The reinvention of Quay

Quay restaurant:  image supplied

Quay, with its panoramic views of Sydney Harbour, from the Bridge to the Opera House and Circular Quay, made it into the world's top-50 list of fine-diners five times is being reinvented.

The Fink Group is sinking $4 million into the investment.

Quay was owned by the 81-year-old patriarch, Leon Fink, a legendary spotter of chef talent, and his three children with his former wife, filmmaker Margaret Fink.

The Fink Group portfolio also includes Quay's sister restaurant, Bennelong, at the Sydney Opera House, Otto and its Brisbane sibling, Ross Lusted's three-hat The Bridge Room, Lennox Hastie's two-hat Firedoor and the single-hat Beach Byron Bay, the last three as 50 per cent partnerships.

Quay closed on March 28 and celebrated chef Peter Gilmore is looking to create a whole new Quay from the menu up.

He is working with Rob Kabboord, who became a sous chef at Quay after Gilmore took over in 2001. Kabboord rejoined Gilmore three years ago, walking away from his own 30-seat Melbourne establishment, Merricote, to become Quay's chef de cuisine.

"We've divided it up," Gilmore told Fairfax Media.  "Rob is co-ordinating the logistics, doing all the order sheets, writing out the standard recipe cards. My job is to come up with the ideas, and Tim does all the trial work, then we narrow them down – what's working, what's not."

"You cannot rest on your laurels. This says we are serious about this renewal. To be true to yourself, you have to let go of the past and be fully committed to new creativity.”

The restaurant will re-open on July 19. It will offer a 10-course tasting menu. That will include a six-course option as the only alternative. 

Prices at the new Quay will increase to $275 a head for 10 courses and $210 for six. That’s up from $185 for four courses, à la carte, and $245 for the eight-course tasting menu.

13th July 2018