Back in May, sommelier Nick Hildebrandt and chef Brent Savage announced they would be closing their fine diner Bentley Restaurant and Bar this winter after more than 20 years at the top of its game (and five-star reviews from Time Out).
The award-winning restaurant, which originally opened in Surry Hills in 2006 before moving to its current home in Sydney’s CBD on O’Connell Street in 2013, is housed within a heritage sandstone building dating back to the 1850s, now part of The Paradox Hotel Sydney. It will have its final service at the end of August.
But because this is the Bentley Group we’re talking about – talent who are always one step ahead of the curve and not afraid to change things up, close the curtains when the time is right, or start fresh when opportunity arises (see: Monopole, Cirrus, Yellow, King Clarence, Watermans, and the soon-to-open Ashe and Bar Vespertine, for example) – this isn’t goodbye for good. Instead, Hildebrandt and Savage are on the lookout for the next perfect home for Bentley’s third act.
“This feels less like an ending and more like a natural moment to pause and reset,” says Hildebrandt. “The move from Crown Street to the CBD was a defining evolution for Bentley, and now it feels like the right time for that next transformation.”
For the final few months of service, Bentley Restaurant and Bar has rolled out the culinary red carpet with a greatest hits menu for both the tasting menu and bar menu – featuring the restaurant’s best dishes over its long-standing tenure.
For something relaxed and more casual (with fine dining finesse), head to the bar area and enjoy throwbacks like gazpacho three ways; smoked eel parfait, celery and kombu; crisp potato with chorizo and harissa; and popcorn chicken with garlic aioli.
For something one step above, the dining room will be offering two tasting menus spotlighting dishes like kingfish with squid ink and perfumed fruit; and dry-aged duck with cuttlefish and kombu gel, alongside desserts including violet ice cream and cocoa honeycomb; and liquid pineapple with soft chocolate. The five-course menu is $175 per person, plus drinks, and the seven-course is $240 per person, plus drinks.
“We wanted to take a moment to look back at what Bentley has been,” says Savage. “Not in a nostalgic way, but to recognise the ideas, the dishes, and the people that have shaped it, and be a reflection of the restaurant’s evolution in both technique and creativity.”
As for Bentley 3.0, we’ll keep you posted. But one thing’s for sure: it’s going to be pretty special.
“We’re constantly looking for the right site,” Savage adds. “Bentley has always been about progression and about responding to where we are and where dining is heading. This gives us the opportunity to reimagine what Bentley’s next chapter can be.”
And if you’d like to go in and farewell this stunner, now’s the time.
You can make a booking here.
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