Bone marrow, liver, black pudding, ox tongue. It’s a real indication of where restaurants are at, not that a chef would dare serve the so-called lesser cuts of the animal, or that people are so invigorated by good, smart, delicious food that they’ll order it in any guise, but that nose to tail has become such a feature of Sydney restaurants now that it’s no longer a truly notable feature. Still, here it’s better. Co-owners and chefs Colin Fassnidge and Carla Jones give these ingredients hero status. Think chargrilled ox tongue with raw sprout slaw and chimichurri. Roast bone marrow, wobbly and perfect, cuddling up to sweet caramelised onion.

So there’s that, the nose to tail thing, but the chefs also break down barriers on how we expect things to appear on the plate. One of the ugliest fish out there, the flathead, is given respectful prominence and served whole with a rich brown buttered shrimp sauce. My salivary glands just did crazy things right then writing about it. Roasted on the bone, too, turns this already excellent fish into something stupendously spectacular.

This menu is all about sharing (what menu isn’t, these days?), and if there’s any crossover with Fassnidge’s other digs, Paddington’s Four in Hand – as well as the nose to tail thing – it’s the chefs’ tricks with texture on the plate. Charred salt crust sweet potato is bursting from its charred exterior in a creamy soft mash, but it sits on a puddle of smooth smoked potato mayonnaise that makes me want to hug someone. For dessert, a white chocolate parfait is sandwiched between golden caramelised wafers, but not before being licked with a thick dulce de leche like some kind of genius semi-frozen crème brulee sandwich.

Go for your fix of those cuts of meat we’d like to see even more of in Sydney, go for the snap, crack and smooth elegance of every dish on the menu, go for the knowledgeable front-of-house staff (a feature too rare in Sydney) and to sit in a warehouse-style room or a counter where you get to watch the chef work up close and personal. Just go, because 4Fourteen is a feature of Sydney’s dining scene that deserves its hero status.

Tel: (02) 9331 5399

Social feed