Kensington Street Social Will Close Next Month and Be Replaced by Marrickville's Barzaari
Barzaari Chippendale will serve up authentic eastern Mediterranean feasts — and sand pit coffee.
Chippendale's Old Clare Hotel is going through some ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. It's about to farewell another one of its in-house restaurants. In 2016, the boutique hotel's Silvereye restaurant closed its doors, now, on October 21, British celebrity chef Jason Atherton's Kensington Street Social will follow suit.
Atherton told Fairfax that the distance between London and Sydney was too great to devote enough time to the Chippendale restaurant.
The bitter moment will quickly turn sweet, however, when Marrickville's Barzaari takes over the site on October 30. Barzaari Chippendale will serve up a menu of eastern Mediterranean share plates for lunch and dinner — focusing on the cuisine of Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.
The 120-seat dining room and private mezzanine will be swiftly transformed in the one-week gap between tenants thanks to award-winning architects Neri & Hu and designer Matt Darwon (Automata). Expect elements of the brand's Marrickville digs to make its way to Chippendale, including the signature sand pit coffee, market place vibes and The Four Seasons mural by Giuseppe Arcimboldo.
Owners Andrew Jordanou and chef Darryl Martin (ex-Three Weeds and Quay) have teamed up with hotelier Loh Lik Peng (owner of The Old Clare's parent company Unlisted Collection) to bring the restaurant to Kensington Street. As in Marrickville, the menu will be designed around sharing and offers a range of bites, smalls and large plates, along with sides and dessert.
The restaurant is named after a Cypriot market place where Jordanou's grandfather sold his produce, and the story makes its way onto the plate with a focus on seasonal veggies — think barbecued broccolini with spicy muhamarra capsicum dip, carrot juice and tomato, and woodfired green beans, mograbieh pasta and chilli.
Larger plates we're keen to try include the kingfish with sunflower sprouts, falafel, broad bean and candied lemon; woodfired duck breast with globe artichoke, braised caper and black eyed peas; and lamb shoulder with whipped feta and harissa.
Guests of the hotel will be lucky enough to order Barzaari for room service, too — it'll sure beat that late-night kebab.
Barzaari Chippendale will open on October 30 at 3 Kensington Street, Chippendale. Opening hours are noon–3pm and 5.30pm–late, Tuesday–Saturday; and 11am–3pm Sunday.
First image: Kensington Street Social
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