Seems like Barangaroo is becoming the home to some of Sydney’s best new restaurants, and one of these is the impressive new 230-seater restaurant 12-Micron. Open for lunch and dinner, bar drinks and snacks and with a late-night dessert kitchen, and bar with harbour views it’s sure to be a hit.
The 12-Micron name is inspired by the venue’s ethos to celebrate Australian produce, taking the best ingredients and refining those into an evolving menu of dishes. Its namesake is the rare and coveted fine 12-micron wool fibre which, much like an ingredient in the kitchen, is refined into a beautiful garment. The nod to the Australian elements is throughout all aspects of the food, drink, and interiors.
Executive Chef Justin Wise (The Press Club, The Point Albert Park) sources predominantly Australian ingredients from a range of producers and a collective of foragers to create a refined but still relaxed menu. The restaurant menu is divided into four parts: earth, which includes paperbark baked vegetables with fruit spice and goats curd among others; ocean, such as the lobster omelette or Skull Island king prawn steamed bun with wasabi, green mango and tobiko; land, including lamb with spinach, native iron bark honey and damper; and air, such as the half pigeon with Aussie master stock, red cabbage, and Illawarra plum.
“12-Micron is an opportunity for us to create beautiful food with what I consider to be the very best produce at that time. I’ve gone as local as I can find so, apart from a couple of items which we’re still trying to source locally, we proudly use Australian,” says Wise. “The team has quite a bit of fine dining experience and so we’ll take the food and service elements of that into a more relaxed dining experience at 12-Micron – impressive but not intimidating.”
A 64-seater dessert bar is open till late to satisfy every sweet lovers’ fantasy: indulge in a la carte or a degustation of three, five or seven intricate dessert courses created by master of sweets, pastry chef and TV personality, Darren Purchese. He’s anticipating the Coconut Sago with passionfruit, ginger and mint to go like hotcakes. His signature Dark Chocolate Mousse with salted caramel, tonka bean, mandarin and Zokoko chocolate is for those after a richer finish. Many Sydneysiders visit Purchese’s incredible Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio in Melbourne but, for the first time, they have his creations in their own backyard.
“The menu I’ve designed for 12-Micron is full of surprises and is a delicious sequence of dishes aimed to please everyone,” says Purchese. “They focus on beautiful and refined plated desserts inspired by my signature flavour range. Whoever said you can’t eat dessert first? Well, come to 12-Micron for dessert only if you like! There will be dedicated seating at the dessert bar where you can get up close and personal with the pastry chefs as they prepare and plate your desserts so you can indulge in the sugar high of your life.”
In addition to the restaurant and dessert kitchen, there’s a 120-seater bar area which maximises the harbour views by way of a balcony and floor to ceiling windows. The six-strong bar snack menu includes a mushroom taleggio toastie and wagyu cheeseburger. Mop it up with sommelier Lyndsey Carr’s 400 strong and growing wine list (32+ available by the glass) that’s predominantly Australian and caters for a broad range of tastes and budgets. Otherwise, there’s a range of cocktails such as the
Riberry Limy Tia (Rebellion Bay spiced rum, Védrenne spicy chili cinnamon, orgeat, lime, riberry confit) and Smoking Chaplin (Plymouth Sloe Gin, Védrenne apricot brandy, lime and rosella jam).
Those looking for exclusivity can opt for the private dining space that seats up to 20 or stands 40 and is the epitome of private. Stunning solid timber walls allow for complete privacy or can provide a window through to the dessert bar, floor to ceiling glass overlooking the streets below, exclusive lift access, as well as personal sommelier and wait staff are all part of the luxe experience.
SJB Architecture & Design’s striking interiors also take inspiration from Australian elements and the harbour views. “The 12-Micron design references the indoor and outdoor lifestyle of Sydney with exterior finishes used indoors,” says SJB Director Kirsten Stanisich. “Green and blue stone cobbles and tiles evoke the colours of a gum leaf and a rough bark texture is introduced through leathered finished granite and loose fit leather sofas with ruffled detailing.”
12-Micron accommodates an array of dine and drink experiences. A casual after-work drink and snack at the indoor/outdoor bar through to a long lunch in the restaurant. A cheeky late-night sugar fix at the dessert bar to a special event in the private dining room. The venue will be open from Wednesday 1 March and is an exciting addition to the burgeoning food scene that is The Streets of Barangaroo.
12-Micron
Open Wednesday 1 March
Level 2, 100 Barangaroo Avenue (enter via Watermans Quay), The Streets of Barangaroo
12micron.com.au | 02 8322 2075 | Instagram @12micron
Restaurant open L- D Mon – Sun I Bar open midday – 1am Mon – Sun I Dessert Bar last bookings 11pm Mon – Sun
Happy Dining!
by Arrnott Olssen
Editor Rogue Homme
