When you arrive at 53 Foy Lane and find yourself double-checking directions under the glow of a neon-lit fire door, don’t worry: you’re in exactly the right spot. In a couple of minutes you’ll be whisked down a hallway, into an elevator, and up 18 floors to a spacious glass-walled dining room.
Kiln opened in October 2022, and the place feels young and bright-eyed – even though the building carries national historic significance. It’s located on the site of the Tyne House brick factory, home to Australia’s earliest ceramic kiln discovery, where convict Jonathan Leak (deported here for life from the UK for burglary) produced pottery way back in the 1820s.
Needless to say, Kiln doesn’t fare badly from this prize location. Popped atop the new 264-room Ace Hotel, the restaurant offers panoramic views of downtown Sydney, peering down on the Downing Centre and Griffiths Teas buildings, and gazing up through vast retractable skylights, punctured by the tops of the city’s tallest towers. The 108-seat floor plan offers a mix of sofas, chairs and barstools, all in sight of the open kitchen and woodfired oven. The walls are draped in pale linen, custom-painted with pigment made from salvaged waste materials, which gives the room a playful feel.
Chef Mitch Orr (who’s racked up culinary awards at the likes of Acme and CicciaBella) describes Kiln’s cuisine as “Italian-ish”, taking influence, too, from Japan and South East Asia. Menu sections are unlabelled but loosely grouped as entrées, raw, vegetables, meats and desserts. There’s no right or wrong way to order; take all dishes from the same section or one from each – fun for some, a minefield for others.
The entrées are small and simple, comprising two or three ingredients each. Those that fell in love with Orr’s Jatz-based creations back at Acme will be stoked to see they are making a comeback at Kiln. Here, each cracker holds one anchovy curled around a near-tablespoon of smoked butter. It’s wonderfully rich and salty, an almighty hit of fish in a single bite. The tomato and ricotta tartlet, by contrast, is a light and modest mouthful – you could enjoy a whole basketful if there weren’t more treats to choose from.
From the raw section, don’t miss the market fish crudo, a neat spiral of fish, bathed in a dipping bowl of scallion oil and housemade ponzu. It’s deliciously fresh, the salt of the crudo and spring onions melding with the tangy citrus sauce. Also worth a mention is the stracciatella, which collapses in a creamy mess over grilled peach and shiso leaves – a must-have.
The roasted eggplant, liberally showered with macadamias and curry leaves, is gently smoky and easily shovelled. It’s worth pairing this dish, and others, with a portion of the Randall Farm Koshihikari rice, a Japanese rice often used for sushi, which is washed 15 times so it’s cooked optimally to mop up any runaway sauces, oils and juices.
As much as you may not wish to hear it, the dessert advice is this: consider sharing. They come big and bold. The corn ice cream – served with a firm perimeter of butter popcorn and drenched in a pool of salted caramel – is one you’re unlikely to find anywhere else, and reflects Orr’s palpable sense of fun and creativity. The sponge cake, topped with clotted cream and grilled apricot, is another hefty portion, without quite the visual dazzle or relentless saccharinity of the ice cream.
Kiln’s wine list is curated by P&V Merchants co-founder Mike Bennie, with a rotating special on tap. The intriguing cocktail menu features a Chamomile Sour with earl grey syrup, a Japanese Berry Highball with herbal bitters and blueberry and, our favourite, the Strawberry Hills Spritz, stuffed with a whopping sprig of thyme and a refreshing sweetness to accompany the evening sundown.
Orr plays to his strengths at his latest venture, creating enough show-stopping flavours to match the ace location. We say come with a group of friends, order a bunch of snacks with fine drops, and settle in for a memorable evening at this new Sydney hotspot.