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Bistro Moncur founder Damien Pignolet to take helm at Regatta, Rose Bay

Scott Bolles
Scott Bolles

New approach: Chef and restaurateur Damien Pignolet will introduce some of his signature dishes to Regatta.
New approach: Chef and restaurateur Damien Pignolet will introduce some of his signature dishes to Regatta.Brendan Esposito


Bistro Moncur founder Damien Pignolet​ is taking the helm in the kitchen at Regatta (the old Pier restaurant), stepping in as executive chef at the Rose Bay restaurant. With Pignolet confirming he'll add some of his signature dishes to the menu, it'll no doubt cause some quiet concern for the new owners at Bistro Moncur, who this month paid a rumoured $30 million for its home, the Woollahra Hotel, twice the price Pignolet and his former business partner sold it for 4½ years ago.

Pignolet is still working on his menu at Regatta, which won't be introduced until the new year, with recently resigned head chef Claudio Morales staying on until Christmas. "We'll maintain the style of a seafood restaurant (at least half the menu will be seafood) and introduce some signatures ... My scallop souffle will certainly be on it," Pignolet says.

The veteran chef wants to make the restaurant more accessible, won't be putting linen back on the tables and says he'll also oversee the kitchen of the neighbouring cafe. It also marks a reunion. Regatta GM Peter Nield was a longtime manager at Bistro Moncur and the Woollahra Hotel during Pignolet's reign.

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Scott BollesScott Bolles writes the weekly Short Black column in Good Food.

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