Previous SlideNext Slide

“There’s nothing left except the horse,” White Horse hotel director Craig Hemmings says of a meticulous, ground-up revamp of the landmark Surry Hills venue.

The galvanised steel, life-sized statue of the rearing horse has remained atop the 1930s property, overseeing multimillion-dollar renovations below, the cost of entry to the upper echelons of Sydney’s cut-throat hospitality scene.

They had hoped to swing open the saloon doors last spring after luring star WA chef Jed Gerrard across the Nullarbor.

“It cost a couple of million [dollars] to bring it up to code,” Hemmings says.

By the time the White Horse’s slick dining room and luxe bar open on Wednesday, April 17, the renovation price tag will have hit $6 million.

Hemming was a colt when he opened The Third Man restaurant on Kellett Street in Potts Point 35 years ago, and he’s seen a few rodeos (or rather, the opening of 15 hospitality venues) since. But each time, there are new and sometimes shocking requirements.

“We had a toilet door consultant,” he says.

The result from design shop Farago Han Studio is impressive. White Horse’s dedication to being a serious dining destination begins on the ground floor, where it’s reclaimed the pub’s bar as a restaurant, with neutral tones, bold artwork, French oak tables and a mix of Danish and local chairs.

The first floor has been transformed into a luxe bar, with a rooftop terrace and a private dining room overlooking the treetops of the adjacent park.

Hemmings forged his career at top-end Sydney restaurants such as Guillaume at Bennelong, and while he wants White Horse to deliver high-end food, he isn’t looking to recoup its extravagant reconstruction costs overnight.

He says he’d rather offer punters value for their money.

It’s a sentiment echoed by chef Jed Gerrard. He points to a dish on the opening menu of wagyu tri-tip with chestnut mushrooms and a mushroom sabayon. Gerrard tapped into his relationship with Pilbara producer Pardoo wagyu to bring the Western Australia product with him.

“We’ll have it on the menu for $45, in other restaurants, it might be twice the price,” he says.

WA marron also appears on the opening menu, perched on a risotto base of
arborio rice and creamed corn. A toothfish dish has a squid ink glaze, and Berkshire pork jowl is matched with sugarloaf cabbage and nashi pear.

Hemmings has reassembled much of the team from his time at Black by Ezard, a restaurant at The Star. Head chef Gerrard worked there before relocating to Perth, where he took on executive chef positions at a series of hotel chains, including The Ritz-Carlton, and remains culinary director at Wills Domain in Margaret River. James Audas (Lo-Fi Wines, Noma) and Michael Chiem (PS40, Sokyo) have taken on consulting roles, while Maureen Er (Tetsuya’s, Manly Greenhouse) has come on board as White Horse’s general manager.

The plan was to reimagine the White Horse through a contemporary
lens, says Hemmings. “We’re thrilled to bring this old girl back to life.”

Open Wed-Sun from 5pm (hours to extend in May).

381 Crown Street, Surry Hills, thewhitehorse.com.au