New restaurant Midden by Mark Olive opening at the Opera House in July

A new restaurant, Midden by Mark Olive, opened at the Opera House on Tuesday 4 July with celebrated Indigenous Australian chef and Bundjalung man Mark Olive at the helm.

Midden’s Ambassador Chef Mark Olive will create an exciting new culinary experience that draws on his Indigenous Australian heritage and heroes a produce-focused menu of native Australian ingredients – from wattle seed and bush honey to saltbush and succulents.

The new restaurant, currently trading as Portside and located in the Western Foyers, will be operated by Doltone Hospitality Group and introduces a new vision to the Opera House’s current line-up of renowned bars and restaurants.

Diners at the restaurant can enjoy seasonal menus with vibrant flavours inspired by millennia of traditional cuisine, including entrées like damper bread infused with native herbs served alongside whipped eucalyptus butter. Main courses include blue gum-smoked barramundi, wallaby shanks braised in bush tomato, and quandong-glazed chicken stuffed with warrigal greens. For an elegant harbourside brunch, matinee high teas will be served on Wednesdays and weekends.

“Opening a restaurant at the Sydney Opera House on Tubowgule, Gadigal country is a dream come true. I could not be prouder to follow in the pioneering footsteps of leading Indigenous Australians like Rhoda Roberts, Justine Saunders and Stephen Page who have brought incredible First Nations storytelling to this place over the past 50 years. Of course, the land on which the Opera House stands was a gathering place for ceremony and culture for thousands of years before the building itself was ever conceived and I hope the menu we’ve created will give guests a real taste of that millennia-old history and maybe even inspire some to cook with our vibrant native ingredients at home too,” said Midden Ambassador Chef Mark Olive.

“We’re excited to welcome celebrated Indigenous Australian chef Mark Olive and Doltone Hospitality Group on board. Together, they will deliver an inspiring new dining experience that embraces Australia’s distinct and diverse native produce within one of the most iconic settings in the world. Midden by Mark Olive will be integral to the Opera House and all it stands for, and I can’t wait for our visitors and audiences to enjoy this unique food offering that celebrates our First Nations’ heritage,” said Sydney Opera House Chief Customer Officer Jade McKellar.

“We are honoured that Doltone Hospitality Group was appointed by the Sydney Opera House to reimagine the dining experience for the Western Foyers. We are also thrilled to welcome renowned Indigenous Australian chef Mark Olive, who will bring his internationally acclaimed skills and culture to enhance and transform the restaurant with the opening of Midden by Mark Olive. Mark’s collaboration with us, along with his passion, creativity, and love of food, will take the Opera House on a wonderful new culinary journey,” said Doltone Hospitality Group Managing Director Joseph Murray.

Midden will open daily for lunch and dinner, with matinee high teas served every Wednesday and on weekends. For trading hours and bookings, visit the Sydney Opera House website.

Doltone Hospitality Group, an acclaimed and prestigious Australian-owned and managed hospitality company with over 30 individual branded venues, was appointed by the Opera House as the operator of its Western Foyers restaurant and theatre bars for a five-year term following a public tender process.