20 Chapel
The new home of Rockpool royalty, 20 Chapel showcases a mosh pit of timeless Australian ingredients, masterfully cooked in the intensity of fire.
Australian Steakhouse / $$$
Marrickville
Good at:
Steak, Chips, Cake: You’ll notice a recurring theme here, 20 Chapel are a simple shop - they keep it close to their vest with impeccable steaks, arguably the best beef tallow wedges (sorry, Olympic Meats) and a perfectly balanced honey cake.
Hospitality: Besides the trifecta, the 20 Chapel crew are a bunch of friendly faces as soon as you walk through the door (in fact, I got a high five on my first visit). Sitting at the bar counter, you’ll share some banter with the bartender while enjoying their extensive wine list with a view of their kitchen.
Could be better:
Modest portions: Besides their highlight dishes, the execution and flavour of their other dishes are solid - but just a heads up that they are closer to a small-plate restaurant if you are looking for a sizeable meal.
How to order:
Steak: Already commanding awards in the list for World’s Best Steak Restaurants, 20 Chapel serves a versatile range of beef from Coppertree and Blackmore cooked precisely over fire.
Chips: GET THE WEDGES. Fried to perfection in beef tallow and served with creme fraiche and chilli jam.
Honey Cake: Coming from a honey cake fanatic (Liz), it’s incredibly balanced - not too sweet, nor too creamy or crumbly.
Old Fashioned: Washed in wagu fat, the savoury, maple notes of the cocktail almost reminds me of pancakes and bacon - it even comes with a fudge made from the tallow.
Rock is in session at 20 Chapel. It might sound odd to bring music as an analogy to a restaurant - yet for Corey Joseph and his team, I can’t think of anything more fitting. Walking in feels like a whirlwind on a busy night, an eclectic, rhythmic effort from the back house and front house team firing steaks, serving them up and making banter as a garnish. The food pays further lip service, it’s fire, lots of it that you can see from the open dining room that brings together Rockpool-excellence with a raw, intense approach to its simple-looking dishes.
The cosy neighbourhood steakhouse based in Marrickville has been around for over a year now, amassing noteworthy recognition for their steaks, yet its hospitality has always stuck with me across two visits - my first time (and I can attest to other friends’ visits) I was greeted at the door with a high five by a friendly waiter who’d spotted me in the flurry of service. In the age of food-savvy social media, where restaurants are leaning towards exposure, or at times, conservatism with their menu and approach, 20 Chapel’s confidence in its strengths of the menu and service is a quality that makes me look forward to another visit.
The food
20 Chapel has been a recent favourite of mine, since my first visit in November last year till now, the Marrickville steakhouse has embraced its simple menu - sticking to its traditions of steak and seasonal Australian ingredients, cooked over flame. At times, it’s also leaned into its Rockpool roots, reintroducing favourites like its strawberry and snow pea salad. All of this is to say, 20 Chapel is hardly one-dimensional in its menu or food, but if I were to recommend it to a friend, you must definitely… DEEEEFINITELYYYY order the steak, the wedges and the honey cake. All other dishes are good complements to the above, particularly the grilled octopus and raw fish kokoda.
I’d like to formally introduce Sydney’s best beef-tallow chip. Fried to golden perfection, 20 Chapel use beef tallow liberally across their dishes and even drinks. In this saucy bowl of wedges, you’ll get plenty of crispy bits, as well as hearty pieces that are crispy on the outside, steamy and soft inside. It’s served with a creamy, tangy creme fraiche chilli jam for heat and sweetness - an upscale take on wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli.
Above, I’ve gathered the complementary starters/in-betweeners. Respectfully they were nice, especially the fish kokoda - something like a pacific ceviche which was spicy, freshness and creaminess form its chilli, curry leaves and coconut sago.
The cavatelli was to satiate my long-standing pasta craving, toothsome and hearty, the wagyu sauce hugged every bit of the cavatelli - though I’d prefer a bit less salt.
And lastly, the prawn cutlets - I’m a sucker for pickles on fried starters (particularly those pig head fritters from Copains). The prawns were juicy, meaty and fried whole which lent to a more satisfying bite.
For the main - I do believe they do an excellent grilled fish, I have yet to try it because I’m always here for their signature steak, the Wagyu Denver. It’s a growingly popular cut from the chuck flap, with amazing tenderness and beautiful marbling, and when it’s cooked on a flame? *Chef’s Kiss*. Their steaks come with a house-made ssamjang and a jalapeno hot sauce, try either or even both while you’re smashing their chips.
20 Chapel go all the way with their steak obsession, turning their tallow into fudge and infusing it into their spirits with the Wagyu Old Fashioned. Highly recommend.
The final piece of the holy trinity, the Honey Cake. As much as it comes up at cafes and restaurants, you’ll often have versions that are too heavy on the honey, or too crumbly from the layers that haven’t had the time to absorb the syrup. When it comes to 20 Chapel’s though? Run, don’t walk - their honey cake is equally simple in appearance as it is a masterclass in not-too-sweet honey desserts and a creamy, uniform texture in every bite.
It’s hard to describe 20 Chapel succinctly, rather the whole experience feels like a Beatles concert, there’s a comforting familiarity in the staff and service as well as its timeless menu. Underlying that is a passionate intensity in its fire-based cooking, its classical Rockpool pedigree and an electric energy that hits you when you sit down for its holy trinity.