“DINE DRINK DANCE” reads the motto on the Harpoon Harry website, just in case the name didn’t already alert would-be customers to the fact that this probably isn’t the place to bring nonagenarian relatives or the otherwise infirm. If James Brown’s design for this glammed-up pub dining room, bold of tile and capital of letter, doesn’t get the pacemakers ticking, the modish, natural-leaning wine list might. And then there’s Morgan McGlone’s menu. It takes Nashville, the chef’s one-time home, as its pole star, but roams the US, placing succotash alongside pork ribs, smoked low and slow in the St Louis style. Delicacy is not the forte here – the Fraser Island crab in a ravigote is blasted by an overabundance of coarsely cut pickled lemon – so the wise follow the road of excess, revelling in shrimp and grits (aka prawns on gravy-rich white cornmeal) and meaty pork chops. Hit the bourbon trolley to finish in true Southern style.
This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide
Wine: ★
Gourmet Traveller’s star-ratings, which range from zero to three stars, reflect reviewers’ first-hand experiences. The best-rated restaurants form our national Top 100. Our wine ratings, from zero to three stars, are made by wine editor Max Allen on the strength of the quality of the restaurant’s wine list. View our rating key here.
Harpoon Harry
40-44 Wentworth Avenue Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW Australia
