Calling all sneakerheads! This February, the team behind Thievery will launch their hybrid sneaker bar and eatery, Butter in Surry Hills.
It’s a ‘street meets luxury mash-up’ at Butter, with the team paying homage to New York City’s hip-hop culture. With 70 hand-picked sneakers in the front window, crispy fried chicken on the menu and a top-to-toe feature wall of flashy champagne in the back, the place itself is a one-stop shop of good food and great beats.
The kitchen is led by 2015 Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year, Julian Cincotta (ex-Nomad, Rockpool) who has created a small but power-packed menu with an American-Asian influence through the use of dashi butter and chilli bases. The menu focuses on mild to spicy levels of fried chicken, crispy chicken sandwiches served in sneaker boxes and butter-inspired soft-serve ice-cream, which will rotate monthly.
The menu itself is split into packs and sides, with highlights including the 3Pac (one thigh piece, two tenderloins and a side of slaw), The Chicken Sandwich (pickles, dashi butter and a side of slaw) and the Fried Tofu Nuggets. While some like it hot, the fried chicken has four levels of spice to choose from: Naked, OG, Fire and HOT AF for the daring folk.
If you’ve mustered up a clique, it’s time to dig into the massive Size 13’s Box – four thigh pieces, nine tenderloins, two sides of pickles, two sides of slaw and three sauces (honey mustard, butter ranch and smoked aioli). Butter will also cater for lunch or dinner on the fly with all options available to takeaway.
For those with a sweet tooth, Butter’s signature soft-serve will have ice-cream lovers flocking to the front door. Swapping the conventional strawberry and chocolate for something a little more “buttery”, taste your way through a range of butter-inspired flavours such as buttery croissant, burnt butter or chocolate peanut butter cup.
The drinks menu, curated by Bar Manager Paul Flynn, is perfect for any champagne novice or aficionado. Work your way through a sparkling wine list which includes Pét-nat and Crémant, artisanal champagnes from Larmandier-Benier and André Beaufort as well as prestige classics like Dom Pérignon and Krug. If you’re after a cocktail, the Frozen Hennessy Cherry Cola or Butter Washed Vodka will do the trick. There will also be a small yet concise local and international wine list, with a focus on natural, minimal intervention wines from avant-garde winemakers.
Interior designer, Alex Zabotto-Bentley of AZB Creative (Pink Salt, Casablanca) has worked with mixed materials and a palette of burnt coal, rendered raw concrete and pumice to create a space that pays homage to underground bars in New York, Barcelona and Tokyo. While the hip-hop is loud, the interiors are even louder, with giant, photographic images plastered across the ceiling along with cool neons set to illuminate the 40-seater bar and eatery.
Grab a friend or a group of them, munch on a bucket of fried chicken and wash it all down with a crisp champagne while enjoying old-school urban beats and fresh kicks.
Butter
6 Hunt Street, Surry Hills
info@buttersydney.com.au
(02) 8283 9146
Instagram: @buttersydney
Facebook: @buttersyd
Opening hours:
Monday – Thursday, 11am-10pm.
Friday – Saturday 11am-12am.
Sunday – closed.
Butter does not take bookings.