Table For 20

The concept of this place is great. You walk in through an alley, its a bit secretive and is a cool venue. Bar upstairs is nice, the cocktails are delicious. I would say the food is eh, nothing special. My favorite dish from last night was the kale salad with tomato– it was crisp and zesty I loved it. The rest of the meal was just OK. While the cake was good because who on earth doesn’t love dessert? it was just way too rich. The guy on the guitar with fantastic — amazing voice and very talented. I recommend trying this place out because it’s a different dining experience that I think every city needs.

Communal meal concept. We met up at Sticky Bar upstairs for pre-​dinner drinks and then we were herded downstairs to the elegant dining room. There were big glass windows facing Campbell Street (but no sign and no door onto the street, you have to come in through the laneway at the back) and it was all quite dimly lit and elegant with long wooden tables and plush white chairs and a musician playing unobtrusive guitar.
Before dinner, i believe it was Michael Fantusz came out and welcomed us all and explained the concept a little bit (communal, family style meals) and the fact that a portion of the proceeds are donated to Surry Hills community initiatives. Food and philanthropy. What’s not to love about that?
We had an antipasti platter served first and it was quite possibly the best antipasto I have ever had in my life. Every little detail was perfect. Perfect chargrilled veges, perfect cheese, perfect involtini, perfect, perfect, delicious!
Next was a papardelle pasta in a veal ragu. It was definitely good, but otherwise unremarkable.
Last was a lemon custard tarty crème brûlée-​ish thingamibobby cake type thing. IT WAS AMAZING. I wanted 5 slices. I only got one. So sad.
I thought it was a brilliant evening overall and I’d very much like to do the same thing in a few months. We booked this about 2 months or more out (I can’t remember, but it was ages ago). I’m not sure how far out they’re booked, but I imagine you can’t just decide on Wednesday that you’d like to come with a bunch of people the same Friday, if you know what I mean.

Great concept with a conscious. Make sure you arrive we’ll before 8pm so you have time for a cocktail or two before dinner.

I tried to love this place I really did.
We went here a while ago for a friends birthday, We started at sticky bar upstairs which had some txt and we’ll come and open the door for you system. Not sure if they are trying to be cool but we mostly found it annoying.
Sticky bar itself was not too bad, prices were steep but it was a kind of a cool place and the drinks were good.
The concept of a big family dining experience with lots of tasty plentiful food cooked home style sounds great. However the things that I like about that experience I found the opposite with this place. A family dinner is one you sit down and you talk and catch up with people you haven’t seen for a while, the food is wholesome and tasty, there are lots of smiles you have a few drinks etc.
Table for 20 was the opposite, there was a looong table, we were seated at the end of it, the live band played loud music which meant conversation was out except for yelling to the person next to you or across from you, forget trying to communicate with the person who’s birthday it was, you are pretty much stuck with the immediate people around you. In my case the birthday girl’s boss, or workmate or something, I couldn’t quite hear him to find out.
When the food came out, in my area it was about 80% guys sharing the platter. In about 10 seconds the platter was wiped clean, save the one small piece that everyone politely leaves behind for someone else. Us guys all sat around eyeing each other, eyeing the morsel of lamb until someone broke with social convention and grabbed it. Needless to say we were starving, and the subsequent dishes did nothing to fix that.
The quality of the food was ok, but nowhere near worth the $ 75/​head charged. I can and have cooked as well or better than the food than we ate that night. Also the wait staff looked quite grumpy at having to bring out the platters like they were prisoners there or something.
All up I would not go again or recommend the place, it was a good idea, poorly implemented with a little greed thrown in.

Maybe it’s the uniqueness of the whole experience but this place is what every ultimate dining experience should be like.
If you’ve found out about them already, then I assume you don’t just like food, you love food!
Upon arrival, you are greeted with an air of importance and friendliness
The staff introduces themselves and ask about YOU, confirms dietary requirements and you almost feel like they really do care about Your experience there.
If you haven’t notice, that’s a communal table you’re sitting on, and they promptly introduces you to your next door neighbour.
There is an immediate sense of warmth and suddenly you don’t care so much that youre sharing food with these strangers
The meals are amazing, simple, honest food with beautiful taste. All Italian dishes (the owner here is Italian)
Young man playing his guitar softly in the corner, strumming and singing tunes like Neil young. Ahhh, what a lovely night indeed.

****Getting there****
Having arrived early for a birthday celebration, I had a vague idea of what to expect, having been a Surry Hills/​Redfern resident for 4 years, I had this hipster thing down pat.
Like many of the new «cool» small bars that have cropped up in sydney there is very little in the way of signage. Foolishly going off a Google Maps listing, I rounded the front of the place only to see a window into our dining area, with a sign directing me to the lane I had just passed, round the back.
Like Shady Pines, Sticky Bar, the accompanying beverage accompaniment to table for 20, there are no signs to guide the uninitiated user. This combined with the small joint I had shared with a friend before heading out meant my entry was housed in confusion.
I was greeted by two Surry Hills hipsters «looking for a friend». However like its brethren in Shady pines, you are never really sure who is working there and who is just some guy saying hi.
As the two ran off in separate directions, with a small nod to me on the way in, I assumed this must be the right place, given it was the only open door in the back alley.
A few twists and blind turns down a seemingly silent hallways until I could hear the chatter above getting louder, I headed up from the dankest of hallways into a windowless 1920s speakeasy.
****pre-​drinks, sticky bar****
Also all my friends were there downing delicious cocktails, getting perhaps a little too merry before dinner. Feeling a little disorientated, and fairly sticky (no pun intended) from the hot Sydney night and close quarters in the standing-​room-​only loft bar, I opted for a beer.
I chose the unpronounceable beer with a name obscured by its sheer length. I had two bartenders school me on the correct pronunciation (the first guy got it wrong). It definitely started with a K. It went down a treat and we continued to get lubricated in anticipation dinner downstairs.
****the dinner itself****
Around 8pm we were ushered into the large, high ceilinged echo chamber style room. It looked awesome, but with 40+ people tucked into white leather arm chairs under sturdy wooden tables, the noise grew exponentially. You could just about talk to the person opposite, but forget reaching someone 3 chairs down without the ol’ «shout and lean».
Sure the shout and lean works it works, but hard to keep up whilst nomming down on some delicious entrée that was delivered after the owner/​manager dude came down and gave a pre-​dinner speech. It was excellently delivered, however like any pre-​dinner announcement, I wonder how many times he had given that exact speech. The bit about charity was pretty good, and I was glad our table had purchased some (ok heaps) wine vouchers.
To be honest I don’t know exactly how it worked, but I ended up paying $ 65 for food and red, white, champagne and a sneaky limoncello somewhere near the end of the night.
Whilst the food was absolutely delicious, entrée of chorizo walnut pasta kind thing with a creamy sauce, roast lamb, potatoes and salad for mains and a unbelievable tiramasu for dessert. I really wasn’t about the food at all.
A bearded and reasonably serious man accompanied dinner with some delightful crooning which bounced around the space, intermingling with the loud hubub. A couple of points he did some kind of solo guitar thingy which everyone clapped at. I clapped too, but I wasn’t 100% sure why until I turned around and saw the guitar player giving the knowing nod.
Well played sir. Well played. I do believe there were at least three women (out of only 20 in the room) who spontaneously ovulated due to his indie warbles and soulful covers.
But being a 30^th (or maybe. 25^th according to our host) bithday celebration there was much raucusness and revelry which may just be confined to my friends. However we all felt at ease being exactly who we are, just like your annoying uncle at Christmas. you know the one. Although perhaps we weren’t the first to do a mexican shot
****a supportive room****
At one point the other table challenged us to a boat race, but we politely declined the offer whilst using it as an excuse to intermingle as the night wore down, the door to the street was opened and people began slowly filing in an out as cigarettes were consumed under disapproving partners eyes, and plans were formulated for the next destination.
All in all table for 20 was an amazing experience and well worth the money. It even gives a bit of the warm fuzzies when you know that the more drinks you purchase, the more goes to a local charity.
Whilst we went in a big group and that was amazing. I would be keen to go in a smaller one where I knew less people and got the true communal dining experience that you get when forced to share food with a complete stranger.
Whilst fine dining it may not necessarily be, I haven’t found better eating EXPERIENCE in Sydney. Its like having a massive dinner party, but you dont have to clean up.

A seat at the popular Table for 20 downstairs has long eluded me (the wait list is always a matter of months) so visits to this adjoining bar have been a more than sufficient substitute.
Entry comes via Taggarts Lane, where hopeful guests wait at an unmarked door for a staff member to emerge and grant access. Once inside, it’s a hefty staircase to climb before you reach the top floor, a warehouse-​like space with high ceilings, chandeliers and pin-​cushioned velvet lounges. Spritzers are the drink to get here — a summery mix of campari and prosecco topped with a slice of fresh orange.
The atmosphere is lively and fun — bartenders banter with each other as they pour your drinks, and on one Friday night a band suddenly materialised from the crowd to take up a tiny corner and sing some tunes. This is one of my favourite places for after work drinks.

Table for Twenty is a brilliant concept. The idea of sitting down to a shared three course meal is unique and really cool. I also like the touch of being BYO so you can add a personal touch through your wine selections.
The live entertainment during dinner is another great touch to help warm up the high ceiling room which features two enormous wooden tables.
But therein lies the rub with this place, the size of the tables and the high noise levels in the room detract from the experience somewhat. My advice is make sure you sit next to or across from the people you want to chat too because it’s impossible to converse with anyone more than two seats away from you — let alone enjoy a group conversation.
Yet that aside the food is delicious, it’s homey and rustic and plentiful! You will not go hungry here.
And then there’s Sticky Bar…
I think this bar is wrangling for best bar in Sydney. I’m a huge, huge fan of this place.
I love the space, the décor, the cocktail specials, the piano and the atmosphere. This bar is truly fabulous. It’s fun and enjoyable even when it’s completely chock full of people.
There’s always a great atmosphere with everyone keen for a good night.

Table for 20 is managed and hosted by Michael Fantuz and his family. The concept of this restaurant is a family orientated approach with communal dining. The three course dinner is a set meal on every evening and tonight we will enjoy homemade gnocci, the main being Snapper and Nonna’s tiramisu followed by limencello or grappa.
Table for 20 shares the building and a portion of the daily takings from the meals go to Hope Street Charity the affiliated charity that Table for 20 shares the premises with. To make a booking a guest is required to call or text a mobile number and confirmation of a successful booking is usually received by text. On the evening we visit we take the back street to the back door of the restaurant and upon instruction text the password to another mobile number that is written on the back door. Someone descends the stairs quickly to greet us as we enter to meet our friends in the Sticky Bar. We enjoy a lovely apéritif before we are all called to the main dining area. Mismatched antique chairs and chaises’ give comfort to discerning drinkers and a white piano stands beside the wall, we hear that this piano really gets a go in the evenings and look forward to seeing this for ourselves.
Michael Fantuz is a wonderful personable host as he introduces the meal for the evening. It is also an added pleasure that the restaurant is BYO with no corkage as we enjoy the wines we have all saved from many cellar doors. We are truly satisfied diners once the meal ends as we return to the Sticky Bar and join the crowd singing around the piano.