Roxy’s had been in planning for around 12 months. It’s an all-day venue that transcends breakfast through to late evening. It’s quality without pretension and has a real community focus; a small bar serving exciting yet approachable food and drinks.
The idea originally came about when Charles Mellick (Fortis) contacted me when I was executive chef and co-owner of Liv Restaurant in Belgravia, London. I came home to Sydney in March 2020 and I was sold as soon as I saw the Double Bay site and the brief for the wider Pallas House development. I’ve always had an affinity for small and intimate restaurant spaces.
When COVID-19 cases started to rise, it was a double-edged sword; I felt for all of my amazing staff. I was also slightly relieved we had a bit more time as restaurant openings are always notoriously last minute. Like everyone, I hoped the lockdown would only be for a couple of weeks.
We pivoted and got on the front foot early by introducing Roxy’s Market Day where we sold baked goods and pita alongside bottled cocktails by our Bar Manager Rhys Budd.
We also introduced date-night dinner packs, which gathered a loyal following very quickly. Being able to briefly welcome our takeaway customers was so valuable
in establishing relationships with our guests when we opened.
We exceeded our expectations of keeping our full-timers employed and paying the wages. We rotated our part-timers so they all got some hours and we stayed in contact through phone calls and group messages. We are super lucky to have a very supportive team at Roxy’s.
We want to be an everyday venue and we understand sometimes you want to eat and drink light, while other times you want to splurge. Therefore, we’re balancing comfort and clean with boozy and behaved.
I cook the way I like to eat at home; having fun with flavours and utilising punchy spices, house-made pickles and lots of herbs. We’re playing around with Middle Eastern flavours, adding spice and personality to familiar local ingredients and putting twists on classics.
Think fresh, healthy and vibrant salads, grains, house-made dips, sharp pickles and snacks you can eat with your hands. Whether it’s a milkshake with your kids on the way to school, an afternoon spritz with some snacks or an epic dinner and late-night session, we have you covered.
