Steak restaurant set to replace celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s trattoria in Parramatta

Jamie Oliver couldn’t make it work in Parramatta but now Solotel, with the help of Matt Moran, are hoping to have better luck opening Chophouse where the Italian restaurant once stood.

Chophouse will be coming to Parramatta. The steak joint with directors Matt Moran and Bruce Solomon will head to Parramatta in October taking over the site of Jamie Oliver's restaurant in Centenary Square.

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Celebrity chef Matt Moran has had a hand in choosing Parramatta for the location of the latest premium restaurant to land in the city.

Mr Moran, and co-director for Solotel Group Bruce Solomon, have chosen the former Jamie’s Italian site, on the corner of Church and Macquarie St, for an expansion of Solotel’s city grill Chophouse.

Matt Moran and Bruce Solomon

Jamie’s Italian shut its doors at Parramatta’s Centenary Square in early June, after it failed to negotiate its lease contract with landlord Aussie Home Loans.

The Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group (Australia) Pty Ltd collapsed in April, less than a year after the celebrity chef made an appearance in Parramatta to relaunch the six restaurants operating under his name.

It will be a homecoming of sorts for Mr Moran, who started in the kitchen at Parramatta RSL while he was still at school.

Chophouse, described as New York-styled steakhouse, opened in 2008 on Bligh St in the city, with the Parramatta spot the second iteration of the restaurant.

The steak house is known for their huge cuts of meats, with head chef Scott Kim.

The grill is described as a culinary and visual experience.

Mr Solomon said the grill would replicate the CBD steakhouse out west.

“Many of our CBD customers are from Sydney’s western suburbs so we knew it was only right to bring the Chophouse experience to them. As the heart of the west, Parramatta is an area of rapid growth with a great restaurant culture, so we knew it was the place and time to make the move,” Mr Solomon said.

Steak include the renowned Tomahawk, which is 1.5kg of premium steak.

“We’ve had our eye on expanding west for a while now, and when the offer to open a restaurant in the hub of Parramatta presented itself we couldn’t say no.”

Solotel already own Parramatta’s Albion Hotel, operating the pub favourite since 1986.

The restaurant is expected to bring up to 40 new jobs to the area, with the roles of head and executive chef expected to be announced closer to the opening.