The Jatz and anchovies may have gone, but there’s ace news coming out of Sydney rooftop restaurant and Time Out favourite Kiln. Beau Clugston, former Noma chef and owner of Iluka in Copenhagen, Denmark, is the new head chef of the sky-high diner found atop the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills. Clugston, who grew up in Sawtell on the New South Wales coast and worked at the world’s best restaurant for six years, is drawing on his fine-dining creds as well as his love of the ocean and native Australian produce for Kiln 2.0.
Clugston, who joined René Redzepi as part of the Noma Australia residency team in 2016, is backed by an all-star team of chefs in the kitchen, including flavour guru Isobel Whelan-Little, who was recently at the helm of Alberto’s Lounge and The Caterpillar Club, and sugar wizard Andy Bowdy, former owner of Saga.
The opening menu features snacks like kingfish tart with lemon myrtle, kelp and samphire; cannoli with chicken livers and Davidson’s plum; and kangaroo tartare with blue mussel and nori. A tomato and prawn crudo, which Clugston says is “summer on a plate,” showcases Mussett Farm heirloom tomatoes, WA Ebi prawns, zucchini, strawberries, oyster cream and native green ants, served with an ice-clarified gazpacho poured tableside.
Other menu highlights include waffles topped with smoked butter, bone marrow, uni and wasabi leaf; leeks cooked in paperbark and served with Section28 Monforte cheese, finger lime and lovage; and slow-cooked pork neck with kelp, mussel and karkalla sauce.
Whatever you do, save room for dessert. Bowdy’s creations are all hits, like a playful riff on mango sticky rice with Koshihikari rice soaked in coconut cream, then deep-fried and served on coconut cream with fresh mango, makrut lime and pandan. There’s also an old-school peanut butter and banana sundae, which is about as fun and yum as it gets.
Clugston says: “My time spent researching and cooking for Noma Australia in 2016 made me really fall in love with Australia’s unique pantry of native ingredients and take the produce we have access to here seriously.”
“There is a hardiness to Australia’s flora and fauna from the tough climate it endures, and this shows itself when you cook with it – the flavours are more intense from all it’s withstood, and the taste all the more rewarding. It’s made creating my first menu for Kiln all the more exciting. It’s a versatile menu – not just for special occasions, but one that can easily see you enjoying a few snacks at the bar overlooking the city on a weeknight, or going all out with a group of mates on a Friday,” Clugston adds.
Opened in 2022, Kiln was previously helmed by Mitch Orr, and we’re excited to see what’s next for him.
The rooftop restaurant’s funky fit-out, cracking drinks menu, weekend DJ residencies, and are-we-in-New-York vibes remain, now paired with a fresh and exciting new menu and team.
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