Coming Soon: Euro Diner South End To Hit a “Lesser-Loved” Patch of Newtown

When Broadsheet speaks to former Fred’s head chef Hussein Sarhan, he’s “covered in dust”, deep in the fit-out of South End.

Together with Alex Tong (an ex-Ester sous) and hospitality veteran Paul Guiney, he’s opening a tidy Euro diner on the St Peters end of King Street – and it’ll be here very soon.

“We’re stoked,” Sarhan says of the small, light-filled corner spot. “It’s a bit of a diamond in the rough. Has a lot of good bones and good character, but it’s in an old building, in a nice area. It’s nice enough that the rent’s affordable – at the lesser-loved end of King Street.”

This will be the first time the team has owned and operated its own venue, and it’s intentionally starting simple – potato Europe in winter, tomato Europe in summer.

“Imagine a line of latitude across Europe. South of the line people use olive oil, north of it they use butter. South of the line they use tomatoes, north of the line they’ll use more potatoes,” he says.

That means cosy Normandy-style bowls of mussels cooked in cream, cider and leeks, before tomatoes get into their groove. “Naturally you think more of French southern dishes. Maybe a tomato and tapenade dish, or maybe something Spanish like grilled sardines and tomato.”

The opening menu includes potato rosti topped with Tete de Moine cheese and chestnut honey, buttermilk-fried rabbit and herby new-season asparagus. Or you can go big with whole flounder, pork chops or a golden roast chicken doused in nettle butter.

“You can come and have a counter meal that’s actually nourishing, that you can have as dinner, or you can do that with friends and call it a party. It’s not high concept, the emphasis will be on craft and quality, not so much innovation.”

Guiney – who notably brings experience from AP Bread & Wine, the Bentley Group and Embla – is leading the drinks list. It spans boutique, interesting European bottles, outstanding domestic drops and a few cocktails served straight from the freezer.

The quieter patch of Newtown is home to a few locally loved eateries, and there’s plenty of history.

“The Botany View Hotel opposite – David Thompson cooked Thai there,” Sarhan says. “And when we were doing the research on the building, this place has been a food and beverage venue for well over half a century, since the early ’60s. It’s been Thai, Italian, Indigenous cooking, everything in between. So it feels right for us, you know?”

South End is slated to open at 644 King Street, Newtown, in mid-October 2025.