There's change a'coming on McConnell Street, otherwise known as Gertrude Street. Four years since the Builder Arms Hotel's opening, chef and restaurateur Andrew McConnell has announced that his popular Fitzroy gastropub is closing down to make way for Ricky and Pinky, a Chinese restaurant.
Ricky and Pinky won't exactly be McConnell's first go at Chinese, as he's been serving dumplings and bao styled after cheap eats staples from Hong Kong and Shanghai at Supernormal. Moon Under Water, the adjoining dining room at Builders Arms, will also close down to make way for the renovations but the pub's tiled front bar will stay where it is in the hotel. The renovations will see interior walls knocked down to open up the space beyond the front bar – a planned open kitchen will add a lively atmosphere to the casual dining experience. McConnell has gathered a crew of Melbourne's most on-the-pulse designers to take care of the new space: architecture and design firm Sibling will plan the fit-out, Tin and Ed is in charge of creative design, while long-time McConnell collaborators Studio Round (who have previously worked on Cutler & Co) will take care of brand identity.
Staying true to traditional Chinese restaurant fittings, diners can expect to see round tables complete with lazy susans at Ricky and Pinky, as well as fish tanks. Archan Chan, McConnell's former sous chef at Supernormal and Golden Fields, will be returning to work with McConnell after a stint at Sydney's Moon Park to head Ricky and Pinky with a casual Chinese menu. Dishes centre around share plates and with bar-friendly snacks, although there will be a full Chinese banquet option for long Sunday lunches.
Ricky and Pinky gets its name from a legendary tattoo parlour in Hong Kong by the same name. The tattoo parlour, owned by artists Ricky Lo and the late Pinky Yun, saw triad members, American soldiers on leave from Vietnam and modern day tourists come through its doors in Wan Chai before it shut in 2015.
Builders Arms Hotel will close and undergo refurbishment from Monday 8 August, before reopening as Ricky and Pinky on Monday 22 August. Read what we thought of Andrew McConnell's most recent opening on Gertrude Street, Marion.