Cronulla's Jake Chalmers opens second burger branch in Glebe

Cronulla burger hit Jake Chalmers is riding into town, opening a branch this week at Glebe pub the Friend in Hand.

Jake Chalmers owner Anthony Gentile, who worked at the Grand National in Paddington when it had a chefs hat, argues there is still a new niche in the saturated city burger market.

"Our burgers are a bit of a cross between an Aussie and an American burger. We do a burger called The Trump where everything in it is Mexican," he says. "The Friend is a pretty crazy pub. They have nerd nights, crab racing and comedy. There is even a cockatoo named George."

Pub punters do not live on burgers alone, so Gentile has introduced a steak dish and and salt and pepper calamari to the line-up.

Open daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-9.30pm

58 Cowper Street, Glebe 02 9660 2326

Powder Keg latest victim to boom-or-bust street

Once a jewel in Sydney's dining crown, Kellett Street's more recent reputation as a boom or bust eating strip is magnified by its latest closure. The wash-up from the departure of The Powder Keg, a venue with experienced bar operators, a talented chef and seemingly favourable reviews, isn't encouraging.

Powder Keg's liquidator tells Good Food external creditors are owed around $500,000. The strip has attracted attention since rival gangs fought a battle with knives and guns in 1929, and has remained in the headlines ever since. A prized eating destination in the 1980s and 1990s, its quiet, leafy location has mirrored the fortunes and changes of the Kings Cross strip around the corner. Kellett Street has seduced a number of high-profile operators over the years who ended up leaving.

Celebrity chefs Manu Feildel and Miguel Maestre pulled the pin at Aperitif in 2011 after less than 12 months under their watch. An Indian restaurant has also closed recently on the strip. Joe van der Heide, who opened Parsons Bar & Kitchen in 2015, on the site of the short-lived Cafe Boheme, says it isn't all doom and gloom, and Kellett Street has a way of refreshing itself. "We're really busy, and there is a new cafe opening on the corner," van der Heide said.

Brae bumping into Quay for one-night stint

If you can't get to Dan Hunter's recently anointed 44th best restaurant in the world, Brae, in regional Victoria, then Hunter will come to you, Sydney.

The chef, who in four short years has propelled Brae into the dining stratosphere, is touring the country promoting his latest tome, Brae: Recipes and Stories from the Restaurant, and will pitstop at Quay where he'll cook with chef Peter Gilmore on May 9.

The luxe $450 pricetag (plus booking fee) does include a copy of the book and matched wines. And, Sydneysiders, it'll spare you the cost of an airfare to dine at Brae.