Sydney hospitality group Applejack will open their first Sydney CBD location in November this year, adding to their growing portfolio of restaurants and bars.
Bopp & Tone, a restaurant and bar with interiors and design by Luchetti Krelle, is a tribute to the Applejack founders’ grandfathers, Keith ‘Bopp’ Evans and Anthony ‘Tone’ Adams. The venue reflects the nostalgic and optimistic post WWII era they lived in. Design features include heavy marbles, classic tiles and textures, dark and moody timber furnishings, along with an alfresco dining terrace, private dining room and Applejack’s signature love of greenery.
The Australian menu, created by head chef Sa Va’afusuaga and group executive chef Jason Roberson, centres around generous share food with Mediterranean influences, and is predominantly cooked on the in-house wood grill or charcoal oven. Using only seasonal produce, with a focus on seafood and both cured and cooked meats, signatures include chargrilled whole Hawkesbury river calamari, free-range spatchcock, pasture fed Brooklyn Valley steaks and botanical fare.
Following the same ethos as the food practices, the concise cocktail list has been developed by group bars manager Lachy Sturrock and bar manager Craig Kerrison, featuring popular classic cocktails tailored with Australian ingredients and Mediterranean charm. Applejack has collaborated with sommelier consultant Dan Simmons to curate a wine list that aims to champion those at the forefront of sustainable viticulture and oenology in Australia and abroad. Celebrating the efforts of these producers, the venue showcases wines of substance, of a time and place that complement our climate and food.
“We want to create an intrinsically Sydney experience within a unique and distinctive setting,” say foudners Ben Carroll and Hamish Watts. “Bopp & Tone is a nod to our grandfathers, who symbolise and embody the iconic and nostalgic Sydney of the past, which is reflected in the venue. Food influences come from our chef’s passion for Mediterranean food and philosophies that translate so well with Australian ingredients and the Aussie way of life.”