Damien Pignolet leaves the Bellevue

Veteran chef Damien Pignolet leaves the Bellevue at the end of March.

Pignolet's signing last year at the Paddington pub caused a stir, given its proximity - just a couple of Kurtley Beale punt kicks away - to the Woollahra Hotel and the eatery he created, Bistro Moncur.

Pignolet tells Short Black he has done ''everything I can at the Bellevue'' but admits he sometimes struggled to change the dining habits of its well-seasoned regulars.

When Pignolet put a lighter-style dish on the menu, he didn't sell a single portion.

''The lamb cutlet, corned beef and home-made sausages remain the biggest sellers,'' he says.

Pignolet doesn't know what his next step will be but he's keen to continue consultancy.