“I have had a Chinese restaurant, of some kind, since 1994, it’s what I love doing” says Neil Perry. “So when I knew I was going to do another restaurant in Double Bay, it just made sense for it to be Chinese.”
“I wanted the sister of Margaret to be somewhere you can have amazing roast duck, beautiful dumplings, and some ginger and shallot coral trout.”
So that’s what he did, and the result is Song Bird, which opened for its first service last Friday. It’s a three-storey, 230-seat tribute to Chinese – predominantly Cantonese – cuisine, underwritten by Perry’s vociferous appreciation for top-tier produce and ingredients.
“We’re not really trying to reinvent the wheel in the way that brilliant Hong Kong restaurants like WING or The Chairman do,” Perry says. “We’re just trying to be the best version of classic Cantonese cooking – using Chinese flavours to support our beautiful ingredients.”
“It’s sort of like the Chinese version of Margaret.”
Song Bird is set within Gaden House which, with its sharp angles and late-modernist lines, has long been one of Double Bay’s most striking mid-century buildings. Now it’s been meticulously restored back to its best, with the exception of one detail: its heritage spiral staircase.
“Getting the staircase to code has taken longer than we thought, but we have elevators so it’s no drama,” Perry says. “But it’s kind of this beautiful spine that binds the whole building together, so the last piece of the puzzle is very important, but it will happen.”
Song Bird’s kitchen is headed up by Mark Lee, who Perry’s poached from Margaret. He’ll be cooking from a vast 70-dish strong menu, written by Perry, full of the chef’s “greatest hits.”
The team is only cooking about two-thirds of the full menu for now, while they get to know the space and gradually kick into top gear, but everything will be fully up and running within the next couple of weeks.
You’ll have even more choice on the drinks list. On top of a host of signature cocktails, the 250-strong wine list covers every base, from budget-friendly to wallet-busting.
But you may want to do most of your drinking downstairs, at Bobbie’s, which also opened last Friday. Bobbie’s is a team-up between Perry and Linden Pride and Nathalie Hudson, who own legendary New York bar Dante (and its Los Angeles offshoot). Pride took over Dante in 2015, and it took out the World’s Best Bar title in 2019. But before then, he worked for Perry, which forged a lasting friendship.
Bobbie’s is named after Linden’s grandfather, the renowned Bob Rogers – Australia’s longest serving disk jockey and radio announcer. So it’s no surprise that live music – from DJ sets to jazz – is a big part of the offering here. The snacks menu, put together by Perry, also a clubby, jazzy vibe. It includes a Spencer Gulf King Prawn Cocktail, Monte Cristos and cucumber finger sandwiches, and a white sturgeon caviar service.
The headline act at Bobbie’s is still the drinks, though. The Martini – and its various offshoots – is the key drink here, bolstered by a roster of highballs and aperitivi. Fittingly, Negronis, whose cultural re-emergence a few years ago is widely credited to Dante, are another highlight.
“Linden approaches drinks the same way I approach food,” says Perry. “It’s about great ingredients that produce really natural flavours.”
“These cocktails are mouth-watering: you’ll have one and you’ll be dying to have another – not just because you want to get a little bit buzzy but because of the long length of the flavour it leaves in your mouth.”
Song Bird is now open for bookings through their website themargaretfamily.com/venue/songbird/
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