Award-Winning Chef Opens The Blue Door with a Unique Menu in Surry Hills

Restaurant heavy-weight Chef Dylan Cashman has opened his new unique gastronomic outpost, The Blue Door, in Surry Hills, where 95 per cent of the menu is dictated by the availability of livestock from farms around New South Wales for a truly authentic farm to table culinary adventure.

The chef and his team purchase whole animals, from farms they have personally visited, to use in their rotating weekly menu. Abiding by ethical and sustainable practices, the kitchen workers at The Blue Door use all of the cuts of meat until it’s consumed so suppliers are never pressured to have the provisions on demand.

This producer-focused practice also ensures that nothing goes to waste. The food also tastes a whole lot better as Mr Cashman and his team value quality over quantity.

Their bread choices are baked in-house as well, whilst some of their herbs and produce are snipped from the restaurant’s new sets of Airgardens, the country’s first locally manufactured aeroponic gardens.

Guests who come to The Blue Door are offered a six-course degustation for dinner with a different menu every week. Once seated, the guests are served freshly-baked bread and house-made butter with choices of salt from four countries.

Wine is also served, as curated by Angelica Nohra from mostly Australian producers. The Blue Door offers a “secret sips” wine list filled with international selections, vintage choices, and cocktails.

Lunch choices include just two to three a la carte dishes. (View a sample menu)

Mr Cashman — who has worked at Sean’s Panorama (North Bondi), Cottage Point Inn (Ku Ring Gai National Park), and Paper Daisy (Cabarita Beach) — said that he wants his diners to have a connection with the farmers and producers who also care about ethical producing and sustainability.

In 2017, Mr Cashman opened the first Blue Door in Gold Coast, which was named Queensland’s best new restaurant of the year. However, he closed the store immediately after some damage to the building and then moved to New South Wales.

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The Blue Door can seat 24 people at full capacity (16 during restrictions) and officially opened at Waterloo Street on 20 October 2021. Follow their Instagram page for updates.