The team behind 40Res opens Surry Hills bakery Little River - hospitality

The new opening at 44 Reservoir Street from Josh Raine and Keliann Zellman was born from a desire to create a place that feels part of the everyday rhythm of Surry Hills. While their first venue, 40Res, focusses on produce-led cooking and boutique wines, Little River offers somewhere to pick up fresh bread, pastries, and to grab a coffee. The Little River venue, which is named after the couple’s son, River, neighbours 40Res and was originally considered as a private dining space for the restaurant.

However, a bakery was something Raine and Zellman say they have talked about doing for years. Coffee is sourced from Toby’s Estate, and bread and pastries will be made fresh on site every day, with the morning counter featuring classics such as croissants, pain au chocolat, and cinnamon buns, alongside seasonal pain suisse and Danish pastries.

The team will make use of botanicals and Australian ingredients, and wattleseed will be a signature house flavour, appearing across breads, pastries, and savoury dishes. The savoury offering includes a pork and fennel sausage roll and kangaroo Scotch egg, alongside a changing selection of pies, savoury bakes, and made-to-order sandwiches.

A number of Little River’s offerings will also be reimagined from the 40Res kitchen, with dishes and ingredients from the restaurant translated into food designed for the bakery. This includes the 48-hour slow-cooked wagyu steak bake which is wrapped in Pepe Saya butter puff pastry.

Bakers Hannah and Joe Gray are at the heart of the opening, whose story with Raine began years ago at Tetsuya’s. Joe built his career in fine dining, including time as junior sous chef at two Michelin-starred Midsummer House in Cambridge.

Hannah trained as a sourdough baker at The School of Artisan Food in Nottinghamshire. The pair met in Cambridge before travelling to Australia and eventually joining Raine during his time as executive chef at Tetsuya’s.

Joe continued to work in some of Sydney’s most respected kitchens, while Hannah moved into artisan bread under Raine’s guidance. The pair returned to the UK and opened Little Sugar in 2021, earning a following for their handcrafted sourdough and pastries.

Raine says bringing Hannah and Joe back to Sydney felt pretty special. “We’ve all worked together in different chapters of our careers, and Little River brings a lot of those experiences back together.

“It’s about making beautiful things, using great produce, and creating somewhere that feels like it belongs in the neighbourhood.” Little River will also offer corporate catering, and guests dining at 40Res will be able to add bread and pastries from the Little River menu to their evening order to take home at the end of dinner.

The Little River provisions store will expand in the coming weeks to include 40Res vinaigrettes, lobster bisque base to finish and cook at home, handmade pastas, and pantry items made in-house. Zellman says Little River is the daytime extension of what they love about 40Res. “It’s about the same attention to quality and hospitality, but in a way that becomes part of people’s everyday lives,” says Zellman.

“We wanted it to feel useful, welcoming and very much part of the neighbourhood.” Little River is open Wednesday to Saturday from 7am to 2pm, and Sunday from 7am to 1pm.

Photography by Ethan Smart.

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