The Sausage Factory, Dulwich Hill

The first thing you'll notice about the Sausage Factory are the knitted sausages in the front window. They've all been handmade by Chrissy Flanagan, who adds pickle pro and Sausage Queen to a comprehensive list of long-forgotten skills. Chrissy is the force behind Chrissy's Cuts, a well-loved snag supplier at local markets, pop-up events (you may have eaten her sausage dogs at this year's Sydney Festival at The Beach in the Cutaway at Barangaroo Reserve) and restaurants (her camel sausage is on the menu at Anason).


Merchant Brewing Co earl grey tea and pear blonde ale $14

The Sausage Factory is a natural progression of their expansion, enabling customers to dine on sausages cooked in the same kitchen in which they were made. The space is small and cosy, a 30-seater restaurant filled every night with locals. Meat hooks from its former life as a Greek butchery have been deliberately maintained, but there's also a long open shelf stacked with pickles, jams and gourmet salts.

All tables are walk-in only although there is a large birthday table that can be reserved for six to ten people. They've also recently had their alcohol licence granted which means an interesting list of beers (earl grey tea and pear blonde ale with a sloth on the label!) and gin and tonics with native rosemary.


Dinner for two $55
Five sausages with pickles, bread and choice of salad

The menu is short and sweet. Choose from eight different meat sausages and three salads. Vegetarians can order the scamorza cheese, zucchini, almond and currant "sausage". Sausages are also coeliac-friendly.

Order by the sausage for $8 each (served with pickles and condiments) or get the dinner for two for $55 that includes your choice of five sausages, pickles, bread and your choice of salad. If that's still too much, you can get a sausage in a bread roll with tomato sauce for $11.


[L-R]: Chicken thigh with preserved lemon, honey and oregano;
Pork shoulder with bacon and maple syrup;
Beef chuck with brown sauce and worcestershire;
Camel pastourma;
Lamb shoulder with sumac and mint

We opt for the dinner for two. Our sausage selection covers one of each beast. Somehow we end up with two extra from the kitchen because a couple have burst their skins. Eight bucks a snag might sound a little steep until you realise each sausage is made using free range meat with no gluten or preservatives. They're a far cry from the usual sausage sizzle suspects.

These sausages have a noticeable meatiness without any of the greasiness you get from cheaper offerings. Of the four types we try, it's no surprise that my favourite is the pork shoulder with bacon and maple syrup. There's only a hint of sweetness but it works brilliantly. The camel pastourma is also a winner, a juicy number that's fragrant with Middle Eastern spices.


Apples in Poor Tom's gin, pickled carrots and radish, lemon garlic yoghurt and housemade beer mustard

All sausages are served with housemade pickles, thin discs of carrots and radish and slivers of apples macerated in Poor Tom's gin. And you can alternate between little pots of lemon garlic yoghurt and housemade beer mustard to add flourish to your sausage.

Radicchio, cauliflower, hazelnut and prune salad 

Don't go looking for mashed potatoes. There's a deliberate move away from this combo - although I can think of nothing finer than terrific sausages with Paris mash and gravy. Instead it's all about the veggies. We relished bitter crisp leaves of radicchio against finely shaved slices of raw cauliflower, cooked prunes and toasted hazelnuts.

The salad was included in our dinner for two but if you order this separately it'll cost you $14. Other salads include a pear beetroot labne combo plus a brussels sprout salad with popcorn shoots. Yep, that's the result of specific popcorn kernels germinated and planted so they sprout shoots.

And the biggest surprise of all we discovered during our dinner? Chrissy and her husband Jim are both still holding down day jobs, racing to the restaurant for weeknight and weekend trade. Props.



SMH Good Food Guide

Sydney's Top 20 Cheat Eats for 2017

And just in case you missed it, my list for Sydney's Top 20 Cheap Eats for 2017 came out as a cover story for Good Food. This is my third year in a row compiling this list for the Good Food Guide. It's never an easy list to compile, only because we're spoilt for choice in Sydney when it comes to incredible food options.

My mission this year was to finally throw a spotlight on all the suburban cheap eats that rarely get a mention in mainstream media lists. I couldn't fit in everyone but I hope I've provided a balanced cross-section of cuisines across the geographical megalopolis that is Sydney. Read the full list.






The Sausage Factory
380 New Canterbury Road, Dulwich Hill, Sydney

Opening hours
Wednesday to Friday 5pm-10pm
Saturday 4pm-10pm
Sunday 4pm-9pm

Walk-ins only.
Reservations available for the birthday table for 6-10 people only. Email chrissy@chrissyscuts.com.au


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