Pelagic is a Greek-derived word meaning, ‘open sea’. Googling the name before I attended the venue in Bailey’s Arcade, Canberra City (where that old Canberra stalwart Antigo’s used to be) didn’t assist me in uncovering any further information from such an intriguing name. I immediately thought seafood. And I was correct. If you’re thinking a selection of fish served with chips or salad, some calamari, prawns and squid, and scallops if you’re lucky – think again.
Experienced seafood Head Chef and restaurateur Mick Chatto (former owner of Artespresso, Chef at Pier and FishFace in Sydney) has launched a new venture that turns the concept of a seafood restaurant on its head. Both a bar and dining room, Pelagic is a venue to drink with friends late into a Friday night, and to celebrate an occasion with a sit down dinner. In fact, the upstairs part of the restaurant has been transformed into a cellar and private dining room.
As I wander into the venue from its underwhelming exterior, next to Cube nightclub, off the shabby Petrie plaza, I’m impressed by the contrast. The illuminated space features polished concrete floors, white marble benches, industrial tubing along the roof, lime green splashbacks and a pervasive wall colour of deep ocean blue. It couldn’t be further from the warm hues of the old Antigo’s – a complete departure in both genre and interior.
My dining partner and I are seated at the bar on funky stools. Mick and his team are friendly and attentive, patiently explaining the menus and the approach of Pelagic to my many questions and excited demeanour. You’ll be open until midnight Fridays and Saturdays? And serving your bar menu up until that time? This was all but a Canberra dream in the not too distant past, for those of us frequently left peckish after a late-finishing theatre show and cursing dining establishments in the city with kitchens known to close as early as 9pm.
The cocktails come first – unique, fresh and divine. The experienced team have put together a cocktail list that is both innovative and classic, and competes easily with full-blown cocktail bars. We start with a selection of starters and items from the bar menu. The first dish is Kingfish, Salmon and Tuna sashimi served with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy. The sashimi is of superb freshness and clarity of flavour – easily the best I have had since a visit to Shaun Presland’s famed Sake Restaurant and Bar earlier in the year. This is followed by Salmon Pastrami served crusty toasted bread and olive oil – imaginative bar food at its best. Coated in peppercorns and cured over a number of days, the salmon has a wonderful edge to its flavour.
My love of seafood was further indulged by the fresh Merimbula oysters served with a squeeze of lemon. The homemade Thai fishcakes, with a thick crispy batter are to be eaten with your fingers and accompanied by a flavoursome dipping sauce.
The finger food affair continued, as we were treated to zucchini flowers with a unique difference – battered and deep fried, but filled with salted cod baccalà instead of the a soft cheese. Perched on our barstools, having moved from the cocktail list to an array of superbly matched wines, it was hard not to wonder if this experience could get better. Yet it did.
A prawn omelette with bean shoots, bok choy, chilli and oyster sauce was a festival of texture. Prawns and crunchy shoots and vegetables were harnessed by golden brown but delicate egg omelette, with each juicy morsel a combination of all of the complex flavours but underwritten by dominant oyster sauce. Simply sublime.
The yellowfin tuna served with truss tomato, preserved lemon, anchovy and red onion salsa was cooked enough to add a depth of ‘aged’ tuna flavour but still maintained the fresh, gleaming uncooked fish at its core. The salsa with anchovy, capers and preserved lemon was a perfect concoction of intense flavours to complement the subtlety of the tuna.
After so many creative and delicious seafood dishes, it was almost a shock to be served dessert that was remarkably lacking in any ocean-based product. The trio of sorbet was a journey of summer fruit flavours, and the cinnamon pannacotta was rich and creamy but with a spicy edge, matched with sweet surrounding berries.
Our evening was finished off by a house concocted digestive from the cocktail menu, and a delightful cup of tea, served in a delightful eclectic mishmash of white crockery.
Pelagic is a deep ocean, where the gamut of possibility of seafood has been considered thoughtfully and creatively, without detracting from the basic principle of simplicity. It also introduces some well-established trends of the Sydney and Melbourne dining scenes to Canberra – high quality, relaxed bar food with exceptional drinks (think Rockpool Bar & Grill and MoVida), more flexible opening hours, and supported by a traditional restaurant menu.
A bar and dining venue with such vision is a welcome addition to an ever-evolving bar and restaurant scene in the city centre. Canberra, the indulgent ocean of Pelagic is waiting for you. Jump in.
