From the founder of Patty & Bun, Sidechick is “a restaurant focusing on roast chicken, seasonal vegetables and salads, alongside natural wines and great cocktails”. A simple concept, but certainly not boring.
An offshoot of Joe Grossman’s successful burger brand Patty & Bun, Sidechick is located next door to the brand’s inaugural restaurant on the northern end of James Street. It’s a fairly small space but also has al fresco seating – perfect for those sunny days in the capital. Split over two floors with an open kitchen and dining area on ground level with a second dining room below, the restaurant seats 50 covers indoors and 20 outdoors.
Head Chef Luke Frankie has drawn on his past experience as Head Chef at The Drapers Arms and sous chef at Spring to bring fresh ideas to the menu. The Sidechick menu is small and simple, focusing on quality, seasonality and flavour, and perfect for sharing as side dish portions are fairly small. First up, you need to decide which flavour you’d like your spatchcocked chicken – choose from Zatar, Piri Piri or Chimichurri. The Piri Piri is particularly flavoursome. And for those who are feeling indecisive about flavours, feel free to ask if you can order a half and half combination – in order to get the best of both worlds.
The Sidechick crispy potatoes are a must try, drenched in thyme salt. I can guarantee you’ll want to order a second bowl. Moreover, you can also order a side of grilled hispi cabbage soaked in spring onion butter.
A trio of flatbreads are also available, but they are probably the least exciting part of the menu, plus they’re pretty small, so if you’ve got a good appetite, definitely order all three. Choose from a mushroom, tarragon and ricotta combination, or roast tomato and goat’s curd. The third option consists of confit onion, anchovies, olives and thyme.
The drinks menu is just as varied, with a mix of cocktails, wines and beers. Sidechick work with small suppliers showcasing outstanding natural and biodynamic wines, along with a cocktail list that compliments the food but also has a voice of its own.
Signature serves include Tang Tang (pisco, Aperol, tangerine juice, lemon juice, orgeat & egg white, Better with Sage (gin, sage honey syrup, lemon juice) and Fig & Rhubarb Smash (vodka, rhubarb puree, fig syrup, lemon juice & soda).
On the launch of Sidechick, Founder Joe Grossmann said: “We couldn’t be more excited to have opened Sidechick James St. It has been a long time coming … we’ve been working tirelessly from the design to the menu to create a space and offering that we want people to cherish, crave and simply come and have an amazing experience.
“The menu has evolved from the food to the drinks a great deal so just bang up excited to express what the vision for Sidechick in full effect has been all along.”
Further information on Sidechick can be found here.
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