It might sound industrial, but the etsy force is strong in this new addition to the growing dining scene in Dulwich Hill. The quaint, DIY feel at the Sausage Factory is the result of a genuine neighbourly disposition created by its cheerful proprietors Jim and Chrissy Flanagan, the latter the titular snag queen of her own small batch sausage-making business, Chrissy's Cuts. Yep, that hand-made vibe you’re getting is because practically everything here is, from the tableware and the furniture to the pickles and snags.
Chrissy proudly tells us that the plates were made by her friend Stacey’s mum as she hands them to us around the table. She also tells us that a local artist, Benedict Maurice, was originally commissioned to make a bench for the venue and ended up insisting on designing and producing all the interiors. The result is a feeling that’s somewhere between Old Paris and a lumberjack’s saloon, but it never strays into cheesy territory. Oz pub rock and 60s girl groups provide the informal soundtrack to a comfort dinner.
Of course the main event is the sausages, which are made with free range meat – no mystery cuts or extra fat. You can order them individually – they come with a trio of pickles and two side sauces – and you can add a radicchio, cauliflower, hazelnut and prune salad to round it out to a meal. But better value is in the ‘dinner for two’, which offers five different snags with all the fixings as well as sourdough, cultured butter and one of three salads. It's basically all the best bits of a backyard barbie.
Amongst an order of eight flavours (that’s all the sausages on the menu plus a one-off special), there are both hits and misses. We love the chicken thigh, preserved lemon, honey and oregano – its thin grind makes us think of a fundraising sizzle that has raised its flavour game. The spicy Portuguese are a little dry and crumbly, but the lamb shoulder scores high marks with sumac providing the high, bright notes and mint for a touch of Sunday roast. The bacon and pork sausages are an all-round winner that strike that magical balance between sweet and savoury with the addition of maple syrup.
Booze isn’t just for the drinking at the Sausage Factory: there’re cider bangers and beery mustard, apples pickled in Poor Tom’s Gin, and a tipsy trifle. The mustard leaves an odd taste in our mouths, but the pickles are refreshing and complex – the astringent herbal flavours in the gin play nicely alongside the tang of Granny Smiths. If you fancy an actual drink, their range includes locals like Modus Operandi’s Session IPA and Yulli’s Norman Australia Ale to give you a small buzz before buying a takeaway packet of links for dinner later in the week.
The Sausage Factory is a comfy spot that locals with the budget for free range can pop into unannounced for a comforting midweek meal. It might be simple stuff, but friendly staff, thoughtful presentation and quality ingredients make a visit to the Sausage Factory a big step up from snags at home.