Sake takes Woody P; Rhys Blackley steps up at Circa; Longrain closes Subcontinental

Sydney’s Sake moving to Mebourne; Longrain quietly closes Indian cousin; and other goss from the nation’s kitchens.

The relatively new Woody P will be redesigned as a Sake.

Woody P, in Flinders Lane, Melbourne, is closing down after a brief tenancy.

It will be replaced by Sake, one of two planned for Melbourne by the rapidly expanding Sydney-based Urban Purveyor Group. The other, in Bourke St, is Sake Jr, a second-tier brand being launched by UPG in George St, Sydney, this week. Proving that restaurants are a boon for the design and building trades, the still-new Woody P fitout will be remodelled by Melissa Collison Design, responsible for Sake’s Double Bay restaurant. Open April.

Ashly Hicks is departing Circa after ‘three years of hard slog’.

Melbourne: Circa, at the Prince of Wales Hotel, has benefited from a roster of renowned chefs over the years, from Ben Shewry (Attica) to Andrew McConnell (Cutler et al) and Matt Wilkinson. So who’s next? In a surprise move, incumbent Ashly Hicks finished up last week after “three years of hard slog”. Says Hicks: “I’m a bit worn out. I want to get back to the real meaning of hospitality.” His resignation comes on the back of an offer — declined — to move up to the role of Melbourne Pub Group’s exec chef, vacated recently by Stephen Bourke. Hicks claims to have no plans other than helping a few friends in the restaurant industry “and a few opportunities that might lead to something later in the year”. For now, Hicks’ sous chef Rhys Blackley has the reins at Circa. Melbourne Pub Group is in recruitment mode.

Sydney: Longrain’s downstairs Indian cousin Subcontinental quietly closed its doors at Christmas (thanks to impeccably connected Sydney restaurant industry watcher Libby Travers for pointing it out). “Our lease has expired, and we will be looking for a new space in the near future,” says the website. Or maybe it had something to do with almost universal critical response of “ho-hum” to the restaurant’s food? Travers also reminded us that James Parry, one half of the cooking duo at Sydney’s lovely Sixpenny, has stepped away from the kitchen, and the industry, although he remains an owner.

Melbourne: An interesting Melbourne duo is behind a new food bar due to open in Johnston Street, Fitzroy, later this month. Casey Wall (the American chef of Rockwell and Sons) and Banjo Harris Plane (formerly sommelier/manager at Attica) will launch Bar Liberty with another Attica alumnus, Michael Bascetta. Wall will be head chef, and while Rockwell is known for its LA-style mashup of big US flavours spanning the south, Korea and Latino influences, the chef has a refined side, having worked previously at the prestigious Cutler & Co. Harris Plane tells us the bar will be wine-focused “serving bold yet approachable food, with unique wines and beverages”. More (soon, hopefully) at barliberty.com.au

Hobart: Tasmanian chef Jeff Workman, a protege of acclaimed Saffire executive chef Hugh Whitehouse, has been handed the reins at a new restaurant. Peacock and Jones, a contemporary restaurant attached to the smart Henry Jones Hotel, is part of The Federal Group, which also owns the uber-exclusive Saffire. The new restaurant is in what was once known as Peacock Terrace, part of the historic three-storey IXL building, built in 1823. “There is no room for pretentious service within this restaurant,” said Workman. “During my time at Saffire, I realised the importance of the chefs themselves engaging with the guests. It’s important we get out on the floor, tell our stories and be proud of what we produce.”

Melbourne: It’s all over for Stokehouse; proprietor Frank Van Haandel has sold the lease, saying it’s time to concentrate on construction of his new $12 million St Kilda restaurant duo. It ends an association with the Alfred Place building for Van Haandel that began as a property development with friends, the creation of Comme, the subsequent sale of the freehold and the relaunch of the business as Stokehouse Melbourne when the original was razed by fire in January 2014. The future for newish head chef Ollie Hansford isn’t clear, although Van Haandel says there may be an opportunity to partner with him in something of his own. The buyer has requested confidentiality; we hear it’s Urban Purveyor Group (see above). It will be the Group’s second The Cut Bar & Grill, after Sydney’s original in The Rocks.

Adelaide: Chef Salvatore Pepe, one of the original partners behind Cibo Ristorante, which morphed into the omnipresent (in Adelaide) Cibo Espresso chain, is getting back on the pans at his own place later this month. Pepe has signed for a Tuscan grill-style restaurant at Burnside Village — Pepe Bar Cucina. Replacing the now defunct H by Felici, Pepe’s wood-burning kitchen will produce a “different” style of Italian food. “It will be traditional Italian food but nothing like you see in Adelaide,” the chef told website InDaily. “I’m old enough to feel confident about cooking what I want.”

Melbourne: Was the world — or at least Melbourne — ready for a specialist Calabrian restaurant? “Perhaps not in that area,” says Riccardo Momesso, chef and co-owner of ritzy Hawksburn Village’s Valentino’s Calabrian Kitchen. Momesso and business partner Sarah Porz have sold the restaurant, which may, or may not, continue to trade as Valentino’s Calabrian Kitchen. “Basically, I need a job,” says the well-regarded chef. “We couldn’t make the numbers stack up; the rent was high in relation to the trade … To be honest, I’d love to do something in the country.” Momesso is a huntin’-shootin’-fishin’ kinda chef … Country entrepreneurs, take note.

Melbourne: Ambitious young Victorian chef Jake Kellie has swapped the beards of Northcote (Estelle) for the commuter belt of Pakenham and an exciting new venture for the outer-east, The Lakeside Mill. A sparkling new complex, the all-day Mill will be a challenge for Kellie whose resume — from Aria to The Ledbury, Fat Duck and Ramsay’s Maze and latterly, Scott Pickett’s Estelle — is certainly impressive. The restaurant has been designed by owner Casey Brent Summerville and includes a contemporary dining space, downstairs bar (Timber Top) and wine bar/cocktail bar, Honey Eater. They open next Monday.