RESTAURANT NEWS
MORNINGTON
Jackalope, the latest boutique hotel on the Mornington Peninsula, has opened its first restaurant, Rare Hare Wine & Food
Store. On executive chef Guy Stanaway’s menu pumpernickel toast with Negroni-cured ocean trout and local goat’s cheese gougères vie for popularity with spatchcock, garam masala and pickled cucumber and whiting with smoked mussel butter.
LAS VEGAS
David Chang continues his US expansion with the opening of Momofuku Las Vegas at The Cosmopolitan, his first eatery on the American west coast. The restaurant offers a mix of options drawn from across the Momo-verse, which means that slots players can opt for a Fuku-style spicy fried chicken sandwich or a bowl of ramen, while high-rollers can order their chicken with caviar, à la Momofuku Seiobo. Or vice-versa.
SWEDEN
Fäviken chef Magnus Nilsson describes his new 20-seat pop-up as having a “house party” style of menu. By Australian standards, that could mean cabanossi and cheese – but in Åre, in remote northern Sweden, it equates to freshly pickled fillets of Baltic herring dressed with green oil and shallots, and roast chicken with herb butter and blanched garlic. The new venue goes by the name of Svartklubb, meaning black club, and will offer a set menu of 12 to 15 courses, served family-style. “It’s a way to guarantee those who travel to Fäviken and stay in the area for more than one night can get a second meal,” Nilsson says. The new restaurant will have a members’ club format to ensure Fäviken customers are given priority. It’s slated to run until April.
ADELAIDE
Shōbōshō, which means firehouse in Japanese, swings open its doors in autumn, complete with a rôtisserie, wood-fired oven and customised yakitori grill. Former Northern Light chef Adam Liston returns to Adelaide for the gig, partnering with restaurateur Simon Kardachi (Press, Oggi) on the project. The menu includes buns, spit-roasted and seared meats, yakitori, raw things, dumplings and noodles, while Josh Picken (Orana, Magill Estate) is pouring the wine.
SYDNEY
The first Australian venture for Finnish chef Tomi Björck, Blanca, on Hall Street in Bondi, leans Japanese-European. Miso-braised pork ribs with smoked soy joins cured wagyu with pickled rosemary on the menu. A soft-serve of the day, kids’ menu and cocktails named for Bondi streets should keep locals happy.