Food & Hospitality Restaurant Openings & a Taste of What Was 2020

Coogee in Common Image Via Broadsheet

Coogee in Common
Image Via Broadsheet

Food & Hospitality Restaurant Openings & a Taste of What Was 2020

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Although 2020 will be remembered in Australia (and the world) for all the wrong reasons, hospitality operators continued to push the boundaries, open new concepts providing a welcome haven for Australians at large with new experiences that raised our spirits and reminded us that life, food and hospitality will not only survive but thrive.

There are stand out restaurants and bars that have opened across Australia with new and enticing food and beverage as well those who have traded through the ups and downs continuing to deliver excellent food and service.

Here we highlight a few of the many new ones (and can’t wait to try) and share a recent food experience at Ish in Melbourne.

A part of saying goodbye to 2020, our group of culinary colleagues shared dinner at Ish last Saturday evening. Making the reservation was easy, the booking was re-confirmed with a personal call at 3pm and via an email at 4pm last Saturday. With this level of efficiency, I knew the evening was going to be good one; and it was.

The food and service were both excellent, staff were well trained and practiced the art of true restaurant hospitality. There were two modern Indian menus of offer, the first was the Ish Banquet for $65 pp offering three courses including three dishes for the entrée poppadums followed & kachumber salsa,  pulled confit of duck tacos and vada pav rolls, the main course was a delicious Kerala beef fry along with a selection of hot and cold vegetables, basmati rice and a garlic naan, the portion sizes were ample and the flavours intense and memorable  The essence of this food lies in the authenticity of the flavours and slow cooking of the beef dish. To end the meal, we were all treated to sweet and delicious Gulab Jamun Tiramisu.

The second menu option was $85pp, Ish Celebration, which consisted of four courses.  We will leave this delight for our next visit which I hope is very soon.  Whilst the wine is humble with limited local wines; there is an invitation to browse the reserve wine list. However, there is a good selection of classic and Indian inspired cocktails, Indian whiskies and of course Kingfisher beer.

This modern Indian restaurant aims to please, and it did. The owner’s presence is obvious and he’s very hands-on. A definite for 2021, if you’re lucky enough to secure a booking. ENJOY!

Andrew McConnell added to his stable of great restaurants with Gimlet, a classy fit out cocktail bar and Euro dinner with upmarket snacking options – caviar service & oysters anyone?! – to wood fired meat, bread and yes, dessert. The high ceilings, chunky pillars, prominent bar, art deco design, Chicago-esque inspired restaurant looks as if it has always been there as a stable friend to all looking for a late afternoon champagne to a late evening bottle of vintage Barossa shiarz.

Just up the road from Gimlet is the soon to be hotspot at 80 Collins street with another art deco inspired space, Nick and Nora’s champagne and cocktail bar has opened adding another staple to the Speakeasy group in Melbourne. The food unashamedly leans on charcuterie, cheese boards & canapes as a simple companion to the main event. Beef chicharron, mussel cream, ras el hanout and Lamb tartare, macadamia cream, cured egg yolk to name a few with the ability to individually order from 9 different charcuterie meats and 8 cheeses is a welcome touch. 

Ok, Saint Peter has been around for a few years but with a complete remodel this year removing the table/chair concept in favour of a long slab of stone thinly separating the chefs from 22 customers on bench stools – let the show begin! The intimate experience watching Josh Niland and his team deftly demonstrate their skill and espousing the ‘fin to scale’ (and everything in between) philosophy is a must see & taste experience.

Bar 83 opened at Sydney tower (83 floor of course) sporting a 70’s retro red and gold vibe with expansive views over Sydney. And while typically the views will impress, often the beverage and food does not quite measure up but in this case with Jenna Hemsworth (ex-Hubert and Baxter Inn and 2018 Bartender of the Year, by Australian Bartender) managing the venue the cocktails and wine list are set to impress.

It is fair to say that Queensland has had a pretty good run this year compared to other states but they have had significant casualties, Arc dining among them. But as with other major cities openings galore and none more set for success than Agnes with a fairly stacked experience base – head chef Ben Williamson, Tyron Simon, Bianca Marchi and Frank Li. 

The chefs assemble their daily changing dishes on a set of counters overlooking the dining room and mezzanine private dining space – with only a prehistoric fire to cook with – no gas or electricity. A downstairs holding pen bar and roof top provided extra space for a few drinks from an extensive wine list. The food is dictated by what is fresh in the markets that day but that doesn’t stop them from planning ahead with a 70 day dry aged piece of heritage pork.  

From the creative mind of Jonathan Barthelmess (Greca restaurant) Yoko Dining is a double storey izakaya at Howard Smith Wharves. With a 100 seats inside, spit between the levels with a further 70 seats outside the look and feel is straight out of Tokyo including the vinyl records. The kitchen is well looked after by Kitak Lee ex Kisume and Momfuku who has delivered a mix of tempura, sashimi, nigiri, noodles and grilled meats to please just about anyone. The beverage list has a great mix of Australian and Japanese including a good range of Saki but also a long list of Japanese whisky.

 

Koomo in Adelaide has opened on the 10th floor of the Crowne Plaza Hotel and has a Japanese fusion leaning menu helmed by Head chef Patrick Chung who has a Fijian background. Being a hotel restaurant it does conform a little to meet the market demand but who could argue with picking up the hotel phone and ordering a chicken katsu sandwich? In addition to the ramen, wagyu and tempura there are Chinese flavours that jump of the page with braised pork belly, nori and a sweet-and-sour sauce.  

From the folks at Bread in Common, Coogee in Common has opened in a refurbished historic building bringing it back to life not only with a great menu but also with a substantive garden that feeds the menu (pardon the pun). The daily menu features the gardens bounty every day as well as WA local suppliers providing Manjimup trout for instance. The food caters to all with a little snacks menu as well as a full dining room menu and if that was not enough you can purchase jams, chutneys and other kitchen essentials in the farm shop. Truly a beautiful indoor outdoor space that is worth driving a little out of the way below Fremantle, on a warm summer afternoon.

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Cover Image: Nick & Nora’s Melbourne
Image via Delicious