LOCATIONMission restaurant and bar is located on the city's fringe at 3 Little Queen Street, Chippendale.
DETAILSMission is aptly named for the Sydney City Missionaries who first occupied the 19th Century building. A spectacular Gothic Revival-style church in Chippendale, the space has been remodelled by architect Jason Blake to perfectly accommodate a feast of sensory pleasure.
Downstairs, Mission restaurant and bar offers the best of Australian produce in an eclectic mix of styles. Upstairs, Nicky Ginsberg's NG Art Gallery displays the country's most celebrated artists, alongside budding new talent. As Sydney City Mission did before them, Potter and Ginsberg’s philosophy is to create an inviting second home for patrons – a meeting place, a place to eat and drink, to share thoughts and ideas, to discuss work and put the world to rights.
FOOD AND BEVERAGEMission is best described as a contemporary restaurant and bar offering the best in modern Australian cuisine. Given Potter’s awards for previous eateries Pegrums, Darley’s and Bambini Trust, Mission’s eatery is set to become the hot spot for foodies and artists alike.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIASome people regard food as a form of art. To others, art is food for the soul. For restaurateur Pierra Potter and art dealer Nicky Ginsberg the fusion of food, art and sensory pleasure is the driving force behind Mission Restaurant and Bar. Originally home to the Sydney City Missionaries, the gracefully renovated 19th century church in Chippendale now plays host to the boho-chic bar and restaurant on the ground floor and under the soaring ceiling upstairs, NG Art Gallery exhibits artworks by established Australian artists and fresh talent alike.
The menu is designed to reflect the versatility of Mission as an art gallery, restaurant and bar. It’s up to you whether you drop in for a cocktail and graze on tempura vegetables with spicy rouille or make friends with a bottle of wine from the mostly Australian wine list and settle in to linger over a long lunch or dinner. If you’re in for the long haul then sea bream with roasted fennel, olives, clams, garlic and thyme or the heartier eye fillet with garlic and herb mash, caramelized red onion and wild mushroom is on the cards. After your meal, head up the stairs to NG Art Gallery to view the current exhibit which features a new artist every three weeks.
Amy Looker, August 2007