'Dinner party' restaurant opens in Kings Cross

The ''dinner party'' restaurant (a small eatery that can be booked out for a group) has been gaining traction in recent years, but a farmhouse take on the idea in the middle of Kings Cross is set to give new direction to the movement.

Restaurants, such as Table for 20, in Surry Hills, have been popular with groups. Farmhouse swings open its doors this week at 4/40 Bayswater Road, and its 20-seat communal table is sure to be highly prized given the pedigree of its kitchen crew. Chefs Mike Mu Sung (est, Sixpenny) and Tristan Rosier (est, Biota Dining) and co-owner Nicholas Gurney will turn out a four-course, $55 set menu.

They plan two sittings, 6pm and 8pm, and Gurney, who is a designer by day, describes its interior as inspired by rustic 19th-century European farmhouses. So no Mr Ed.