As anyone who’s made the hectic dash through the city at midnight desperately looking for somewhere to keep eating, drinking and dancing, a 4am liquor license is a very big deal.

A kitchen open till 4am – especially one with a former Rockpool chef in the kitchen – is an even bigger deal. This is what Zaffi – the new 154-seater venue on Little Hunter Street – is bringing to the CBD.

Tucked down a laneway, just around the corner from every local suit’s favourite watering-hole Ryan’s Bar and a stone’s throw from Justin Hemmes’ massive Merivale precinct, owner Chady Khouzame (The Carter) is not looking to compete with his neighbours. “We're not trying to go up against anyone,” Khouzame tells Broadsheet. “We're just trying to create like a relaxed, late-night venue where you can come and just chill and there's no pressure… if you want to dance, get up and dance, if you don't want to dance just chill, sit and hang out.”

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With a 42-seater ground level restaurant, that’s adorned with psychedelic oval mirrors, and a downstairs bunker-esque space seating 112 with deep pink-velvet cushioned booths, scattered tables and space for a DJ, this is where the party really get started. Look up and you’ll notice a deliberately unfinished ceiling with exposed pipes. Why? Khouzame took the ceiling out. He literally raised the roof.

“[I took] the roof out because we thought it lowered the height of the venue,” he says and the ceiling needs to be high because, without a dedicated dance floor, Khouzame is encouraging people to dance on the tables (or just shove them aside to create more room to dance – but, come on, dancing on the tables sounds way more fun!).

When it comes to the food menu, chef Graeme Hunt (ex-Chin Chin, ex-Rockpool Group) spent a lot of time with Khouzame’s mum Julie to create a mezze-style menu inspired by Khouzame’s Australian-Lebanese upbringing.

“She's the OG she taught all his brothers and sisters.” Hunt tells Broadsheet. “[She showed us] how much love goes into cooking things, how much garlic, making sure things are the right kind of texture, all the finer details.”
Julie has been tasting dishes at each stage and she wholeheartedly approves.

And yes, the kitchen will be open each night until close.

Zaffi
Little Hunter Street, Sydney

Hours:
Tue-Thu: noon-11pm
Fri: noon-4am
Sat: 5pm-midnight

zaffisydney.com.au