At Mishy’s in Surry Hills, the menu begins before service, shaped by owner-chef Michelle “Mishy” Powell’s regular market visits and a cooking style built around fresh produce, seasonal changes and Australian ingredients.
A Market-Led Bistro In Surry Hills
Mishy’s sits on Reservoir Street with the feel of a compact neighbourhood dining room rather than a large restaurant. Opened in 2022, the Surry Hills bistro is led by owner-chef Michelle “Mishy” Powell, whose food background spans more than 20 years across local and overseas kitchens, private chef work and restaurant cooking.
The restaurant’s identity is closely tied to the market floor. Powell regularly selects produce from Flemington Markets, and the menu changes according to what is fresh, local and available. That approach gives Mishy’s a clear rhythm: seasonal ingredients arrive first, and the dishes follow.
The result is a restaurant built around freshness rather than a fixed, unchanging menu. Lunch and dinner service are shaped by produce, with the kitchen leaning into simple cooking, familiar flavours and ingredients that reflect the season.
The Mishy’s Menu Follows The Produce
The Mishy’s menu brings together bistro-style cooking, Australian produce and native ingredients. Sydney rock oysters are served with finger lime mignonette, while kangaroo salami appears with native anise myrtle and guindilla peppers. Warrigal greens are used in spinach and ricotta ravioli, and mountain pepper appears in a mushroom adobo dish.
Vegetables also play a strong role across the menu. Dishes include zucchini flowers with goat’s curd and honey, black figs with stracciatella and pistachio, beetroot tart with golden onion and Taleggio, BBQ corn with plum and macadamia green goddess, and Dutch carrots with romesco, buffalo yoghurt and Aleppo pepper.
The larger plates keep the bistro structure in place, with Murray cod, roast chicken, pork cutlet and sirloin listed alongside seasonal sides and sauces. Desserts continue the produce-led approach, including pear tarte tatin, blueberry semifreddo, twice-baked chocolate soufflé and affogato with macadamia ice cream.
From Handmade Sauces To A Dining Room
Mishy’s grew from Naturally Sauced, Powell’s handmade sauce business that began across farmers markets and specialty retail spaces. That early connection to markets and handmade food carried into the restaurant, where the same focus on fresh ingredients and community-style dining remains central.
The restaurant’s food direction draws on traditional home-style cooking, with an emphasis on unfussy dishes, local sustainable produce and Australian virgin olive oil, except when frying French fries. A weekly Sunday roast also changes with the season and what is available from growers.
That background gives Mishy’s its strongest feature angle. It is not simply a Surry Hills restaurant with a changing menu; it is a dining room built from Powell’s earlier market work, her years in food, and her preference for produce-led cooking.
Drinks, Events And A Compact Reservoir Street Setting
Mishy’s is fully licensed, serving local and imported wines and beers, as well as cocktails including an in-house barrel-aged Negroni. The wine list includes Australian bottles from regions such as Tasmania, Margaret River, McLaren Vale, Mudgee, Orange, Coonawarra and the Barossa Valley, with imported selections from France, Italy, Spain, New Zealand and the United States.
The venue also offers private dining, events and catering, including exclusive dining experiences for up to 26 people. Its setting in Surry Hills supports the restaurant’s local focus, with lunch served Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 3pm and dinner served Wednesday to Saturday from 5.30pm to 10pm. The restaurant is closed on Mondays.
Mishy’s story sits in the details: the market trips, the weekly changes, the native ingredients, the handmade sauce beginnings and Powell’s role in shaping the menu. On Reservoir Street, the restaurant’s identity is built around what arrives fresh, what is in season and how those ingredients are brought to the table.
Published 9-June-2026
