A Charming Rustic Restaurant: Meet Saddles

Situated on the site of a former nursery on a 28-acre property in Mount White, Saddles is a project signed by the John Singleton Group and White + Dickson Architects with Michelle Leslie supervising the interiors.
Above all, it replicates the typical Australian countryside setting, particularly with the large deck that overlooks the property’s dam.

Advertising mogul John Singleton is the name behind the venture, as chef Cameron Cansdell and his business partner Hayley take the helm.

The hacienda-style restaurant, about an hour outside Sydney, opened in 2018 and has an elegant “country aesthetic,” including saddles that double as bar stools.

Saddles is also a bakery – so even if you don’t want a full lunch, you can stop for a coffee.
“We wanted to create the feeling that the restaurant has been part of this region for a long time. Like a renovated interior shed, full of history and local elements,” says Michelle Leslie, Director of Michelle Leslie Studio.

The restaurant’s saddles are complemented by large sandstone fireplaces, as well as a small piano built into a wine bar.
There, customers are faced with a simple but healthy menu, including lamb, meat pies and preparations with meat soaked in red wine.

The saddle chairs are provided by saddler and artisan stuntman Heath Harris, who worked with Singleton on his Strawberry Hills Stud venture and appeared in the famous hill scene of The Man from Snowy River.

No wonder Saddles is the only Australian spot on the list of the “most beautiful restaurants in the world” of Condé Nast Traveller.