Emilia reviews a new trendy restaurant in Brighton!
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G-Wagons, Porsche and Teslas all line Well Street in Brighton behind the Coles carpark and they’re not all just getting their groceries for the week.
Whilst not that out of place in the streets of Brighton it’s the juxtaposition of Dendy Plaza against this Santorini-looking facade that makes you wonder if you’ve definitely got the right place. In the four months Henrys has been open, the who’s who of Brighton have clearly found their watering hole and the owners are making a big splash Bayside. It’s a new two-storey, 140-seat restaurant with bright white walls, accents of forest green and more terrazzo than you could fill a freight ship with.
They’ve got big guns leading the venture too; George Loupos is the owner of the renowned Basilico in Albert Park for over 20 years; chef George Bilionis, a Brighton local worked alongside the recently deceased Greg Malouf; and the refinement is thanks to Alex Mouzos who launched Jardin Tan for the Vue Group and worked at Chancery Lane in the city. The location and the name are not insignificant. Henry Dendy was a settler and surveyor who put a well there in 1841. There’s three namesakes in that sentence alone, you’re on Well Street, behind Dendy Plaza eating at Henry’s, are you keeping up? They loved the idea of having a meeting place on an existing, historical meeting place. They have colourful dreams of getting council approval for seating on the large stone terrace in front of them and spending their summers recreating the festive nature it would’ve once had, there was talk of a saxophonist.
The menu felt like it was written for the food lover; three pages folded out featuring starters, small plates, sides and Mozzarella and Salumi. It was a lot to take in and felt overwhelming even for me and at this point, I’m a professional orderer. There was also pizza, handmade pasta, Cooked Over Fire and Josper Grilled Bistecca. Owner, Alex said they had planned to refine the menu seasonally based on the best sellers of this menu, problem is, it’s selling evenly – a little bit of something for everyone.
The standout hero of all their dishes is their josper, which is a ‘combination of a grill and an oven’. Using different woods with different meats, seafood and vegetables they add a sprinkle of smokiness in differing levels to a huge chunk of their dishes.
To start at a Mediterranean joint by the water you obviously have to have the fresh focaccia and their oysters from the specials – Merimbula grown, Sydney Rock – not my thing but my dining partner gave me two thumbs up.
Mains sat comfortably in the Di Parma pizza for $32, on the pricier end of pizza but what I would expect in the area and with fresh prosciutto on top. The surprising favourite of the night was the vegetarian dish I tried, the homemade Garganelli with roasted tomato, fire-roasted capsicum, olives, chilli, and stracciatella. I had my choice of 6 different kinds of steak, I went back to feeling overwhelmed but settled on the cheapest cut which was a sirloin from Flinders at $56. Let’s put this josper to the test.
For me, the night was won in the sides though – the charred greens in kale and broccolini was the best kale I’ve ever had. Kale is not that easy to make taste good but that growingly familiar smokiness won it for me. The owner tells me with deep sadness that heirloom tomatoes are about to be out of season, that would be the end for a little bit for the tomato and peach salad with stracciatella, basil oil and pinenuts. If you have the chance to get that salad before the end of the season, do. The cauliflower au gratin was brought out without the heavy splattering of black specks of pepper that I’m used to (and love), I started to doubt how flavoursome it could be. I put off trying it knowing I’d surely be disappointed…josper pulls through once more. Not only was it not boring or lacking in flavour, the smokiness made it deep and rich in flavour, exciting to eat and overall just delicious.
I must have been feeling cynical because when the tiramisu came out looking like brownie I thought they’d got us wrong, “that’s ok!” I said, before sinking my spoon in realising this was the tiramisu. ‘Henry’s style’ they call it. It’s deconstructed so you have the chocolate and coffee sponge, with a large shard of tempered chocolate on top, sitting on a bed of caramel sauce and pipes of mascarpone cream around it.
It’s nostalgic to see the three owners in Alex and the two Georges trying to recreate a bit of history in a modern way, in their own way – with mediterranean influence, lots of seafood by the water, fresh, local produce and classy decor. I’m not suggesting Henry’s is for everyone, they clearly know their market and how to appeal to them. By making good food, good vibes and making a place that Brighton has clearly been missing.
Henrys
3 Well Street, Brighton