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Jellyfish has scored a new fan. Arriving piled high in a small white porcelain bowl, the marine creature comes tangled with soft, just-cooked king prawns, fragrant coriander, sliced green chilli and Sichuan peppercorns. It’s incredible: lively, tingling, textural. It's like an electric disco under the sea – and it's my favourite dish at Grandfathers, the CBD’s new Chinese restaurant from the team behind Sydney favourites Clam Bar and Pellegrino 2000.
The vibe
The 140-seat L-shaped restaurant, found in the former Long Chim home on Angel Place, is the fifth restaurant opening in five years from the trio Dan Pepperell, Andy Tyson and Michael Clift. Their latest venture is inspired by Clift’s Chinese grandfather, who sparked the chef's great love of food.
Inside, red-and-black zig-zag carpet adds pizzazz, and moon-like orbs dangle from the ceiling. Pet-style fish swim in neon-blue fish tanks, while red-jacketed waitstaff whip around the room, refilling waters and running guests through the menu. The girls next to me are taking photos with a dish of glistening, bronzed pigeon.
These Three Musketeers excel at many things – seasoning, soundtrack and drinks list, for starters. And they know how to create a fully realised venue, one that’s big on vibe. The kind of place you want to bring your out-of-town mates to, with fresh energy and an exciting buzz. Take their Italian cave, Neptune’s Grotto, for example (in fact, we love that place so much it won Time Out’s Best Restaurant Award 2025). Grandfathers is another five-star hit.
The food
The food at Grandfathers draws on flavours mostly found in the Guangdong and Sichuan regions. Like most Chinese restaurants, the menu is extensive, broken up into sections: raw, cold cuts, pickles and salads; hot entrees; barbecue and dumplings; seafood; meat; vegetables and tofu; noodles and rice; dessert.
Their strange-flavour cold-cut chicken is thick slices of tender meat resting on a pool of fiery chilli oil flecked with hundreds of sesame seeds. Chopped peanuts add a subtle nutty sweetness, though I prefer it tempered with a creamy sauce, like at Spice Temple and Spicy Joint. The daily selection of steamed dim sum is some of the best I’ve had in recent memory – each translucent parcel crafted by hands who care, featuring a delicate wrapping and juicy filling. The scallop and prawn siu mai and mushroom dumplings are standouts.
A bowl of fluffy fried rice is textbook, studded with tiger prawns, char siu pork and egg, with sliced spring onions bringing crunch. Tender-crisp asparagus is topped with soft butter-yellow tofu skin arranged like folded bed sheets, coated in a glossy savoury sauce.
You could also order classics including prawn toast, scallop spring rolls, lamb pancakes, crisp-skin chicken, salt-and-pepper calamari, and Peking duck with mandarin pancakes.
For dessert, choose from seasonal sorbet; a yellow-wine custard tart with jasmine jelly and ginger caramel; fried apple ham sui gok (a riff on a yum cha staple, served with cinnamon ice cream); sticky date pudding with sticky rice in lotus leaf, date caramel and vanilla ice cream; and a plate of fresh seasonal fruit.
The drinks
The Green Melon Negroni (gin, melon liqueur, Scarlet Verde) tempts me, but on this 35-degree day, the Sichuan Watermelon gets my vote. Sweet, frozen watermelon is spiked with Campari and kicked into gear with a chilli-salt rim that tastes refreshing and vibrant. My date’s Plum Sour, made with plum cognac, umeshu and macadamia, is a well-balanced, sour-cool cocktail.
Tyson, a talented sommelier, has created a wine list with a strong focus on riesling to complement the bold, punchy, sometimes numbing dishes at Grandfathers. Like a bright and clean 2025 Rieslingfreak No.2 Polish Hill River Riesling from the Clare Valley that’s easy-drinking and well-priced at $88. The by-the-glass menu features a handful of drops under $20, and for the oenophile ballers, there’s a premium selection.
Time Out tip
Out late in the CBD and craving dumplings? I feel ya. Grandfathers is open until 1am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, with last orders taken around 12.30am.
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