Linla Surry Hills, a Taiwanese social dining bar, has quietly opened its doors at 413 Bourke Street — the address many locals will recognise as the former home of beloved neighbourhood bar Dead Ringer, which has since permanently closed. The new venue is the latest project from Taiwanese-born Sydney restaurateur and mixologist Charles Chang, who also runs the Japanese fusion restaurant Moku next door.
The name is deliberate. In Taiwanese dialect, “linla” evokes the sound and feeling of friends raising their glasses in a toast — that brief, warm moment of connection before the first sip. It’s a concept Chang has built the entire venue around, from the share-style menu to the late-night licence that keeps the doors open until 1am Tuesday through Saturday.
Chang is no stranger to the Sydney hospitality scene. A former Top 100 finalist in the Diageo World Class Competition — one of the most prestigious cocktail competitions in the world — he has brought that technical background to Linla’s bar programme, designing a cocktail list that is approachable without sacrificing depth. Signatures include the Pine and Bloom, made with pineapple mead, elderflower, dry vermouth, and MSG saline; the Tomato Salad 2.0, combining tequila, tomato, ume salt, and ginger soda; and the MI-Bubble, a cocktail reimagining of bubble tea. There’s also the Jing Jing High with Long Jing gin and calamansi, and the Ebi-Tini, made with Sakura ebi shochu and sencha.
In the kitchen, Head Chef Montien Thipwongsa — whose love of cooking first took root in his grandmother’s kitchen and is shaped by Thai flavour traditions — leads a pan-Asian share menu that moves freely across culinary borders. Standouts include the night-market crispy chicken with Szechuan seasoning, garlic chips, and basil; the Cha-Cha-Cha half chicken with corn ribs, avocado salsa, and fermented chilli oil; and wagyu beef tartare with scallion pancake, yuzu olive oil, and golden pickle. Other dishes span pork and prawn wontons in tom yum beurre blanc, XOXO calamari fettuccine with XO sauce, and sticky rice arancini with Taiwanese sausage and house-made salted radish.
For dessert, the kitchen offers a fairy bread bao with vanilla ice cream and a miso dulce de leche with kinako honeycomb, calamansi jelly, and chocolate — a nod to both Asian flavour profiles and familiar Australian nostalgia.
The space itself, developed in collaboration with D Design Office, features French white-washed walls, timber finishes, and banquette seating, with a contemporary stainless steel bar taking centre stage. Alfresco seating opens out to the street, giving the venue a sociable, neighbourhood feel from the outside in. The music plays a considered role too, drawing from the intimacy of listening bars and featuring a signature Linla theme song that blends contemporary sounds with Asian-influenced textures.
Tucked alongside the main dining room, a private space serves as the permanent home for Moku chef Ha Chuen Wai’s omakase experience. The multi-course, chef-led tasting menu — built around seasonal ingredients and limited to six guests per sitting — runs on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with weekend sessions available for private bookings. Guests are asked simply to trust the chef; the rest is taken care of.
Chang has indicated Linla will host guest chef and bartender collaborations, seasonal menu changes, and community events — continuing a format already established at Moku. Lunch service is also planned for the near future.
Linla is open Tuesday to Saturday from 5.30pm to 1am at 413 Bourke Street, Surry Hills.
Published 17-March-2026
