Is Australia losing its appetite for fine dining?
IS FINE DINING on its way out? A recent spate of high-profile restaurant closures would suggest so.
FANS OF fancy food have had a fairly ordinary month.
First, there was the news that Sydney stalwart Marque would be shutting up shop.
Then there was a new blow delivered this morning — after three decades at the forefront of Australian fine dining, Neil Perry’s Rockpool will close its Sydney doors for the final time on July 30.
In a press statement, Perry, who is reportedly “sick of fine dining” said that the 66-chef-hatted Rockpool would be reopening as Eleven Bridge, a more “casual” dining experience.
“We’re moving away from that traditional concept of fine dining but maintaining all the elements that are crucial to great dining: excellent produce and service, and a contemporary style,” he said.
Perry has also been immersed in his new Burger Project chain (which has outlets offering affordable burgers around Melbourne and Sydney).
So do these high profile closures indicate that Australians have lost their appetite for fine dining?
delicious editor-in-chief Kerrie McCallum has certainly noticed a shift in recent years.
“We have developed an appetite for eating more casually both out and at home, with share dishes and plates a popular way to eat rather than individual plates,” she observes.
“Even our dinner party/entertaining at home habits are moving in this direction — rather than slaving over a stove to serve up individual plates at a dinner party, people understand that getting together to eat should be celebrated and enjoyed (and not stressful)”.
McCallum also believes awareness about using quality produce has risen and people know that you don’t need to “muck around” with it too much. You can let it shine on the plate by combining good but simple flavours.
“That shows more skill in fact, and creating something that has finesse but is less ‘stuffy’.”
She also thinks the shift in dining styles is symptomatic of how our lives are changing on a broader scale.
“We are even more casual dressers now — look at the rise of athleisure and the death of the formal three piece suit. Trainers are the new brogues. I think we still care about quality, but our lives are intense and busy and when we eat out or go out we want it to be good but we are drawn towards somewhere that makes us feel comfortable and relaxed in our busy, switched-on world.”
“We lack a sense of home and community so by going to a welcoming but elegant restaurant like No 1 Bent St where there is an excellent roast chicken salad and rice pudding to share in the middle of the table gives us a sense of belonging that other generations may have had.
“I don’t think our standards are lower, I think in fact they are higher when it comes to food and most things. But trying too hard (for example fussy dressing, fussy eating, fussy homes) is not the mood of the moment.”
Firedoor restaurant manager Raurri Fagan (who previously spent four years running Colin Fassnidge’s 4Fourteen) says we are also less likely to stay stagnant in the one establishment these days.
“There are cool new bars to go to before or after [a meal] and places to finish for dessert or cheese,” he says.
“A night out for now means eating and drinking at multiple places”.
He also says the costs of running a fine dining restaurant are increasingly prohibitive.
“The rent is huge, the staff costs are high, the produce, crockery, glassware all has to be state of the art.
“In addition to the experience that the guests require (although admittedly the are paying more per head), the sitting times are longer, they can’t be rushed and the tables aren’t turned over as quickly. It’s expensive.
“The growth of middle market restaurants have blurred the lines of how we class dining. It’s not what it was ten years ago. We have simply evolved — pubs and cafes now serve restaurant quality food.”
Chef Jose Silva agrees that it’s a new wave of younger chefs influencing the move away from traditional fine dining.
He spent 12 years as Head Chef at Bennelong, and is now at new wine bar Bibo in Double Bay. He is thriving in the more casual environment.
“I’m cooking the sort of food I want to eat,” he explains.
“It’s great, creative food but it’s more shared, it’s more casual and it’s less stressful”.
Silva believes the fact that people are eating out more often has crippled many fine dining establishments.
“There’s more choice,” he says.
“These days there are so many good quality, affordable restaurants around,” he says.
“Why have one fine dining experience when you could have five great quality meals at more casual places?
“This new wave of chefs have trained in fine dining restaurants, and now they’re using that approach in a more casual way. It’s creative, but you don’t have to pay top dollar for it”.
He also thinks people want to have flexibility, and don’t want to be “told what to eat”.
Rather than having a degustation menu dictated to them, they‘re choosing “to pay $18 for a plate of really clever, tasty food with good quality ingredients”.
In an increasingly health-conscious society, this also gives them more control over how much they eat in a sitting.
The influx of great restaurants Silva mentions is an issue on another level, explains Herald Sun food reviewer Dan Stock.
“There seems to be too many new restaurants opening for the industry to sustain them all,” he says.
“Our multi-screen, multi-tasking short attention spans have sped up the adoption curve/life cycle of restaurants and that can take some of the blame.
“There’s no doubt the restaurant industry is a battleground at every level ... it’s just the top end, with its high profile chefs/patrons is more visible when changes occur.”
He thinks we’re writing off fine dining too soon.
“Just try and get a reservation at Sepia, or Brae, Lakehouse, Attica or any number of top end restaurants around the country. You’re looking at weeks, if not months, even for a midweek booking,” he says.
Chef Guillaume Brahimi echoes Stock’s sentiment.
“This is definitely not the end of fine dining in this country,” he says.
“I have restaurants at all levels across the country, from bistros to pubs and also a fine diner in Paddington in Sydney, and I can tell you there is a place for all of them and people want to have the option of different levels of experiences.
“Yes, it is expensive and difficult to run a fine diner, and it does mean it is more expensive to eat at them, but people recognise it for what it is — a very special experience. There are still wait lists at the top restaurants around Australia because people are willing to spend on food, probably more now than ever.”