The water has followed chef Louis Tikaram throughout much of his life and career, from his upbringing on the NSW North Coast to Stanley’s riverside home in Brisbane. In September, that connection will bring him back to Sydney with a new 212-seat restaurant at Manly Wharf.
The opening will mark a return to the city where Tikaram spent 10 years developing as a chef. After arriving in Sydney as a young apprentice, he worked in the kitchens of Longrain, Bentley Restaurant + Bar and Tetsuya’s.
His return will place him beside the harbour at a venue shaped around Stanley’s Cantonese cooking, shared dining format and focus on Australian produce.
A Coastal Connection Leads To Manly Wharf
Tikaram grew up on the NSW North Coast, with surfing, fishing and time around the ocean forming part of his early life. Manly’s relationship with the water made the wharf a natural setting for Stanley’s first Sydney restaurant.
The chef also plans to reconnect with producers and suppliers across the city as the new menu takes shape. Australian seafood, meat and seasonal produce will be prepared using Cantonese cooking traditions, continuing the approach established at Stanley’s Brisbane venue.
The restaurant’s name and concept draw inspiration from Stanley Bay in Hong Kong, another dining precinct closely associated with the waterfront.
Cantonese Dining Designed For The Harbour
The Manly restaurant will accommodate 212 diners across indoor and outdoor areas. It will also include a private dining room, dedicated bar, live seafood tanks and a custom-built duck oven.
Tableside Peking duck service will carry across from Brisbane, while live mud crab, Australian seafood and a dedicated wine program will form part of the Manly offering.
Meals will be designed for sharing, reflecting Stanley’s family-style approach. Its wider philosophy centres on food, friends, fishermen and farmers, with locally sourced produce used where possible alongside traditional Cantonese flavours.
Rather than reproducing the Brisbane restaurant without change, the Manly venue will adapt the concept to its Sydney Harbour location.
Stanley’s Journey From Brisbane
The original Stanley opened at Howard Smith Wharves in 2019, operating beneath Brisbane’s Story Bridge. It developed its menu around shared Cantonese dishes, Australian seafood and tableside Peking duck.
Its move into Sydney is being led by Artemus Group, the hospitality company behind Howard Smith Wharves and the continuing revitalisation of Manly Wharf. The restaurant will join the group’s expanding collection of venues at the wharf.
Stanley will operate from East Esplanade at Manly Wharf, with bookings already open ahead of its scheduled September 2026 launch.
When the doors open, Tikaram will be back beside the water in Sydney, this time leading his own Cantonese restaurant at the wharf.
Published 23-July-2026
