Margaret. Double Bay, Sydney
- The Scoffers
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
A $5M Ode to fine dining.
In the posh part of Sydney's Eastern suburbs sits Double Bay, where the streets are paved with cash and the restaurants are as polished as the shining customer's veneers. It's the fantasy land where Range Rovers are more common than small talk and your designer dog has a better skincare routine than you do. It is here we find Margaret, Neil Perry's award winning and much lauded venture named after his late mother. Margaret is a sleek, $5 million elegy to fine dining complete with blush banquettes and taupe tiles. But does it live up to the hype or is it just another overpriced meat parade?
The interior is undeniably stunning, if you're into minimalist design and soft lighting, making everything look like a Vogue photoshoot. The open kitchen adds a touch of theatre, allowing you to watch chefs perform their culinary ballet while you sip on a $20 cocktail. It's the kind of place where one half of you expects to see a celebrity or a cashed up NRL Wag and the other half of you wonders if you're being filmed for a reality show. It is the place you go to pay $460 for 100g of good caviar with chips and fancy sour cream before you start your lunch. It is the kind of place where someone cracks a smile and nobody notices as it felt like the collective faces of the diners of the court of King Perry didn't move a millimetre. It is the place where a pair of $200 unbranded loafers on my hooves attracted the same kind of disdainful stare as if they were fake crocs from Big W. I feel slightly out of place.
The menu is a love letter to Australian produce with a heavy emphasis on seafood and steak. It is also a name dropper's heaven, which we didn't mind until it became too much. Who are Anthony, and Elena and David, Dennis and Bruce and so on and so forth? A little storytelling from the equally stunned looking floor staff could have helped undo all of this cryptic name business. We started with Elena’s buffalo mozzarella with grilled Bosc pears, vincotto and hazelnuts, which was a lovely plate of food. Nothing to write back to Elena about but lovely nonetheless. More exciting was a Thai style salad of Dennis’ hand picked Blue Swimmer crab, sweet pork, chilli, green papaya and cashews. Zingy, zippy and bloody scrumptious. We wanted more of this but held off. Now if we only knew who Dennis was, we could let him know the quality of the crab was most excellent.
Anthony's hapuku with lime, coconut and garam masala is a standout on the main menu, like a light fragrant curry without all the sauce and stodge. And then there's the steak. Yes, it's good, but is it $120 good or is it $320 great? That's the question. Margaret is the kind of place where you can order a wagyu steak and feel like you're supporting local farmers even if you're not entirely sure where the farm is. We ultimately decided to drop $120 on a 500g dry-aged CopperTree 36 month grass fed Hereford bone in sirloin which seems like a mouthful, and it was. We are not sure why this one didn't have a name attached so we chose it for that reason. It was beautifully cooked, very simply plated. $30 of sides turned out to be a plate of pumpkin and some lettuce. Yes it was nice but we are starting to feel a little more out of place than before with moveable face muscles and a pair of Levis on.
The staff are friendly, attentive and well trained but here’s the thing. For a restaurant charging you nearly three digits for a fish fillet, you’d hope for a bit more charm, a bit more warmth, a bit more... interest in your existence. Instead, what you get is the high functioning hospitality version of cruise control. Napkins are refolded with military precision, wine is topped up just enough to avoid a lawsuit and the staff know their menu bullet points as if they were tattooed on their forearms. But nobody seems genuinely delighted we are here. There’s a slight air of detachment, like they’ve been trained to deliver five star service but forgot the bit where you make the guests feel like anything other than a time slot. At Margaret, you’re not a diner, you’re a booking.
Our Sommelier, however, was exceptional and had facial muscles that moved when he frequently smiled. We advised we are quite finicky when it comes to wine, but we have saved hard to afford the lunch, so we have some constraints on how much we are willing to drop on a bottle of plonk. Very little on the list for under $100, which is no surprise. He took care of us incredibly well and for some part, saved us from feeling even more uncomfortable.
Perry describes the venue thus: “Margaret is a neighbourhood restaurant, but it’s also evolved into something more than that. At its core, it’s about comfort, generosity and cosiness.” Neil Perry. What he fails to mention is those of us from other climes might need a second mortgage to make it through a lunch. It does not feel generous or cosy. If anything, rather the opposite.
Margaret is a beautiful restaurant with a menu that showcases the best of Australian produce. The setting is chic, the service is perfunctory, and the food is for the most part, delicious. The trophies are plentiful, and in some cases, internationally awarded. But is it worth the price tag? If you have a black Amex to burn and enjoy dining in style and stylish company, then yes. If you're looking for a more grounded dining experience, you might want to look elsewhere.
Margaret can be found at 30-36 Bay Street, Double Bay NSW
Open for Dinner Wednesday, Lunch Thursday to Sunday from noon.
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