After successful openings in New York and Dubai in 2015, British Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton will open his highly-anticipated first Australian venue, Kensington Street Social, at The Old Clare Hotel in Chippendale on 13th January 2016.
Jason Atherton opens Kensington Street Social in partnership with Loh Lik Peng, director of global boutique hotel and restaurant group Unlisted Collection.
The largest venue within The Old Clare Hotel, Kensington Street Social will seat 120 and will open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, and also offer a Sunday brunch menu. With a relaxed all-day menu focused on British-Mediterranean share plates, the restaurant is designed to be flexible in its approach, from a cocktail and a snack, to a multi-course meal with paired wines. The menu is broken up into snacks, vegetables, raw and cured, sourdough flatbreads, fish and shellfish, meat, cheese and desserts.
Culinary director Atherton, and Australian executive chef Rob Daniels, are working closely with Australian producers to ensure Kensington Street Social is a true reflection of the country, with a wine list that shows the best of local wine regions and some international favourites. Daniels has worked with Atherton on a number of restaurants in the past twelve years, first at Maze London and later at Maze One & Only Cape Town.
“I’m so excited to be opening my first restaurant in Sydney,” says Jason. “I’m all about sourcing the best produce, and here the ingredients are just incredible – Australian black truffles, the seafood – so I’m looking forward to using them to reinterpret a few of the signature dishes from my London restaurants. I’ve had many Australian chefs in my brigade over the years, including my executive chef Rob and pastry chef Adrian Crabb, so it seemed like a natural step to come to Sydney and get the team back together.”
Designed by Shanghai-based Neri & Hu and executed by Matt Darwon, the sophisticated contemporary design will draw on the industrial heritage of the restaurant’s location within the former Carlton United Brewery building. Kensington Street Social will be split across two levels, with concrete finishes echoing Chippendale’s vibrant urban landscape.
