FROM LONDON TO SYDNEY
Award-winning chef and restaurateur Clare Smyth has hit a number of career highs. Now, she’s bringing her modern fine-dining to Australia, writes KARLIE VERKERK.
Acclaimed chef and restaurateur Clare Smyth is bringing her modern fine dining to Sydney.
Opening a new restaurant on the opposite side of the world during a global pandemic is no easy feat. But if there is one person fit for the task, it’s Clare Smyth. The Northern Irish chef and owner of two-Michelin star restaurant Core, in London is currently putting the finishing touches on her second venue, which is due to open at Sydney’s newest waterfront development, Crown, in February. And although she has had to orchestrate it all from afar, Smyth remains unflappable.
“My plan was never to have lots of restaurants globally. It’s really about doing things well; things that I love doing, in locations that I enjoy being in,” says Smyth. “Sydney is one of the most iconic locations in the world.”
The Harbour City may be thousands of kilometres away from where Smyth calls home, but it’s a destination she feels very familiar with and cannot wait to return to once coronavirus travel restrictions are lifted.
“I spent a year in Australia when I was in my early 20s, working and travelling, so I have fond memories and a great connection with the city – it’s a home away from home for me,” she explains. “I was there for the Olympics, too, which was a brilliant year.
“I could never have imagined at the time, as a young commis chef just starting my career, that I’d eventually open a restaurant in Sydney. I think it’s quite amazing how life comes full circle.”
Smyth’s calm and controlled nature can be attributed to the 15 years she spent working in some of the world’s most acclaimed fine-dining restaurants, under some of the toughest chefs in the industry, including Alain Ducasse at Le Louis XV restaurant in Monaco, and Gordon Ramsay at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, where Smyth became the first female chef in the United Kingdom to hold and retain three Michelin stars.
“Alain and Gordon are incredible role models in the industry. They have always been great mentors for me and I continue to admire and look up them,” says Smyth. “I also have a great respect for Thomas Keller – French Laundry has been successful for many years and that level of staying power at such a top level takes stamina and discipline.”
Putting everything she learnt from the industry greats into practice, Smyth opened her first restaurant in Notting Hill in 2016, which earned two Michelin stars just over a year later. And to top things off, in 2018 Smyth was named the world’s best female chef.
“When I was coming through kitchens there weren’t very many female role models at all,” says Smyth. “I can see a big difference now – almost 50 per cent of my team are female and it makes for a much better and balanced work environment. But we still need to work at breaking those boundaries.”
“I’ve seen a major shift in the concept of fine dining; I have seen it become more engaging and genuine.”
It’s clear that Core is no ordinary fine-dining restaurant. It’s a fine-dining restaurant for modern times.
“I’ve seen a major shift in the concept of fine dining; I have seen it become more engaging and genuine,” says Smyth. “At Core, we wanted to strip away all of the things that people found pretentious and intimidating about fine dining. It’s about making people feel comfortable and at home in the restaurant. Whether it’s writing words on the menu that people recognise, having approachable wine lists, friendly sommeliers, a real, genuine welcome, no dress codes...”
This relaxed and contemporary approach to fine dining will be transported across the globe and funnelled into Smyth’s new venue. Like Core, her Sydney restaurant – which remains unnamed for now – will ooze sophistication in an understated and approachable way.
The restaurant will come to life inside the soon-to-be complete Crown building in Barangaroo. In the main dining room, a light, cloud-like colour palette will be accented with polished-brass accents and natural greenery, while the adjacent bar will boast a more casual scheme, with jewel tones and soft, welcoming textures.
Both spaces will soak up uninterrupted views of the iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House. However, Smyth won’t be taking in the breathtaking vistas; her focus will be on the plate and putting a spotlight on local Australian growers.
“The philosophy of my food is very much inspired by the producers and the natural environment,” says Smyth. “One of the things we have now is a real connection with producers and suppliers in a way you didn’t have before.
“It’s really about finding someone who is passionate about what they do and then I start to create the dish, rather than the other way around. We want to follow that story all the way from the producer through to the chef. We also put a bit of our own culture and history into the food.”
Smyth’s deep respect for ingredients and those who grow it stems from her upbringing; her father was a dairy and beef farmer, while her aunty and uncle grew potatoes. “Farming is 365 days a year, 24 hours a day,” she says. “To do it in an ethical way and to look after the environment and the land is so important; it requires generations of knowledge.”
In addition to Smyth’s new restaurant, Nobu and a handful of beloved Australian chefs, such as Ross and Sunny Lusted (The Bridge Room), and Alessandro Pavoni (Ormeggio at The Spit) are due to open venues at Crown Sydney early next year. The new development is aiming to be the city’s hottest dining location.
“The restaurant in Sydney is the next step for my team. It’s such great timing and we are all ready for a new challenge,” says Smyth. “We can’t wait to work with new suppliers and create something new and vibrant. Australia is a food-loving nation and has such amazing producers – it’s a very exciting place to be.”