dinner in the new club lounge.

Delight in the brick pastry cigar filled with taramasalata mousse and chives, alongside a refreshing Toasted Coconut Daiquiri, made using Bacardi coconut rum, toasted coconut syrup and lime.

Enjoy a Sea Side Spritz with a delicious plate of salumi misti, or try Ripples Chowder Bay’s very own Spicy Margarita with Spanish anchovies, buffalo stracciatella and aleppo peppers on crostini.

Katz, who has worked at some of Sydney and Melbourne’s most established venues (Catalina, Jonah’s, Vue De Monde), has levelled up the lunch and dinner offering with new dishes that celebrate local producers and are designed to share.

“Our new menu creates opportunities for diners to enjoy Ripples Chowder Bay in a variety of ways, whether that’s dropping by for a quick bite and a cocktail on the deck, enjoying a mid-week dinner for two, or settling in for a long lunch with friends,” he said.

Modern Australian with a Mediterranean influence, it features East 33 Sydney Rock Oysters freshly-shucked in-house, a Middle-Eastern take on steak tartare and a Mafaldine green pasta made with spinach, grana padano, fricassee greens, chilli oil and stracciatella.

Katz has partnered with Pepe Saya, who creates a special butter for Ripples Chowder Bay each week, to use in the signature halloumi tiropita. The Cypriot cheese is layered with macadamia and rainforest honey and butter, before it’s wrapped in filo pastry, cooked and topped with oregano and a Four Pillars gin salt.

Located beachside in the picturesque Clifton Gardens Reserve within Sydney Harbour National Park and just 12km from the CBD, Ripples Chowder Bay has 180-degree water views across to the Eastern Suburbs.

Sydney Restaurant Group founder Bill Drakopoulos, whose ethos revolves around providing welcoming and affordable dining in beautiful locations, said the new aesthetic designed by his son Perry was the perfect nod to the venue’s past and its future direction.

“Regulars can continue to have confidence in the place they’ve known and loved for the past 18 years, but we’re also looking forward to introducing a new generation to our stunning harbourside location,” he said.

With bi-folding glass doors and a retractable roof, the expansive deck offers a variety of seating areas, from relaxed striped lounge seating and green leather ottomans, to stone-topped round dining tables, all overlooking the beach and sparkling harbour.

The interior now features an array of different zones, including a private dining room and club lounge flanked by the restaurant’s enviable wine fridge.

Two-seater lounges mismatched dining tables and chairs sourced from as near as Bondi Beach and as far as France fill the rest of the space, alongside a marble-topped bar with a striking red-coloured backbar.

Ripples Chowder Bay is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and is one of the only harbourside restaurants in Sydney to offer BYO everyday, year-round.

For more information or to make a booking, visit rippleschowderbay.com.au.