It almost doesn’t matter what you eat or drink at Shell House. So spectacular is the transformation of a 1930s Wynyard Park building into a three-storey gustatory pleasure palace that you could simply marvel at its good looks alone. A laneway lift takes you up to the Dining Room and Terrace, where serious cooking with share-plate generosity awaits. Traditional ideas get imaginative turnarounds across the menu, but good taste reigns supreme. So, pickled mussels arrive with salted onions slicked in garlicky mujdei dressing; excellent agnolotti filled with both Taleggio and wild-mushroom cream get a sprucing of Geraldton wax oil; a platter of sliced, aged pork loin cooked over coals pairs marvellously with grilled radicchio, persimmon and wattleseed jus. A pre- or post-dinner cocktail in the Clocktower Bar is strongly recommended for spellbinding Art Deco interiors, or head to Sky Bar for glittering city light views. Consider it – quite literally – a brilliant addition to Sydney city life.
This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way. To learn more about the process, click here.
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide 2023
Our guide gives a yearly snapshot of the best restaurants to eat at right now. The best-rated restaurants, as judged by the reviewers’ first-hand experience, form our national Top 82.
