By Bec Cotton
The new owners of the Welcome Hotel in Sydney suburb Rozelle have appointed a critically acclaimed team as part of an overhaul of the pub's food and beverage offering.
The O'Keeffe family purchased the Welcome Hotel in April this year.
Licensee Liam O'Keeffe has previously operated pubs including the Duck Inn in Chippendale and others in the UK.
He told TheShout the pub recently appointed chef Dan Mulligan, who comes off the back of eight years as head chef of renowned Northern Beaches restaurant, Pilu at Freshwater. Also joining from the Pilu team is sous chef Shige Tamura.
"In the past, the place always had such a strong reputation for food and beverage, but I think it slipped a bit in receivership," O'Keeffe said. [continued below]
The Welcome Hotel, Rozelle
He said the revitalised Welcome Hotel has a bar menu of pub classics,with the hotel's restaurant offering Italian cuisine.
Pub-goers in search of something beyond your regular run-of-the-mill beer will find refuge in Welcome Hotel's vast range of craft alternatives from breweries including Mountain Goat, Murray's and Ekim.
"I've always been about supporting the little guys. I don't have tap contracts with anyone," O'Keeffe said.
The restaurant offers a range of interesting wines courtesy of a wine list developed in collaboration with Italian wine expert Lara Caraturo.
Formerly head sommelier at Pilu, Caraturo is a previous winner of Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine's national Wine List of the Year award.
O'Keeffe emphasised the need for the pub's drinks offering to include some familiar options along with alternatives to make the venue stand out from the rest.
"You need to have your 'every man' products but I want to be able to offer something different."