The casino declined to comment on a potential replacement, but sources say a Stockholm fine diner is a front-runner for the space.
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One of Sydney’s select group of three-hat restaurants, the plush fine diner Oncore by Clare Smyth, will serve its last meal at Crown Sydney in February.
Crown Sydney and Smyth confirmed the restaurant’s closure to Good Food, providing a statement from the British chef.
“Opening Oncore in Sydney has been an incredible journey,” said Smyth, the only female chef to hold three Good Food hats and three Michelin stars simultaneously.
Oncore chef Clare Smyth.Wolter Peeters
“I’m deeply proud of what we’ve achieved and grateful to the team whose talent and dedication brought our vision to life. It’s been a privilege to share our food with Australian diners.”
The closure, which comes as Smyth’s current agreement ends with Crown, and she prepares to open luxury bistro Cornucopia in London, will heighten concerns about the appetite at the premium end of the Sydney restaurant market after a tough 18 months of trading conditions.
Crown declined to comment on a potential replacement for Oncore, however sources who asked not to be named have confirmed to Good Food that Stockholm’s three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Frantzen is a front-runner for the space.
The tasting menu at Frantzen costs about $880 per person before drinks, compared with $395 at Oncore and $515 at Core, Smyth’s first solo London restaurant.
The view from Oncore at Barangaroo.Courtesy of Crown Sydney
Oncore opened with a splash in 2021, accomplishing the difficult feat of snaring three chefs hats from the get-go, while facing down a global pandemic, lockdowns and staff working remotely from London. The restaurant has held its three Good Food Guide hats since opening.
The luxury venue was one of the dining drawcards to the Crown development, which had experienced delays and complications around its gaming licence. Its stable of restaurants include Nobu, the Ross Lusted-led Woodcut, Italian chef Alessandro Pavoni’s a’Mare and reborn Cantonese stalwart Golden Century. Oncore came with a heightened culinary brief, elevated water views and sky-high expectations.
“Clare Smyth’s Oncore has made an extraordinary impact at Crown Sydney, setting a benchmark for excellence,” Crown Sydney chief executive Stanford Le said in a statement, which thanked Smyth and her team.
Smyth rose to head chef at London’s Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in 2007 at the age of just 29. She soon started collecting awards, with the Chelsea restaurant picking up a 10/10 in the UK’s Good Food Guide, five AA Rosettes and three Michelin stars. She repeated the three-star feat at her own 2017 London start-up, Core by Clare Smyth, however her fine-dining repertoire always included an element of earthiness and grit.
Oncore’s potato and roe dish. Edwina Pickles
The Northern Ireland-born chef found time to roast chickens for Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding, and unearthed an unlikely hero dish of potato and roe, which was transplanted to the Sydney menu. Critics waxed lyrical about the slow-cooked spud in kombu butter, topped with herring and trout roe.
“There’s cause to think that sitting down for three-and-a-half hours over seven courses of fine dining at three Michelin star level is unsustainable, slightly absurd and more of an event than a dinner,” former Good Food critic Terry Durack wrote in his 18/20 review in 2021. “I defend to the death their right to bring it to Sydney, however. And our right to get excited about it.”
Australia hasn’t always been a happy hunting ground for high-profile UK chefs. Jamie Oliver and Jason Atherton have venues closed in Sydney, and Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal did likewise in Melbourne.
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