Colin Fassnidge to leave Four in Hand, Guillaume Brahimi to step in

Celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge will depart his two-hatted eastern suburbs restaurant early next year after the Four in Hand Hotel changed hands for $8 million. Neighbouring chef Guillaume Brahimi will oversee the Paddington hotel's new menu.

The Mitchell Waugh-led Public House Management Group continued its Paddington buying spree, adding the Four in Hand, home to Fassnidge's award-winning fine dining restaurant, to a recently acquired portfolio that includes The Royal Hotel and The Woollahra Hotel.

Waugh confirmed French chef Guillaume Brahimi has signed as culinary ambassador to his group, lending experience across Public House's city-wide portfolio, including The Woollahra's prized Bistro Moncur, located just up the road from Brahimi's own upmarket restaurant, Guillaume.

Waugh explained Brahimi's consulting duties will see him help introduce some new "lighter style" dishes at the Four in Hand. Waugh says Fassnidge, who had equity in The Four in Hand, has expressed he won't be staying on after settlement next year.

"I'd be fired after a week if I stayed," Fassnidge says. "I don't want to work for anyone else at this stage."

The Irish chef, who also co-owns 4Fourteen in Surry Hills, has plans for new restaurant ventures, including a seafood eatery on the lower north shore.