Change of focus for Tank restaurant

Tank Restaurant and Bar, which recently received a chef's hat in the Queensland Good Food Guide, is to close, re-opening as a more casual venue.

The restaurant will close this Saturday and is scheduled to re-launch next week as Tank Laneway Bar with a focus on drinks. The word is that pizza ovens are being installed and a casual tapas-style menu will be instigated.

The Donovan Hill-designed restaurant at the base of the "green" Santos Place opened in November 2010 with an upmarket modern Japanese influence under executive chef Alastair McLeod.

Head chef Tony Tierny, who took over after the departure of McLeod in October, is heading back to where he began as a young apprentice – Ocean View Estate Winery, about 40 minutes from the CBD.

"It broke my heart to see the changes that were going to happen at Tank, but I'm looking forward to getting the restaurant at Ocean View up to speed," he said.

Tank's owner, Ross Nielson, was unavailable for comment.