‘We wanted to give the public something new after 20 years,’ said Dansereau, who took the reins at Bathers’ in 1998 and transformed it in to the critically-acclaimed eatery it remains today. ‘It was time for a change. Lots of people say, “We like it the way it was before”, but it’s a change for the better. The timing is right now that I’ve got a new 20-year lease.’

The lease was granted to Dansereau in April, and came with another huge development — Dansereau acquired a ‘50-50’ partner in restaurateur Ian Pageant (of MG Garage, Fuel and Cleopatra’s). ‘Ian had been asking me for a few years if he could come in with me. I said, “Look, if I regain the lease, let’s go together.” And we did,’ said Dansereau.

The new Bathers’ was reimagined by Dansereau and Pageant, alongside Pageant’s daughter, Jessica Shirvington (wife of Olympian Matt), who has stepped in to a director role. While Dansereau will head up the day-to-day operations (‘I have to be visible — to my staff and to my customer,’ he said), Shirvington and her father will represent the overseeing of the new company and its key personnel, as well as forward structure and planning. ‘Bathers’ is ready for a new era that combines everything great about its past and a forward view to its future,’ said Shirvington. ‘It means a lot to many in the local community, including myself, and we think of this renovation akin to redoing the home. It’s personal.’

Shirvington said ‘no stone was left unturned’ in the revival of Bathers’, including a new team of top chefs: Cameron Johnston, formerly of St Claude as head chef, Kumiko Endo of Attica and Tetsuya as head pastry chef, Jess Mead as restaurant manager and Cam Fairbairn, co-owner of Acme, as GM of service.

‘There will be a lounge offering in the restaurant. The kiosk has expanded to give more of a casual ‘sandy feet’ feel and we will be opening the first floor ‘Louis Roederer Terrace’ for lunch on Sundays,’ said Shirvington. ‘The interior throughout has been completely overhauled.’

This coveted job was awarded to interior design team Luchetti Krelle, who recently created the aesthetics for Manly venues The Greenhouse and Sake. For director Rachel Luchetti, who lives locally, designing the new Bathers’ was a privilege as well as a labour of love. ‘Being involved in the refresh of this truly iconic establishment has been especially significant to me on a deep personal level, having grown up in the area and now raising my own young family nearby,’ Luchetti said. ‘Balmoral and Bathers’ in particular holds a very special place in my heart and soul — it’s truly a magical place.

‘The redesign is more of a sensitive evolution than complete reinvention. The iconic nature of the building demanded a sympathetic and gentle response where the 1920s heritage and its Moorish inspired charm is celebrated. Custom and designer furniture pieces are carefully curated among artworks and objects that are thought-provoking and emotionally moving.’

But it’s not just the interior transformation that diners can expect. The menus have been reinvigorated too. Favourites (‘The pepper steak, the mussels, some of the pizza…’) remain, but ‘in general it’s going to be all new dishes,’ said Dansereau. ‘The restaurant will continue to do what I’ve been doing for the last 30 years, but just a little bit more coastal. Most of the produce is from Australia. Marron from Western Australia, is probably the most, in a sense, extravagant — then you’ve got truffle from Tasmania or the Southern Island, softshell crab from Queensland …. We’re trying to be as sustainable as possible.’

Sustainability is another new focus — a welcome sign of the times. ‘We’re even trying to be more sustainable with how we handle the garbage,’ said Dansereau. ‘We’re exploring a regurgitator, instead of sending it to landfill.’

Even the crockery has an (expensive) new lease of life. ‘I decided that every single plate in the restaurant would be made by Malcolm Greenwood, who’s a potter from Mosman,’ said Dansereau. ‘He’s the best in Sydney. It is a beautiful plate, handmade with Japanese clay. It costs $14 a plate and I ordered 1,000 plates — so that’s $14,000.’

So how much is the total bill for renovations if that’s the cost of the plates? ‘Let’s put it as significant, you know? The amount reflects the new 20-year lease,’ Dansereau said.

For the French-Canadian chef, the excitement of the unveiling of Bathers’ is even more palpable, because of the uncertainty of the lease renewal. ‘The last two years have been difficult,’ he said. ‘It was never, I guess, totally certain if I was going to get a new lease. I was never worried but all my staff, my family (wife Yvette, son Sasha, 18, and daughter Celeste, 20), my friends, the bank, the accountant … everybody was super worried. I had to be the one who kept it calm, you know? But I’m starting to really feel the sense of renewal now.’

If the new lease hadn’t been offered, Dansereau said he would probably have moved up north (‘it’s my wife’s dream to do it eventually’, he said) for a quieter life, but you get the impression that he would be bereft without Bathers’ — and vice versa.

‘Bathers’ is my home, it’s my soul,’ he said. ‘I’ve been here for 20 years, and it’s big enough to keep me sharp and interested. There was a program on the ABC the other day saying that in my age group, which is sixties to seventies, it is either a time for decline or a renewal. I think I’m definitely having a renewal. I’ve never been as healthy and as strong in my life as I am now. I don’t feel that I’m in decline, let’s put it that way.’

Bathers’ Pavilion will reopen on Friday October 4. Visit batherspavilion.com.au.