The first time you go to Kiln, the 18th-floor restaurant which sits atop the Ace Hotel, is disconcerting. Maybe it’s just old habits, but when you go to a rooftop in the Sydney CBD, you’re expecting to see the Harbour Bridge or the Opera House. Or at least the water somewhere. Instead, Kiln’s floor-to-ceiling windows offer views out over Central Station, Surry Hills and the backside of the CBD. It’s weird, and cool, and not a view you’re used to seeing.
It looks like the Sydney you know, but also, it doesn’t. And Kiln tasted a lot like a Sydney restaurant – but also, it didn’t.
That was thanks in large part to original chef-partner Mitch Orr (ACME, Cicciabella), whose dishes were suffused with Aussie staples such as Sydney Rock Oysters (and of course, those signature Jatz crackers) but delivered with a cosmopolitan, internationally minded twist. The result was a hotel restaurant that resonated as much with Sydneysiders as it did with guests.
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SIGN UPWhen we were putting together the Hot List late last year, Kiln was a shoo-in. Then, Orr left the restaurant, and a new chef, Beau Clugston, was announced. A few weeks ago, Kiln closed for a rethink and refurb ahead of Clugston’s arrival. And we knew we couldn’t include Kiln in the Hot List until we’d had a chance to see if the Clugston era lived up to the Orr days.
We’re happy to confirm that lightning does sometimes strike twice. This week, Kiln’s joining The Hot List.
Although he was born in New South Wales, Clugston has spent a large part of his career in Europe, cooking at Gordon Ramsey’s Claridges and Maze, in London, and René Redzepi’s iconic Noma, where he eventually worked his way up to R&D chef. In 2018, Clugston opened Iluka, a seafood-focused restaurant in Copenhagen. Now, Clugston plans on splitting his time between Denmark and Sydney. Helping him out on the floor will be talented chef Isobel Whelan-Little, who was most recently executive chef at Caterpillar Club and Alberto’s (and head chef at LP’s Quality Meats). Plus, dessert maestro Andy Bowdy is still looking after all the Kiln kitchen’s sweet treats. It’s quite the team, and so far, it’s really delivering.
Higlights from the new menu include cannoli piped full of chicken liver pate and dusted with Davidson plum; leek cooked – and served – in paperbark, topped with finger lime and monforte cheese sauce; grilled calamari with lobster sauce and Thai basil; and a hefty helping of woodfired pork neck with kelp and karkalla greens. Bowdy has delivered a tight dessert line-up that includes a peanut butter and banana sundae – a nod to his Hartsyard days.
“We’re not trying to do a new Kiln,” Clugton said when Broadsheet visited last night. “But maybe we’re bringing a fresh set of eyes to it.”
Some Valentine’s Day menus to fall in love with
Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday this year, so it’ll be an extra competitive time for anyone looking to take their loved -one out for a night on the town. Which makes a pizza and a bottle of wine on the couch a very attractive proposition. But plenty of Hot List restaurants are doing their best to entice you, with a line-up of special menus to mark the occasion. Aalia in Martin Place is doing a one-off four-course dinner. A few blocks over, Bentley is putting on a tasting menu. By the harbour, Peter Gilmore’s fine diners, Quay and Bennelong, are both running Valentine’s menus. And if you’ve yet to try Island Radio in Redfern, its Valentine’s set menu, at under $100, is a total steal.
This week’s Hot List activity
• Added: Kiln
• Most trending restaurant: Olympus (runner-up: Bessie’s)
• Most trending bar: Letra House (runner-up: The Old Fitz)
• Most trending cafe: Superfreak (runner-up: Lune Croissanterie)