A white bowl with blue squiggles is placed in front of us. Inside is a medley of mussels, clams and a bug, with one scallop shell looking like the beautiful sister holding a scallop- and prawn-stuffed zucchini flower. There are dots of saffron-spiked rouille around the seafood, and delicate fronds of fennel draped on top like sunbathers at Bronte Ocean Pool. It smells like prawns and summer holidays and a light sea breeze. The bug meat is tender and sweet, and the garlicky sauce, which has a hint of chilli thanks to gochujang, pairs well with the clams and mussels. But it’s the bright-orange bisque that makes me close my eyes and smile. Studded with small balls of fregola, the soup is bursting with prawn flavour. It’s rich and silky thanks to a whack of butter, and seasoned to the very edge. With help from fresh sourdough, I mop up every last drop of the bouillabaisse, and just like my first highschool crush, wish it never ended.
Martinez is the latest restaurant to open in Circular Quay's Quay Quarter Tower from House Made Hospitality, the Sydney group behind oceanfront-Promenade Bondi Beach, subterranean sandstone bar Apollonia, and Italian-leaning Grana and Lana, both of which are found a pasta’s throw from Martinez.
Named after the famous Hôtel Martinez in the French Riviera, the restaurant is inspired by the south of France and its idyllic neighbours. And while you will find steak frites on the menu (served with bone marrow butter), as well as a crumbed pork cutlet with jamon, mustard and brie fondue, amongst others, executive chef Alex Wong’s menu mostly champions vegetables and seafood in all its fresh, salty and sweet glory.
We’re here for dinner, but when we arrive the dining room is still bright and sun-filled thanks to the building’s floor-to-ceiling windows. The space stars 50 shades of red wine – leather banquette seating, plush, burgundy carpet, curved velvet chairs – with splashes of marble and wood. The room is surrounded by a greenery (philodendrons, peace lilies, fruit salad plants) cascading from the white exterior. In the middle is the largest fiddle leaf fig I’ve ever seen, one big enough to make any inner city designer weak at the knees. Our friendly waiter tells us they have a gardener who comes every couple of weeks to look after the plants and monitor the quality of the soil. I reckon they deserve a raise.
I kick off with a Homme Pastèque – Watermelon Man – made with gin, watermelon, strawberry, mint, lime and anise-flavoured spirit pastis, with lemon myrtle leaves as garnish. Balanced and not overly sweet, it tastes like ripe summer fruit. The petite dry-freezer Martini is so cold that there are icy bits in the drink, and so stiff it well and truly says it’s not here to play with spiders.
Chilled Jervis Bay mussels, which arrive with a spoon of creamy sweet escabeche emulsion and pops of salmon roe on top, does the trick. Grilled Abrolhos Island scallops are cooked beautifully with a golden caramelisation, and the XO sauce provides a funky, umami hit. Though the breadcrumbs are ground so fine they have the consistency of sand, and there’s too much of it.
Saffron tagliatelle impresses with delicious-looking pasta and the shell of a spanner crab placed on top for show. The ribbons of pasta are coated in a buttery rich sauce with sweet Queensland spanner crab meat intertwined. A scattering of verdant parsley and chives brings freshness, though I would have loved a squeeze of lemon to lift. A salad of iceberg lettuce, radicchio and shallots is crunchy and well-dressed in a chardonnay vinegar. We pair this with a glass of skin contact viognier from South Australia created by House Made Hospitality in collaboration with winemaker Michael John Corbett (there are six varieties on offer, and they're all reasonably priced at $13). It’s fruit-forward and funky. We’re full from bisque and pasta, so a cream caramel with earl grey custard, as well as fresh-out-of-the-oven Madeleines, will have to wait until next time.
If you’re after a more casual affair – or keen on a pre- or post-dinner drink, Martinez also has a wrap-around rooftop bar with splashes of colour and a slice of the Harbour Bridge in sight, serving share plates and thirst-quenchers. After dinner we head out for a nightcap, the air balmy and the bar bubbling with after-workers, the memory of a cracking bouillabaisse not far from my mind, and I am once again reminded what a great city Sydney is.
Time Out Sydney never writes starred reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills for reviews so that readers can trust our critique.