Every family has a favourite Chinese restaurant. One where the owner knows you by name, the team has your order down pat (Shandong chicken, special fried rice, and salt and pepper eggplant, please). You always go home full of prawn crackers and contentment. Well, Redfern’s just welcomed a shiny new Chinese restaurant that may knock your favourite off the top spot.
Redbird Chinese is the creation of star restaurateurs and partners Hamish Ingham and Rebecca Lines (Bar H, Banksii, Tequila Daisy). The duo, who are both Redfern locals, met 13 years ago while both working at Billy Kwong on Crown Street. It’s been more than five years since they sold Bar H, and Lines says that, in a way, creating Redbird feels like coming home: “We were just waiting for the right time and right location.” It’s great news for Sydneysiders that they found it.
An award-winning chef renowned for showcasing both local and native ingredients, Ingham drew on his extensive travels throughout China to create the menu, hoping that each of the dishes would express a distinct sense of place.
Expect modern Chinese classics executed with humble restraint. Highlights include steamed fish with ginger and spring onions; stir-fried beef fillet with pepper and lemon; and wok-tossed iceberg lettuce with cucumber, black fungus and oyster sauce. The must-try dish is the aptly-named redbird, of course. While the bird itself will change regularly from chicken to duck or pigeon, it will always be poached in a classic, aromatic Cantonese red braise.
“I want our guests to experience that perfect meeting of salty, sweet and sour that has kept me coming back to this style of cooking for 22 years and counting,” says Ingham.
Lines, who’s worked as a sommelier, created the 150-strong wine list featuring mostly Australian natural and classic drops, as well as signature cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks made from Lyre’s and Seedlip, plus a selection of teas.
Inside, Redbird feels dark and sexy, thanks to chocolate brown furniture, pops of red, exposed brick walls and terrazzo tiles. There’s also outdoor seating for 20, ready for guests to make the most of the balmy weather.
Centrally located on Redfern Street, Redbird Chinese joins an already ace line-up in the inner-city suburb, which includes Fontana, Bart Jnr., Bush, RaRa Ramen and the Sunshine Inn.
Make a booking at Redbird here.
