Guillaume Brahimi exits as Opera House dining goes everyday

It takes a lot to make a hardnosed businessman cry, but Frank Van Haandel couldn't help himself yesterday.

Sydney Opera House Trust yesterday made good on its pledge to democratise dining at the iconic Bennelong venue, announcing the Melbourne restaurateur's Stokehouse will replace expat Frenchman Guillaume Brahimi next year.

"I've been crying half the way back to Melbourne," said Van Haandel when he touched down in his home town last night. "It's been a really intense six months of negotiations and reading the flood of text messages of support I've got today I started to cry."

The trust put the iconic Bennelong restaurant space out to tender earlier this year, placing incumbent Brahimi on notice that it wanted a more accessible dining experience that was open every day, and one prepared to pay market rent. Brahimi did not tender to keep his fine-dining restaurant vision alive.

"The reason I didn't tender was because my vision 12 years ago for the space was for fine dining, and my vision hasn't changed," he said. "The trust's vision has changed."

Frank and Sharon Van Haandel with their executive chef Anthony Musarra.

Van Haandel operates the original Stokehouse on Melbourne's St Kilda foreshore; he opened a second on the Brisbane River at Southbank last year. "I think the Opera House belongs to all Australians," Van Haandel said. "It should reflect society and appeal to the population of Australia. It needs people and theatre, you don't want people walking around in a robotic fashion doing degustation."

The tender process was not without controversy. Last month, Fairfax reported that outgoing Sydney Opera House chairman Kim Williams -- a former chief executive of News Corp Australia, publisher of The Australian -- had stormed out of his final board meeting over chief executive Louise Herron's management of the restaurant tender that "forced Guillaume Brahimi from the building".

Fairfax subsequently retracted the story's claims.

With a 10-year lease, Van Haandel Group will begin refurbishment in the new year, with a target opening date of May. The two-tier site will see casual dining on the upper level and a "more sophisticated" approach below, according to the trust.

"There's a lot to do, but we're confident we can be open by May," Van Haandel said.

Also see: Stokehouse takes a bite of Bennelong

Source: The Australian, 9 November 2013