Merivale's The Paddington set to open on Oxford Street

• Merivale raises the bar with eight new Sydney openings

It's said that if you can make it on Sydney's Oxford Street then you can make it anywhere. In the next week we'll get the first sniff whether Justin Hemmes​ can bring his Midas touch to the Paddington end of an arterial better known in recent times for high vacancy rates than big name launches.

Hemmes swings open the doors next Monday at the Paddington, his remodelling of the Paddington Arms Hotel purchased nearly two years ago.

With several local businesses quietly admitting their own longevity hinges on the project bringing customers back to the area, its every move is being closely watched.

Hemmes has punted large, also purchasing a neighbouring property, chiefly to house services and a takeaway chicken shop. There's another Merivale restaurant coming a few doors down, and he's hoping to build a new hub for Sydney's under-catered late-night dining scene with a kitchen that'll stay open late. "We have a 3am licence," he says.

They've also dropped $50,000 a piece on three French rotisseries and while chef Ben Greeno​ says they can turn out 150 chickens an hour, Paddingtonites won't live on poultry alone, with crab on toast and whole fish stuffed with olives, lemon and thyme also on the opening menu.

"We've taken a butcher's shop [as the design cue] as you walk in," Hemmes says.

The first floor cocktail bar looks across to Paddington Markets and signs are good elsewhere on the strip, with Brigade Dining opening on Monday in the former La Scala site at the Light Brigade Hotel.