Overview
Over the last 19 years, Kylie Kwong's semi-eponymous Billy Kwong has not only fed a lot of Sydneysiders — it's been an integral part of the evolution of Sydney's dining scene. While diners have been chowing down on the restaurant's crispy saltbush cakes and steamed warrigal greens dumplings, other spots in the city — and the country — have too embraced locally grown foods, ethical practices and native Australian ingredients.
So it's no small deal that the restaurant is closing. Kwong has today announced that, as she approaches her 50th birthday this year, she will close her Chinese-Australian restaurant forever. It's set to stop service in the coming months.
It's not all bad news, though. The closure of Billy Kwong will make way for a brand new Sydney restaurant from the chef and restaurateur. Kwong has revealed that she will open a "completely new dining concept" in collaboration with Adelaide furniture designer Khai Liew that celebrates her "unwavering love of food, family and connection to the broader community at large". While details are still vague, this new restaurant will be more casual and smaller in size than Billy Kwong.
Kwong first opened Billy Kwong on Crown Street with Bill Granger back in 2000. She soon bought him out and later, in 2014, partnered with restaurateur David King to move the restaurant into a bigger (and grander) space in Potts Point. It's since become a Macleay Street mainstay and many loyal locals will be sad to see the restaurant — as well as Kwong, who is regularly seen on the floor with her long-serving restaurant manager Kin Chen — go.
A closing date has not been set as the team is waiting to secure a new tenant for the space first. We'll let you know when the restaurant's last service is announced, along with any info on Kwong's new venture.
Find Billy Kwong at 28 Macleay Street, Potts Point. It will be service as usual for the time being, with dinner running every night of the week as well as lunch on Sundays.