The rise and rise of casual dining
In the face of rising costs and a wave of closures, chefs are finding different ways of feeding diners with world-class food experiences.
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Times are tough for 99 per cent of Australians. Rising costs are turning the fiscal thumbscrews and, as a result, consumers are cutting back on spending. Restaurants are on the front line as already tight margins take a hammering.
But the economic cloud has a silver lining. The latest hospitality pivot is delivering the restaurant equivalent of the side hustle. It’s seeing top-tier chefs offering casual, creative alternatives to degustation menus. And whether it’s snacks and drinks or big bistro vibes, the tradies’ entrance to the fine dining world has never been more welcoming.
Take, for instance, Sydney institution Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, where mandatory set menus were introduced in the main dining room. Thrift-conscious customers are nudged, instead, towards the more flexible bar menu. No great hardship when it opens up a world of accessible excellence, including head chef Alex Prichard’s whole beast hotdog.
“I think casual, affordable dining needs to be somewhat familiar and craveable,” Prichard says. “The value from it comes from zero waste. Whether you’re having fish and chips in the Icebergs bar, or a piece of charcoal-roasted coral trout in the dining room, they are all handled, sourced and prepared with the same level of care and detail.”
Prichard’s repertoire means he can also be found exploring the creative possibilities of pub grub at Darlinghurst’s The Waratah. He’s gone big on retro Aussie charm, with dishes like fairy bread ice-cream sandwiches, while kangaroo tail party pies will feature throughout May during the month-long food festival, American Express delicious. Month Out.
“It’s nice to be able to cook and offer people the food I would eat at home or the food I would love to see on menus when I go to these kinds of venues,” Prichard says.
He will also collaborate with Icebergs alum Steven Sinclair in May at Sinclair’s new home, Jacksons on George, creating a snack-friendly menu at the venue’s bars for the Month Out. Diners can drop by without a booking for bites like Sinclair’s Maremma duck sausage roll, or Prichard’s salt and pepperberry “popcorn” croc.
Top chefs across Australia are dipping their toes into aperitivo hours and express menus. Sometimes they’re going the whole hog and opening offshoot bars as the diffusion label to their bigger-spending motherships.
Cases in point: Gildas, Lennox Hastie’s pintxos and sherry-loving spin-off to Sydney’s Firedoor; and Andrew McConnell’s Melbourne-based Apollo Inn, the stylish little sibling to high-flying Gimlet. In May, for the Month Out, both venues will offer drink and snack pairings.
In Melbourne, big news concerns a very small restaurant. Helly Raichura’s Enter Via Laundry hosts only 20 diners a night for regional Indian-themed degustation menus that take upwards of three hours. It’s generally booked out weeks in advance.
But a new bar welcomes walk-ins (it’s a no-bookings zone) with a punchy list of Indian-Australian cocktails and snacks like Kashmiri monji gaade (think salty-spicy fried fish bites) and mini serves of Mughlai cold dessert falooda. The curious can sample the new offering in May for the Month Out program, with Raichura offering a one-off pairing menu of three cocktails with three snacks.
In Adelaide, chef Tom Tilbury has just revealed Aces Chinatown, a playful new direction for the Press and Coriole graduate.
“It’s a bit of fun,” Tilbury says. “After you have your meal, you can break out and have a dance.”
In May, Aces will throw a house-warming party for American Express delicious. Month Out, letting the southern capital witness what happens when a fine-dining chef lets their
hair down.
The allure of these alternative spaces, for owners and punters alike, is plain to see. A low-pressure ethos entices more diners into once-exclusive spaces, nurturing a new clientele while proving that sometimes, chefs just want to have fun, too.
As group chef for Queensland’s star Anyday Group, Adam Wolfers knows how to deliver fun dining as well as fine dining across a mix of casual and higher-end venues: Agnes, sAme sAme, Bianca, Honto and Agnes Bakery. He’s a firm believer that it’s important to deliver customers variety.
“We want to give people what they want: options,” he says.
“More and more, people are looking for venues that can offer a fantastic atmosphere with equally amazing food and drinks – without crazy prices or having to be in formal attire every time. At Anyday, our venues are versatile, warm and welcoming, whether you are wanting to enjoy a casual and simple meal or wanting to get all dressed up for a special celebration.”
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