One of Sydney’s most memorable restaurant experiences is hidden away in Surry Hills – Le Salle Dining by Bar Chaplin.

The intimate, two-person operation is run by Chef Patrick Dang and his co-owner and partner Ederlyn Oloresisimo, who have a simple philosophy for their labour of love: good food, good service, and a good time.

Dang has trained and worked in kitchens around the world with big names including Gordon Ramsay and Luke Mangan, while Oloresisimo was formerly at Vue de Monde, Society and Fire Door.

The name of their restaurant pays homage to famed silent movie actor Charlie Chaplin.

“Charlie Chaplin’s movies didn’t have scripts; they communicated through action,” the chef explains. “Cooking is the same for me. It’s about letting the food speak for itself.”

Serving only 10-14 seats per evening, Le Salle offers a reservation-only dining experience that feels more like a meal at a friend’s home than a traditional restaurant outing.

Drinks Digest enjoyed the semi-private dining room atmosphere during one of Le Salle’s famed degustation dinners, which featured a five-course menu paired with nine French wines curated by Ian Barr, from Euan McKay Wine Merchant.

Here’s a taste of the collaboration:

Throughout the evening, Dang shared his philosophy on wine-centric cooking and the inspirations behind each course.

“I love to celebrate the harmony of food and wine,” he said. “Therefore we strive not to serve the same food as other restaurants. We also try not to put wine labels that you can find commonly. We are simply doing food matching wines instead of wines matching food.

“I also stay within the continental cooking and don’t play around with too many spices – I want the wines to shine with too much going on the plate.

“If you have to pinpoint a particular wine region which is suitable to my kind of cooking, I would say French, Spanish and Italian varieties of grapes would work well with my favourite Mediterranean influence.”

Watching Dang prepare each of the courses in the open kitchen was incredible and so was the food.

We kicked off with a fabulous Champagne from a small producer called J. Lassalle, which was probably our pick of the night, although all the French wines served were superb and eloquently introduced by Barr.

Each course was intensely flavoured and visually striking. From the smoked oyster cream garnished first course to the head-to-tail angus beef tasting – even including the tongue – it was a night we will never forget.

Le Salle Dining by Bar Chaplin is at 1/18 Hutchinson St, Surry Hills NSW. It offers a four-course menu plus an assortment of cheeses ($108), or five-course menu ($118), both by reservation only,