Prince Dining Room restaurant review 2024

Troubled Fitzroy Street has been the kiss of death for restaurants— but will Prince Dining Room’s new Sydney chef mark the turning of the tide?

Prince Dining Room has changed … again. But the food, drinks and vibe are still great.

Deja vu? Fitzroy Street, St Kilda is doing deja new.

I’ve been to sad strip twice in two years — to review the same two restaurants.

First came The Saint, to see if the TV chef Karen Martini had changed the cursed corner pub. Turns out, she had with her kitchen presence taking the food and space from mediocre to marvellous in ten months.

Now 16 months later, I find myself back at the Prince Dining Room to see what incoming Sydney chef and culinary director Mitch Orr has done to the place. Deja … who?

Don’t worry, he’s the Jatz cracker up north, quite literally thanks to his Kiln party trick of peddling lone anchovy and smoked butter bickies for $10 a pop.

After The Prince’s former executive chef Dan Cooper flew the coop to Sydney, owner Andy Ryan must have seen this as a fair chef trade between states.

I’ve lost count how many times they’ve revamped the Prince. I’ve also never had any serious gripes about the joint in any form, especially the last.

Rockefeller oysters are a great way to start.

I gushed over the wine, whipped butter-plastered pumpkin bread, sea bream tartare and all of those tarts! The Q-factor, quiet dining room, didn’t even bother me.

The 60-seater dining room looks the same — white-walled, timber floors, cushy booths and banquets for a date-night smooch. The drinks are still rightly fun, cocktails now available in 60ml fun sizes alongside standard pours, and wines largely Aussie by the glass.

Perhaps the biggest change is the appearance of the drinks menu: squishy like a baby’s bath book you’ll be fidgeting with it all night. On the food front, PDR’s play is simple.

If 2023 was its glam-era, this year is about grunge.

Anchovy crackers? In Victoria, we prefer crumpets.

The roast potato salad you’ll swoon over.

There’s a cool-edge, a spunk and playfulness to Orr’s vision, expertly executed by former Pipi’s Kiosk head chef Ben Parkinson, a menu so well-built and balanced you’ll want to order, well, everything.

Rockefeller oysters ($7 each), flame blasted in their shells and slippery with smoked butter and textural golden breadcrumbs. What a treat.

Anchovies curled over pikelet-sized crumpets ($10), dripping in even more smoked butter and chives, are an utter joy served warm. I’d go back for another, then some.

And we do get out kitschy cracker dish: 10 Savoys (ahem, that’s Victorian for Jatz) for scooping fridge-cold crab cocktail ($28).

Whole flounder with a jazzy curry sauce will have your heart aflutter.

Prepare for flame-powered cooking.

All your bingo-card trends are at play: duck hearts whacked over woodfire, cured bonito, trout AND seafood, fluffy goats curd for swiping, though by the time we hit mains there’s a whack of nostalgia.

You could get a steak or a fillet of fish, but we opt for whole flounder (market price).

Grill-kissed, wading in a chirpy Malaysian yellow curry; the recipe borrowed from ex-work mate Anand Ramakrishna’s mum.

The sauce is delightful, with enough season and spice to keep things interesting — I just wish there was more of it.

The glazed quince, ginger cake and chicory ice cream.

I enjoyed the sides.

A modern take on the retro spud salad ($20) lives up to its “better than mums” reputation. Smooshed roasted kipflers tickled with a sensible dose of woodfire smoke and ranch sing with every, creamy, carb-filled bite.

They’re almost as good as the sprouts ($20), sexy and flame-tossed until gnarly with caramel curled edges.

$20 for sides? Yes really. Though they punch-above, and two could easily sub in for and cost less than one main.

Save room for dessert. The madeleines ($10 for two) have a warmth and vanilla bean sweetness that’s matched by a tart rhubarb jam. Or the quince and toasted chicory ice cream sundae ($18), layered with hot takes of festive ginger cake.

Did we really need another revamp? Is the unknown Sydney chef really a drawcard for the tumultuous Fitzroy St strip? Do the eating public even care about any of this?

I doubt it. They’re here for the food and with the new-look Prince Dining Room, it’s party upfront, nostalgia out back and a whole lotta deja-woo.