Overview
Chef Darren Robertson's reputation proceeds him — those who do not already know how from his time at the tremendously luxe Tetsuya's or as one of the main minds, and palates, behind Australian restaurant group Three Blue Ducks, will surely recognise him as the newly appointed judge on My Kitchen Rules. With full steam ahead, the famed chef will now add yet another project to his resume — this May he'll open a new, more personal restaurant in the former site of The Hill Eatery.
While still keeping the North Bondi venue's name and menu pretty close to his chest, Robertson did divulge that it will focus on his personal tastes. "The dishes will be bits and pieces from my favourite restaurants all around the world," he told Concrete Playground. He's promising pastas and a dedicated bar snacks menu, along with a lot of fresh salads and seafood — the latter fitting right in with the Bondi surroundings.
Aiming to open the doors on May 15, this collaborative project will see a quick turn around, with Robertson joining forces with Ian Clark and Bondi local Cam Northway (Sweet & Chilli) only a few short months ago. Robertson has worked with Northway on several projects in the past though, and is quite comfortable with the partnership. "We're fairly similar and Cam is a very driven person, a total professional and he just has a good energy about him," he says. The duo both lived in Bondi for years (before Robertson moved to Byron), and it still feels very much like home to the chef. "North Bondi is a little neighbourhood in itself, I love the area and I always really liked this space specifically."
Despite his already busy schedule, preparations for this new project seemed to just fall into place. "I wasn't planning on opening a new restaurant, but sometimes you have to just go with your gut," says Robertson. "It's never the right time — it all happened quite quickly, but it 100 percent feels like the right thing to do."
Darren Robertson's new restaurant, title TBC, will open on May 15 at 5/39-53 Campbell Parade, Bondi.