Restaurant News

Sydney restaurant Nomad to close for tonight's service after kitchen fire

After a morning blaze that broke out in the exhaust system, the owners hope to have the restaurant up and running "as soon as possible".

By Yvonne C Lam
Fire crew respond to a blaze at Sydney's Nomad restaurant.
Sydney restaurant Nomad will close for tonight's service after a fire broke out in the kitchen this morning.
At 10.29am, eight fire trucks were called to the blaze which started in the exhaust system of the ground-floor restaurant in Surry Hills.
A Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman said the crew evacuated the multi-storey warehouse building, and worked to prevent the fire from spreading to the floors above the restaurant.
"An aerial ladder truck [was] putting water down the vent, which feeds into the restaurant area, to ensure the fire is extinguished," the spokesman said.
Smoke was emanating from the roof of the building, and police blocked off road and pedestrian access along Foster Street, which was flooded with water that was seeping from the restaurant.
Nomad restaurant staff, including head chef Jacqui Challinor, were seen observing the unfolding scene from Campbell Street.
In a statement, Nomad co-owners Al and Rebecca Yazbek thanked firefighters for their quick response, and announced the closure of the restaurant for tonight's service.
"This morning there was a fire in the kitchen at NOMAD. We are currently assessing the damage.
"Our systems and processes are thorough. When incidents like this occur it is dealt with quickly and effectively. We can confirm that there were no patrons in the restaurant at the time of the fire, and all staff, and occupants of the building were evacuated quickly and safely. Nomad will be closed tonight and we'll be working to have the restaurant open as soon as possible.
"We thank Fire and Rescue NSW for their quick attention."
The restaurant recently hosted the #CookforSyria fundraising dinner, featuring an all-female line-up of chefs, sommeliers and front-of-house talent. The event, held on 12 August, raised $56,000 for UNICEF Australia's Syria Crisis Appeal.

Fire crew respond to a blaze at Sydney's Nomad restaurant.
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