Overview
Raw, rotten and loud — hardly the vocabulary you'd typically expect a chef to use when describing their new menu. Then again, the irreverent cuisine at this newcomer to Newcastle's booming dining scene is anything but typical. Head Chef Alannah Miceli, formerly of the now-closed Newcastle bistro Subo, has developed a nose-to-tail, root-to-leaf concept that spotlights the calibre of local produce while limiting waste.
"In the Hunter Region we have access to beautiful local produce that needs to be championed," Miceli explains. "Our concept of raw, rotten and loud allows us to really consider the ingredients and to explore how to maximise them."
Fresh and foraged produce can be found in its purest state, served raw, but also pickled and cured—embracing the idea of the "rotten". The colour and flavour of this interplay of fresh and fermented foods are where the volume gets turned up, producing "loud" plates that diners won't soon forget.
Meat is used sparingly on Closed's menu and even then, dishes favour obscure and underrated cuts that don't often make it to restaurant kitchens. Seafood has a more prominent presence but the greater focus is on seasonable vegetables, used in striking and surprising ways. Think market fish infused with gin and zesty yuzu, finished with zippy hits of pickled chilli and native succulents.
The drinks offering also embraces the same sustainable ethos as the food, with a wine list sourced from boutique suppliers heroing minimal intervention, organic and biodynamic drops. Every mix on the innovative signature cocktail list involves some degree of pickling, fermenting or smoking. The menu is headlined by one of NSW's strongest legal drinks, The Cure — a sweet and sour mingle starring Poor Toms strawberry gin, lillet rose, rhubi mistelle, strawberry shrubb, lemon and rhubarb bitters.
Spread over two levels, with a colourful and quirky dining space on the ground floor and a cocktail lounge with large outdoor terrace above, the interiors by Patternshop channel a punky yet polished tone, with plush, tactile fabrics, period accents and exposed wood contrasted with industrial fixtures. A palette of vermillion, olive and black are carried into a striking pop art wall mural by local artist Jordan Lucky that proudly proclaims: "Made in Newcastle".
In recent years, major investment in Newcastle's hospitality and tourism industries has transformed NSW's second city from a historic port town into a bone fide dining destination on the doorstep of the Hunter. Hot on the heels of Hunter Street, which has undergone a renaissance since the opening of the light rail line in 2019 and the QT Newcastle in 2022, Closed represents the first phase of an $8-million development of the Beaumont Street strip. Future planned additions to the Islington Village development include an artisan bakery, a gelato store, restaurants and shop-top apartments.
Find Closed at 17 Beaumont Street, Islington, Newcastle, open Wednesday–Friday, 4–10pm and Saturday–Sunday, midday–10pm. Head to the venue's website for more details.
Images: Chad Konik