Stanley St Merchants

This place is a bit of a mystery wrapped in a work of progress surrounded by an opaque concept. I'm struggling to explain the idea behind the new Stanley St Merchants in Darlinghurst, but suffice to say that entrepreneurial start-up, Icon Park, crowd-sourced $281,370 from 830 backers to fund a new restaurant concept.

The field of hopefuls included a New York-style deli, a Deep South barbecue joint, and a Korean grill-karaoke bar, but, interestingly, an ethically sustainable restaurant foraging local ingredients won the most votes, and Stanley St Merchants opened its doors in early May, for a three-month gig. Apparently, those who backed the concept get priority booking and redeem their seeding money in meals, but I'm still getting my head around the details. As are they.

SSM sees the coming-together of some lively young talent from all over Australia, including Matt Stone, who won hearts at his previous Sydney gig, the Greenhouse eco-canteen pop-up in Circular Quay in 2011; fellow chef Duncan McCance of Melbourne's Collective Espresso; bar manager Bobby Carey (Shady Pines); and West Winds' Jez Spencer, who makes a mean gin with hidden depths of flavour.

Best spots are up on the long bar facing a very vintage, kitcheny-kitchen operating behind two graphic grilles of steel mesh. It's a bit like being at the zoo. There's a sense of adventure to dining here - a hoarding might fall down halfway through service, an oven cark it, or an artist deliver the mural for the planned upstairs bar. But it all just rolls along, and you're advised to roll with it, working your way through foraged wood sorrel from Bronte on a snappy mix of fermented vegetables ($7), or a darkly smoky eggplant dip ($14) with baba ghanoush spices, served with house-made bread dusty with za'atar. There are spicy crisped crickets ($9), and a squishy-soft slider of tender beef tongue and crunchy kim chi ($6) that's good with a Negroni, but, then, most things are good with a Negroni.

Bigger dishes are shareable, especially a brilliant array of charred vegetables ($18), the beetroot, parsnip and shallots topped with sea bananas and warrigal greens, and daubed with lush house-made labna. Kangaroo ($30) is crusty and rare, hit with those mad flavour bombs of astringency that are Australian native fruits; and twice-cooked chicken ($29) is a terrific dish - very together. Confit thigh and crisp-skinned, pan-roasted supreme sit on a bed of creamed corn, along with Jerusalem artichoke chips, fried corn silks and a snow cover of popped corn. It's not clear from where the corn cobs have been foraged, nor the quince and macadamia for an impressively autumnal gathering of creams and crunches alongside a dreamy buttermilk ice-cream ($15), but let's not ruin a good story.

The wine list is short, sweet and sassy, and Rollo Crittenden's rich and savoury 2012 Los Hermanos ''homage to Catalonia'' from Mornington ($70) is great with the 'roo.

Going from nought to being open for breakfast, coffee, lunch, drinks and for Melbourne's St Ali coffee and pastries in-between, takes its toll on the keen floor staff, with everyone flat-chat just getting things out.

The sense of being invented on the hop makes Stanley St a lively, joyful sort of place. There are lots of rough edges, a heavy hand with sea salt, and a few dud tables, but the food is good, the drinks are good, and the timing is now. How it will make money for all those involved, and what happens after the three-month gig, I have no idea, but they do make it fun to subsidise them in the meantime.

Terry Durack is chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and senior reviewer for the Good Food Guide. This rating is based on the Good Food Guide scoring system.

tdurack@fairfaxmedia.com.au

THE LOW-DOWN
Best bit: The long counter, open to kitchen and bar
Worst bit: Getting cricket legs stuck in your teeth
Go-to dish: Chicken, corn, Jerusalem artichoke, $29