Sydney’s new Darling Square precinct is heating up with the launch of Belles Hot Chicken’s sixth national outpost on 12 April. Belles will bring its Nashville-style hot chicken with exciting new food and drink offerings, its own wine label and weekend bottomless brunch, to the inner-city hub.
Founder and head chef Morgan McGlone is excited to open a third Belles in Sydney following the brand’s overwhelming success at Barangaroo and Tramsheds. Darling Square will feature the same great menu of hot chicken and natural wine with some exclusive treats just for Darling Square.
Belles has worked with Sydney-based artist Henrietta Jackson (Whino, Yours, Mine, Ours Collective) to create an eye-catching and abstract mural in the restaurant. The trendy eatery also features striking red and emerald pendant lights, exposed brick and a mix of bar and booth seating, accommodating up to 82.
Little Darling Wine
Darling Square will be the first location to pour Belles’ first collaborative wines, Little Darling, championing the free-wheeling and local spirit pervading Belles’ wine list. Belles has collaborated with minimal intervention winemakers Rob Burley at Unkel Wines and Barney Flanders at Côtier Wines to produce their own red and white blends.
Little Darling Red is a ‘party red’ according to McGlone, featuring a blend of shiraz, malbec and vermentino sourced from vineyards in Gippsland and Heathcote. Little Darling White is a refreshing, skin-contact blend of organically grown sauvignon blanc and riesling from the Mornington Peninsula.
“I’m a big fan of Rob and Barney’s wines, so we were pumped when the opportunity arose to work with them on the Little Darling label,” says McGlone. “At Belles, we care as much about the juice as we do our chicken so creating our own wine seemed like the next natural step.”
Bottomless brunch
To toast its Darling Square opening, Belles is launching the ultimate bottomless brunch across all of its Melbourne and Sydney locations, every weekend from 11:30am. The boozy brunch deal includes Belles’ southern-style chicken and waffles matched with bottomless Bloody Marys and Belles cocktail jugs, over a two-hour seating at $50 per person.
In a bid to create one of the best Bloody Marys in town, Belles has collaborated with Sydney-based Westmont Pickles to create the perfect Bloody Mary base, combining pickle brine with freshly pressed tomato juice and a touch of cayenne pepper.
“It’s saucy, spicy and exactly what I’d crave after a big night,” says McGlone.
Other brunch cocktails include The Country Time (lemonade infused with cardamom, served with a shot of Melbourne Moonshine), The Southern Charm (sweet tea with a healthy dose of Buffalo Trace Kentucky Bourbon) and Arnaldo (half house lemonade, half sweet tea with a generous shot of Tromba Tequila).
The full menu and additional sides will also be available during brunch for purchase.
Belles joins a strong line-up of casual eateries at Darling Square, making it the perfect place for a dine-in meal or take-away for those on the run.
Belles Hot Chicken is located at Darling Square, 7 Steam Mill Lane, Haymarket, NSW 2000.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 11:30am to 10pm and Saturday to Sunday, 11:30am to 11pm.
See you at Brunch …
by Arrnott Olssen
Editor Rogue Homme
