Ask Longshore Head and Co-Owner chef Jarrod Walsh about his approach to cooking and he’ll tell you it’s all about freestyling and breaking the rules.
“If we restrict ourselves, we’ll never grow and will just become robotic chefs – something that drives me crazy!” says the new owner of elegant seafood restaurant, Longshore.
And looking at what’s on offer, Jarrod’s certainly attempting to break a few rules.
Delivering on his take of combined seafood, Asian flavours and inspirations from Australian seas, Jarrod will serve his creations as 5-course tastings and, for the really experimental customer, snack flights served across 10 courses. This includes his sand whiting with XO pipi butter and native greens.
The restaurant is set over the former site of Automata in Chippendale and opened with his partner, Dorothy, following on from their success at the popular Hartsyard. Longshore will be based primarily around seafood, using fresh and sustainable ingredients, as well as a few meat dishes, including wagyu, made with pork loin and lamb.
Jarrod has a longstanding relationship with their local fishmonger, Wayno and source all of their fish from him because he knows exactly what they want and need. Jarrod works with a minimal waste approach and attempts to use any leftovers in other dishes included on the menu – even in the cocktails!
Early Career
Jarrod discovered his love of cooking during an apprenticeship with the Port Macquarie Panthers RSL club in late 2007. After realising that it was better than school, that he was quite good at it, he took the plunge and moved to Sydney to get more experience in a bigger kitchen.
He worked for the Intercontinental hotel in 2012, where he spent nearly 4 years learning about different styles of cooking and cultures.
If that didn’t teach him enough, Jarrod remembers his time working alongside Clayton Well at what was then the newly-opened Automata in Chippendale. This broadened Jarrod’s experience in seeing how Clayton created simple, minimalistic and delicious food. What Clayton taught him about food, the backend operational side was learned working at QT Hotel.
It was Hartsyard that really connected Jarrod and Dorothy to their hearts. They started working under head chef Gregory Llewellyn in 2018, and when the opportunity came up to buy it, they jumped at it.
“Having a restaurant that is totally yours gives you so much freedom and creativity that lets you really grow as a chef,” says Jarrod.
Inspiration
Jarrod gets his cooking inspirations from growing up in Port Macquarie, on the north coast of New South Wales, fishing and camping every season. As a busy chef, he has a lot less time, but still likes to go and fish as much as he can, acting as a chance to destress.
Jarrod and Dot also take time out with their team, planning meals together and enjoying each other’s company away from the pressure of the kitchen.
“I love meeting different people and making friends through shared interests and there is always a creative aspect to your job, which keeps it interesting,” says Jarrod.
“The best advice I can give to a younger chef is to stick with it! It doesn’t come easy and it takes a lot of sacrifice, but if you can see the reward it’s totally worth it.”
