The Herring Room

For Angela Heracleous, it’s all about people. After owning Potts Point’s Sardine Room, she brought her locals-first approach to the northern beaches in August 2015. She and husband Rodney Walsh aim to serve sustainable seafood in an intimate, experience-driven environment.

The menu touches on Peruvian, Sri Lankan, Thai and other cuisines with its seafood-centric dishes. The whole, deep-fried baby snapper was created by the team’s Thai cook as an homage to his hometown and comes with onion, chilli, ginger and soy glaze or red curry sauce. There’s also seared yellowfin tuna with an olive tapenade. And Tasmanian salmon with eggplant tagine. Leave room for dessert: the banoffee pie is a standout. Produce is predominantly from local and regional suppliers, with Poulos Brothers and Signature Oysters for the seafood.

The space evokes the feeling of a familiar, warm home. There’s a fireplace in one room and closely spaced tables throughout. Subway tiles line the tall bar, which is stacked high with beer, wine and spirits – including Manly Spirits gin. The design speaks to the 1920s bones of the place: it’s simple, with soft wood tones and candles drawing attention to where it belongs: to the food and drink.