The Fink Restaurant Group has announced plans for a major reinvention of Quay. The multi-award winning restaurant will temporarily close on 19 March 2018, before reopening three months later after extensive renovations to the restaurant and kitchen.
Extensive changes will be made to the entire dining experience at the 3-hatted restaurant, with the menu, service and guest interaction set to be transformed.
“Quay has long been at the forefront of Australian dining,” says John Fink, creative director of the Fink Restaurant Group. “Peter Gilmore is at the peak of his creative abilities, and he is showing no signs of slowing down. Peter’s creative skills are inspiring us to push Quay’s fine dining experience to a next level. This is an opportunity to take a fresh look at how we do fine dining.”
Quay will offer a tasting menu only experience for the first time, with Gilmore excited by the opportunity to reinvent his food for the new space.
“After 16 years of Quay in its current form, this new incarnation will give me the opportunity to fulfil even greater aspirations for my food,” says Gilmore. “This new chapter will facilitate a long held desire to take the diner on an even more personal dining experience. My aim is to create a more interactive journey representing my own culinary evolution.”
The Fink Restaurant Group is working with TZG architects on the renovation, the same firm responsible for Bennelong and OTTO Brisbane. The restaurant will be repositioned to open up dining on the Harbour Bridge side and will feature a series of small dining spaces around the restaurant, with the new fit-out set to complement Gilmore’s approach to food, which promotes nature, texture, intensity and purity.
“Today, dining is not only about what is on the plate but also what is around you, we want there to be a natural thread linking Peter’s food with the room.” says Fink. “We want to rethink how we do fine dining at Quay. Currently we can seat 100 guests; with the new layout we will reduce numbers and create intimate dining pockets allowing us to take the dining experience up to a wonderful new level. All decisions will be based on creating the best possible dining experience.”
The event spaces at Quay will also undergo a transformation with extra amenities and a dedicated open kitchen. A series of retrospective events with Gilmore will be announced before the closure.
Image: Nikki To