New Bennelong restaurant at Opera House is taking reservations

Helmed by Quay's Peter Gilmore and The Fink Group, the new-look Bennelong opens on Wednesday, July 1, exactly 18 months after chef Guillaume Brahimi's last service underneath the Opera House ribs. The Fink Group has been in the hospitality business for more than five decades and owns and operates Quay Restaurant and Otto Ristorante, as well as being joint partners in two-hatted The Bridge Room and newly opened Firedoor.

The new-look Bennelong will serve dining options across different price points in Gilmore's signature style of beautifully presented dishes that celebrate the seasons. A multimillion-dollar refurbishment across three levels has contemporised the space with ochre and natural tones.

The lower level is home to a 100-seat space that offers a three-course a la carte menu with sides for $125. It's more robust food than across the pond at the three-hatted Quay, featuring grilled Lady Elliot Island bug with fermented chilli, organic turnips and radishes and roasted John Dory served on the bone and with saltbush, turnips, Asian vegetable and umami butter.

"Bennelong is all about the provenance of the food we are serving," Gilmore said in a statement.

"The menu is very much crafted in partnership with the farmers, fishermen, breeders and providores with whom our chefs work every day. It's a two-way process: we're responding to what's in season ... but, on another level, we are planning menus a season or two seasons ahead."

The second level features a semi-private dining room plus the relaxed "cured and cultured" bar serving food such as crustaceans, south coast oysters, culatello ham and organic vegetable salad. Dishes cost between $5 and $30, and you can eat at the bar and watch chefs at work or take a seat on the third tier in the 32-seat "circle".

Here you can also grab a drink from the cocktail bar and order from the restaurant's dessert menu. Fancy a glass of Australian wine and a Peter Gilmore lamington after a show? Walk on in.

There's also a pre-theatre menu (two courses for $80 or three for $105) and at the pointier end of the scale is a 10-course degustation for $650 per person at the chef's table, located in the kitchen and overlooking the harbour.

Other dining experiences will be rolled out throughout the year including weekend brunch, late-night supper and a theatre interval takeaway pack.

Open Mon-Sun 5.30pm-midnight, Fri-Sun noon-2pm, (02) 9240 8000, bennelong.com.au