The latest gossip from UPG, Fratelli, Franklin, Longrain, Adam Bantock and Bistro Dom
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NATIONAL: The rapidly expanding Urban Purveyor Group has wasted no time announcing Melbourne’s first Fratelli-branded restaurant since its acquisition of the six-restaurant Fratelli Fresh group last month. Fratelli @ The Alfred will consume the ground floor of The Alfred building in central Melbourne, hitherto known as Stokehouse City, Comme and many other things before that. Upstairs will be Melbourne’s first The Cut steakhouse. It seems a previously announced Italian brand from UPG — Stella — will be subsumed by the Fratelli acquisition/rollout/branding. It will launch a “casual premium sibling of the group” at Grosvenor Place in the CBD in September. Also joining the Fratelli family are “small-format gourmet pizzerias” that will be rolled out in “large numbers” across Australia. Its newest Sake Japanese restaurant, in Flinders Lane, opened two weeks back. The UPG growth is a truly movable feast. The Australian’s Damon Kitney has written more about UPG’s plans to grow in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
HOBART: What now for Franklin, one of Hobart’s (if not Australia’s) most significant restaurants? Head chef and very much the face of Franklin, David Moyle, has temporarily returned to Melbourne, but insists that nothing will change at Franklin. While in Melbourne, Moyle will be involved with entrepreneur John Van Haandel’s new project above his CBD restaurant Longrain. Van Haandel, of course, was Moyle’s boss at The Beach Hotel, in Byron Bay some years back (and before that at Circa, The Prince in Melbourne) and has made no secret of his desire to do something again with the chef. Moyle tells us the Longrain bar is “a project” and that his role is more that of a creative adviser. “I don’t see myself being in the kitchen as such,” he says. “It’s more conceptual.” Moyle says that he sees the balance of the year living in Melbourne but commuting south, to Hobart, at weekends to cook. After that, he says, the balance will switch the other way. “I’ve got two fantastic head chefs, Jess Muir and Jack O’Donoghue, so very little will change.” Franklin proprietor Ben Lindell could not be reached.
MELBOURNE: When short-lived Flinders Lane restaurant Woody-P closed earlier this year after a relatively brief run (in relation to fitout costs), chef Tim Martin must have wondered “what next?” He probably didn’t realise his next gig would come along in the form of Sydney’s Urban Purveyor Group (see above), which bought the Woody-P site to convert and open their second Melbourne Sake. Not that Martin is turning Japanese; the former head chef at European has taken on the role of executive chef at The Cut, in Alfred Place, above the soon-to-come Fratelli.
YASS: With little hoopla, chef Adam Bantock — best known for his cooking in Canberra at places such as Dieci e Mezzo, A. Baker and Temporada — has opened his own place, in the nearby regional centre of Yass. Clementine is your classic husband-and-wife partnership, with Brooke Sainsbery on the floor of their cute country weatherboard. Like most ambitious chefs, Bantock has plenty of foreign experience to his name including an extended period at Australian Michelle Garnaut’s Hong Kong and Shanghai “M” restaurants. At Clementine, “the food is inspired by regional French and Italian cooking,” says the chef. We hear only good things.
ADELAIDE:Bistro Dom has recruited a new head chef to replace decamped (to The Henry Austin) incumbent Shane Wilson. Luke Southwood has had a long career, most recently cooking in Hahndorf, however Byron Bay and Barcelona are both old haunts for the former MasterChef contestant. “I know there are big shoes to fill in this kitchen,” Southwood told InDaily. “I’m not going to try to copy them, but rather do what I do best and take Bistro Dom to another level.” Southwood’s signature suquet — a Catalan seafood soup — will be part of the new Bistro Dom carte.
MELBOURNE: While Pure South is closed for massive remodelling, it’s very likely they’ll be popping up elsewhere in the Southgate centre. Co-owner Phillip Kennedy is hopeful a short-term lease of the recently shuttered Artusi can be negotiated to service regulars but also do duty as a test kitchen for the rejigged food approach Pure South intends to adopt post relaunch. “I’m very keen to give the team a chance to practise the new menu and format before we move into our extraordinary new adventure,” said Kennedy. Pure South proper should reopen during grand final (AFL) week.
MELBOURNE: Chef and publican Tim Sweeney, with partner Siobhan Dooley, have sold their Ireland-inspired pub and restaurant The Last Jar. Four years cooking and running a pub would wear most of us out, but Sweeney’s take on modern Irish food made a lot of folks happy. He intends to “stage” in Europe (chef talk for work experience) before returning to look at a new business.
MELBOURNE: Ladies and gentlemen, Mr James Brown. No, not the godfather of funk; the artist-cum-restaurant designer, and he’s coming to Melbourne. Eventually. Brown, whose imagination runs wild at places like Adelaide’s Africola and Lola’s Pergola, Bali’s Motel Mexicola (and, soon, Tropicola, in Changgu, Bali) is the creative spirit behind the look of Matt (Mamasita) Lane’s next big project, Hotel Jesus (pronounced with a Mexican/Spanish “hey-soos”) in the old Collingwood post office in Smith Street. Only one problem. “Everything is at a standstill,” says Lane. The prospective tenant has encountered major power supply problems to the site and if a deal can’t be struck with getting the required juice to the building, it’s back to the drawing board. “The concept will be directed by the space,” says the proprietor of Melbourne’s successful Mexican diner. “James and I have been talking forever about doing something together and if it’s not in Smith Street, it will be somewhere.” Lane reckons he’ll know one way or another in two weeks.
BRISBANE:Anise has pulled down the restaurant shingle. From now on, the New Farm business wants to be known as “a dedicated wine bar” with “an even stronger wine focus, with much less emphasis on degustation style dining.” Chef Peter Moore, responsible for Anise’s contemporary food, has retired, we’re told.
MELBOURNE: Guest-chef gigs rarely excite us, but in a manner consistent with entrepreneur Andrew McConnell’s usual form, a guest chef season at Marion next month is far from routine. The chef/entrepreneur has snagged Japan’s Junya Yamasaki for a brief but potentially memorable stint at his Fitzroy wine bar. Yamasaki was the man behind London’s Koya for five years before returning to Japan in 2015. McConnell describes Koya as “London’s most original and creative Japanese restaurant” prior to closing. “His creative style is reminiscent of traditional Japanese home cooking; honest, simple and minimal,” says McConnell. “Yamasaki is strongly and philosophically influenced by Shojin-Ryori, the predecessor to Kaiseki, and the vegetarian/vegan cuisine introduced into Japan together with Buddhism in the 6th century.” The four night/one lunch season starts June 21.