Morsels: Mick Chatto and Catherine Sharland to open Hotel Kurrajong venue

Chifley's Bar and Grill is the new restaurant at the Hotel Kurrajong and Mick Chatto will head the kitchen.

The Kurrajong is undergoing a big multimillion dollar refurbishment under new owners TFE Hotels. Chatto, who was formally head chef at Italian and Sons and Artespresso, told us there would be a big emphasis on high-quality meat with 18 cuts ranging from Black Angus to Shiro Kin wagyu and all the way to a $160 scotch fillet from Victorian producer David Blackmore.

He'll be joined by top sommelier Catherine Sharland, who ran the Perth outpost of Neil Perry's Rockpool empire and Must Wine Bar. Sharland will run the floor and curate a 120-strong wine list.

We're told the decor will be 1920s elegance with mahogany, leather banquettes and chandeliers. It's the latest in a list of Canberra hotels with strong restaurant offerings – from Monster at Hotel Hotel, the Capitol Bar and Grill at the glitzy QT Hotel, and a new modern Asian set to go into the Burbury Hotel in Barton.

Chatto says it's a good sign: "Australia has come such a long way in the last 20 years and Canberra has just jumped so dramatically to catch up to Sydney and Melbourne. Hotels are coming back, they’ve have been coming back for the last 10 years."

He says it will be a place for long lunches and non-traditional breakfasts. "The style we’re going to do is going to be very clean and classic," Chatto says. Chifley's will open on December 16.