Overview
The lower north shore is getting a major foodie addition from developer Dr. Stanley Quek, who has dropped $25 million to purchase the Castlecrag Quadrangle Shopping Village. Quek is responsible for the major redevelopment of Kensington Street, Chippendale and has already opened two of the street's popular restaurants up north. Holy Duck! and Bistro Mekong — the casual sister venue to Mekong — are opened earlier this month, with new bar Apera set to open soon.
"The Quandrangle is an ageing neighbourhood mall and I saw I could bring something interesting there," says Quek. "It's set in a historic landscape and streetscape area, with young families moving in, and I saw the potential in creating something new like what I did in Chippendale."
Quek, who also has a medical degree, spent years as CEO of Frasers Property before retiring and turning his focus to the wildly popular Chippendale foodie precinct. "I call myself the accidental restaurateur," says Quek.
"Controlling the tenant mix in Kensington Street was important for me, so it is quite a unique mix with no duplication of cuisines. Similarly in Castlecrag, I want to find out what new cuisines we can bring to the area to make it a vibrant neighbourhood centre that everyone can proud of. I want to get people out on the streets and create new forms of ambiance."
As the shopping centre sits just outside the urban conservation area, there is some uncertainty as to what development is possible, and Quek's team is still undergoing initial community research as well. "In the meantime, I decided to bring in some of the Kensington restaurants to give people a taste of what can happen if the mall is rejuvenated," says Quek. "I didn't want to bring anything I didn't have experience with."
To that end, Castlecrag is getting a taste of modern Chinese — specifically, roast duck — through Holy Duck!. Quek has also reworked the Mekong concept to fit the space and suburb — the southeast Asian sister restaurant, dubbed Bistro Mekong, is more casual and affordable, while boasting romantic alfresco dining in a done-up courtyard with hedging, greenery and mood lighting.
Joining these existing brands is Apera, which will open just after Easter. The new bar concept will serve up rotisserie chicken and cater specifically to locals. On the retail side, luxury shoe brand Extraordinary Ordinary Day has already opened in the Quandrangle, having previously popped-up in Kensington Street as well. At this stage, the Spice Alley concept will not be duplicated, though Quek does intend to eventually open what he calls 'Spice Alley Express' in other locations.
"I see Australians do travel a lot around Asia, so I'm bringing that cuisine to them in their own neighbourhood and trying to challenge their taste buds with new cuisines," says Quek. "I want them to try something different from smashed avocado and am trying to bring the next generation of food into the area."
Holy Duck! and Bistro Mekong are now open at the Castlecrag Quadrangle Shopping Village at 100 Edinburgh Road, Castlecrag. Keep an eye on this space for future updates and developments.
Image: Google Street View. Updated: March 24, 2018.