Hunter & Barrel

Slotting in somewhere between the flagship The Meat & Wine Co. restaurants and the casual Ribs & Burgers eateries, Hunter & Barrel is the latest dining initiative for the Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group. At every level, their restaurant fitouts — handled by Melbourne-​based operation, One Design Office (ODO) — are over-spec’d for the price point; and, housed in the old Chinta Ria rotunda, this hunters’ chalet is no exception.
It’s dripping in natural textures, from brown leather upholstered chairs with strategically draped (fake) furs, to wine barrels, dangling shrubbery, and weighty wooden tables. Appropriate to the location in please-​all Cockle Bay, the meat-​centric menu is geared towards sharing, whether that be from board, skewer, coals or pot (though the stew-​based selections may have to wait until winter).
High quality charcuterie on the Hunter’s Platter ($ 28) provides a good foil for exploring the barrel-​aged cocktail offerings presented by Group Beverage Manager, Joel Davis. Joel learned the hard way that using brand new barrels can make a barrel-​aged Negroni quite assertive, but his resulting drink — The Solera Negroni ($ 16) — is made smooth by cleverly blending barrel-​aged and fresh Negroni mixes, at least while those barrels wear in.
When your meat-​laden mains land you can either double up on fiery elements with The Smoked Margarita ($ ²⁸⁄₂) for two, served in a smoke-​filled Calle 23 Tequila Blanco bottle or opt for a refreshing pint of Young Henrys Natural Lager ($ 10).
With sides and salads all conveniently priced at eight bucks, you can assemble quite the feast. Juicy Coal Roasted Chicken ($ 22), flavoured quite simply with lemon and rosemary, suits Cast Iron Button Mushrooms ($ 8) with garlic butter, and Grilled Cauliflower ($ 8) topped with almonds and a creamy white garlic sauce. Dripping with herb and black pepper butter, the Coal Roasted Rump ($ 29) was a flavoursome piece of beef, which only wanted for a slightly longer resting period.
Airy Golden Syrup Dumplings ($ 10), enhanced by a small jug of pouring cream, were easily the best I’ve tried; leading me to believe this accessible spot is worth noting down for functions and family-​friendly eats in downtown Cockle Bay.

WoW! Just stopped by and this place is amazing. Chicken with lemon and rosemary was moist and flavour throughout. My son had the slow roasted ribs which were sweet and woody with maple and oak flavour. Food is clean with no sauces, just great spices. The chicken wings are amazing with a sweet spice and a touch of chilli–
Happy Australia Day!

Very nice location in the trees overlooking Darling Harbor and not on the wharf. No reservation but they got us right in. The flat iron steak was very tasty, the crispy pork belly was tasty as well but the skin was too crispy for my likes and I peeled it off. The radicchio salad was just that, no greens in that dish. The baby cos was all greens and tasty with the lemon dressing. The wait staff was very at tentative until trying to get our check and very hard to get their attention. Overall, very nice. I’ll go back next time I’m in Sydney.

First of all. The staff here are amazing! We had the most fun and sweet waiter and he made our night.
The atmosphere was really nice. We picked an evening with great weather and enjoyed sitting outside sipping cocktails and perusing the menu. (FYI the chieftain cocktail is delicious).
The food is so good. The menu seems like it was designed to share, we had a few dishes between us and we were very happy with everything. (Grilled flat iron steak with garlic butter and the salmon were well received)
We kept room for dessert and I have to say the golden syrup dumplings were sensational (though they don’t need to be drowned in all the cream that’s served on the side).
I definitely recommend this place especially if you’re having a group dinner.

Yay! I’m the first to review!
Opened Dec 10^th, 2015. Food is excellent. We ordered chilly corn, cos salad, salmon, and their specialty for 4. The pork belly with chilly was mild and excellent! Everything was done to perfection. And the service was top notch! That’s to be expected as most of the waiters are Americans. After all, TIPS = To Insure Prompt Service. And they seem to understand that philosophy.
All and all, excellent experience. Will come back for sure.