Here’s What Sydney’s Most Renowned Chefs Are Doing This Year

 

We've already mentioned all the new restaurants we want to try this year. 

But what are our favourite venues without the exquisite chefs behind the scenes? Out of curiosity, we decided to do a bit of a deep dive into what our favourite chefs are up to this year. And despite the damper that COVID put on the entire hospitality industry last year, it looks like we have a lot to look forward to in 2021. 


What Sydney’s Best Chefs Are Doing in 2021


Kylie Kwong 

Image: @kylie_kwong

Kylie Kwong has been fairly quiet the last couple of years, ever since closing her flagship restaurant Billy Kwong in June 2019. It had a nineteen-year run, during which time the restaurant moved from its original location in Surry Hills to Potts Point.

Since then, this top chef has been keeping herself occupied with smaller projects—including a collaboration earlier this year with funky pho chain Eat Fuh, for which she created a special dish to celebrate the Vietnamese Lunar New Year.

Now, she’s gearing up for her hotly anticipated new opening at the brand spanking new South Eveleigh drinking and dining hub. Details so far have been scarce, but we’re expecting Kwong’s signature riffs on Australian-Chinese fusion and strong collaborations with local producers. Keep an eye out for Josh Niland of Fish Butchery, Boon Luck Farm’s Palisa Anderson, and plenty of ingredients plucked fresh from South Eveleigh's Indigenous rooftop garden.  


Neil Perry 

In the midst of the pandemic, Neil Perry, one of Australia's best-known chefs, announced his retirement from the Rockpool Dining Group. He had spent 40 years behind the pans at some of the country’s biggest restaurants, founding hatted venues like Rockpool Bar and Grill, Spice Temple and Rosetta. 

His retirement came as something of a surprise to the industry, but it wasn’t a conventional retirement; he was kept busy working with Hope Delivery, the charitable organisation that worked to feed struggling hospitality workers. 

Alongside that, he also started working on a 500-page cookbook. And now, he’s piling more onto his plate with a new venue in Double Bay. Expected to open by June, the unnamed restaurant—which will not be part of the Rockpool group—will be situated on iconic Bay Street. He’s aiming for a neighbourhood-diner vibe, something he says fits with our new post-COVID local area lives, and will be open all day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night drinks. 


Matt Moran 

Matt Moran is easily one of Australia’s most recognised chefs; after opening his first restaurant in 1991, he’s gone on to open some of the most famous restaurants in the country. His most notable is Aria, which he opened in 1999. To this day, Moran is still responsible for each seasonal menu. 

Last year, hospitality group Solotel, which encompasses all Moran’s restaurants, announced the January closure of their Art Gallery of NSW venue, Chiswick at the Gallery. There wasn’t much in the way of downtime for the chef-restaurateur—Chiswick was replaced last month by Crafted by Matt Moran.

Moran collaborates with catering company The Fresh Collective to oversee the all-day venue, which will have a Mediterranean-style menu with the same focus on local produce, meat and seafood as Moran’s other projects. It’s backed up by a strong wine list and function venues with views across Sydney Harbour and Woolloomooloo. 

Later in the year, Aria is set to convert part of the restaurant into a relaxed wine bar. It’s a logical next step for the eatery, which is known for its spectacular, oft-awarded wine list—with more than 1700 bottles available. 

The bar will stand in contrast to the original formal restaurant concept, offering walk-ins and bar snacks alongside wines by the glass or bottle and cocktails. 


Allesandro Pavoni 

Image: @alexpavoni

Brescian-born chef Alessandro Pavoni made his first mark on Sydney's restaurant scene in 2009 with his first venture, Ormeggio at the Spit. The northern Italian diner, as well as its sister venue Chiosco by Ormeggio, have been enduringly popular ever since, but that hasn’t stopped Pavoni from looking into new projects. 

His new restaurant, a'Mare, opened in December at the long-awaited Crown Sydney complex at Sydney’s Barangaroo. A’Mare is a movement away from Ormeggio’s modern Italian, with a northern Italy Cucina povera-style with a strong focus on seafood. Appropriate, considering a’Mare means “at the seas” and its location is perched on the harbour. 


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Author Bio:

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Hannah Warren

Hannah was born in New Zealand and is based wherever she can set down a laptop. She's been playing with words since she could first pick up a pen, and in her spare time she's a pole dancer, pasta glutton and dog mum.


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