Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt, co-owners of The Bentley Restaurant Group, have appointed Khanh Nguyen as the executive chef at their upcoming contemporary Asian restaurant, King Clarence. Nguyen, previously the executive chef at Melbourne’s Aru and Sunda, will relocate to Sydney to reunite with The Bentley Restaurant Group, where he previously worked at Mr Wong before heading to Melbourne.
“Nick and I have been fortunate to have had many of Australia’s best hospitality professionals work in our restaurants over the last 15 years. We’ve watched Khanh’s career go from strength to strength and we couldn’t be happier to welcome him back to the group, and Sydney, stepping into the position of executive chef at King Clarence. The restaurant will be open in time for summer, and the menu Khanh and I have been working on is pretty special,” says Brent.
“I worked with The Bentley Restaurant Group seven years ago, before making the move to Melbourne. Throughout my career I’ve always looked up to Brent and Nick as role models. We built a great relationship when I was working with them have stayed in touch. They’ve both been amazing mentors for me and I’m so excited to work alongside them once again at King Clarence. I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my career and spending more time in Sydney,” added Khanh.
Polly Mackeral, the current head sommelier at Cirrus Dining and a recipient of the Judy Hirst Award for Australia’s Wine List of the Year 2023 alongside Hildebrandt, is set to assume the position of head sommelier at King Clarence.
Located at the intersection of King and Clarence Streets in Sydney’s CBD, the new venue will showcase a menu highlighting dishes prepared on a custom-built BBQ and grill. Additionally, the restaurant will feature a sizable live seafood tank.
Joining The Bentley Restaurant Group, King Clarence will become the sixth establishment in its portfolio, alongside Bentley Restaurant + Bar, Monopole, Cirrus, Yellow, and Brasserie 1930.
- Where: King Clarence, 171 Clarence Street, Sydney. Open for lunch and dinner Monday to Sunday from the 1 December, with bookings now open.
- Book your table here.