By Vanessa Cavasinni, editor Australian Hotelier
3 Weeds in Sydney’s inner west has revealed the first stage in its renovation, with the transformation of its fine dining restaurant into the casual dining Garden Room.
The Garden Room is the first stage in a full renovation, which is set to be completed in early 2018. Restaurateur Darrell Felstead (ex-GPO, Foveaux) has returned to 3 Weeds thirteen years after he secured the pub’s first Hat.
The pub’s renovations have been slightly delayed, with initial scheduling intending for the venue revamp to be complete around this time. However Falstead is happy to be able to launch the Garden Room and its more casual fare throughout the entire venue.
“Our original plan was to relaunch the whole venue later this year but due to DA delays, we decided it was best to give ourselves some more time. In saying that, we didn’t want to wait until next year to push forward. Giving the restaurant a face-lift and converting it into a casual dining space has allowed us to add 100 seats to the pub. It has also given us the freedom to carry a single new menu, throughout the hotel.”
The new menu focuses on comfort food from the “cultural melting pot” of Australia. Dishes include teriyaki chicken wings; potato and manchego croquettes; and a lamb, porter and pea pie. Share dishes are also included, such as a whole lamb shoulder with tzatziki, hummus, mint and pea tendril salad.
“There are a lot of dishes on the new menu that I have a personal connection with, such as the banoffee pie, the first dessert I was allowed to make at the pub I worked in when I was 12 years old as well as favourites from earlier in my career. I’d like to think a lot of the dishes will resonate with our diners on some level. Eating at a pub is all about knowing you’re going to get a great meal that’s of good value and this menu delivers that,” stated Felstead.
The Garden Room’s new look is all about a work in progress with the interior design firm, loopcreative, suggesting that the room can evolve with the transformation of the rest of the venue.
“It’s meant to look like a space that’s in the making so we’ve introduced raw concrete flooring, exposed walls, drop-sheets on the ceiling as well as some builder’s lights but the reality is, there’s a number of elements that can be dismantled and used as substrate materials for the final design next year,” explained Rod Faucheux, director of loopcreative.
The majority of 3 Weeds is set to be transformed by early 2018, including overhauls to the main bar, wine bar, front bar and lounge.
