Advertisement
Home Dining Out Food News

Kiln reopens with a fresh new menu and incoming chef-partner Beau Clugston

One of our favourite Sydney rooftop restaurants now has an ex-Noma chef at the helm.
From Left: Andy Bowdy, Isobel Little and Beau Clugston.
From Left: Andy Bowdy, Isobel Little and Beau Clugston
Nikki To

After firing on all cylinders since opening atop the Ace Hotel Sydney, rooftop restaurant Kiln is set to stay at the forefront of Sydneysider’s minds with incoming new chef-partner Beau Clugston. Stepping up to the pass following the departure of opening chef Mitch Orr, the tenure marks Clugston’s return to Australia after 20 years abroad, cooking in London and Copenhagen. This period included time at René Redzepi’s decorated Noma; and saw the opening of Clugston’s own seafood restaurant Iluka, which he still runs in Copenhagen.

Originally hailing from Sawtell on the mid-north coast of NSW, Clugston will draw upon his two decades at the forefront of high-end restaurants overseas as well as hone in on the seafood and coastal-focused flavours he grew up with. 

Advertisement
Waffles served with smoked butter, roasted bone marrow, uni and wasabi leaf.
Waffles served with smoked butter, roasted bone marrow, uni and wasabi leaf. (Credit: Nikki To)

He will also be flanked by locally loved talent, joined by Isobel Whelan-Little – who carved out her name working at LP’s Quality Meats and as the executive chef for both Alberto’s Lounge and Caterpillar Club – and Andy Bowdy (formerly of Saga and Hartsyard), who continues in his role as pastry chef.

Food-wise, a fire focus remains while distinctive native ingredients now permeate the new menu. Kingfish is cured with lemon myrtle and salt before being rolled into a rosette and served on a tart atop a slow-roasted paste of leeks and kelp oil, and Italian cannoli gets a post-modern redux with crisp shells piped with chicken liver pâté spiked with Davidson’s plum. Raw plates include kangaroo tartare amplified by an emulsion of blue mussel and a side of nori, and heirloom tomato and ebi prawn crudo is zhooshed up with oyster cream and native green ants then served with an ice-clarified gazpacho poured tableside. And while the anchovy Jatz have left the building, a circular snack of another ilk takes the stage: waffles quartered and served with smoked butter, roasted bone marrow, uni and wasabi leaf.

Pork neck at Kiln, which is slow cooked in seaweed and grilled over the fire, then served with a kelp, mussel & karkalla sauce
Pork neck, cooked in seaweed served with a kelp, mussel and karkalla sauce (Credit: Nikki To)

From Kiln’s wood-fired grill, you’ll find roasted leeks cooked in smoky paperbark and wrapped in banana leaf served with Monforte cheese, pops of finger lime and lovage; and Skull Island prawns are skewered by fragrant eucalyptus leaves and served with a native green paste and strawberry gum. 

Advertisement

The wine list has also doubled in size, making it even more worthwhile to peruse grower-produced and low-intervention drops. While green ants, a gonzo pastry chef and waffles are helping to super-charge Kiln’s new era, many of its most endearing elements remain the same, including resident DJs, an ever-changing seasonal menu and a retractable roof for sunny afternoons.  

Kiln is now open for dinner (Tuesday to Saturday) from 5.30pm until late, with lunch service (Thursday to Saturday) recommencing from 30 January.

kilnsydney.com

Related stories


Advertisement
Advertisement