Ezra’s Nick and Kirk Mathews Bowden have opened a new Kellett Street concept, this time delivering a nostalgia-fuelled menu with a focus on affordability.
The duo are no strangers to the Potts Point culinary landscape. Along with Ezra, the team formerly operated French brasserie Bistro Rex and Indian diner Raja, which is where Teddy is now located.
The venue is touted as a neighbourhood bistro with a hint of retro infused through the menu, décor, and ’80s soundtrack. As the wine menu says: “We believe that familiar does not equate to boring; rather, it is synonymous with comforting, as dining should ultimately be.”
Ezra Head Chef Nicole Coelho has taken on the role of group head chef, leading the kitchens of the neighbouring venues. The team also includes Restaurant Managers Sara Cataluna and Haley Bakker, wine by Ella Stening, and a menu by former Ezra chef Ben Sears.
The menu is kitsch, without skimping on quality or flavour.
The king prawn cocktail joins the starters alongside pork and crayfish sausage rolls with “fancy tomato sauce”, and grilled lamb chops with “green sauce” and lemon. Mains include a minute steak (which has the option to “surf and turf it” by adding prawn), and swordfish with bush tomato and capers.
Desserts are painfully cute, with pink grapefruit sorbet topped with Chantilly and a maraschino cherry, and strawberries and baked meringue with wattleseed crème anglaise.
The drinks menu is equally robust, and “thoughtfully curated to complement the heart and soul of our bistro fare”. A strong selection of Australian wines joins French and Italian rose. House cocktails include the Kellet St Cutter (cardamom vodka, cognac, amaretto, sherry, and grapefruit) and the Aussie Army and Navy (macadamia orgeat, gin, lemon, and bitters).
Daily offers deliver on the promise of affordability, with free BYO on Monday, $12 Bloody Marys on Saturday and a $29 pasta and wine special on Wednesdays. A daily happy hour from 4-6pm (and all day on Sundays) features $12 cocktails and $10 wines.
The Teddy Set is available for groups up to six, with two or three courses for $55 or $65 respectively. Groups seven and above are offered a $75 set menu.
