North shore goes south with SoCal

Former Bistro CBD chef James Privett will oversee the November launch of a new restaurant, SoCal, in Neutral Bay. Privett has kept a low profile since departing The Cut Bar & Grill in March, but has quietly joined Applejack Hospitality as group executive chef. Applejack's owners, Hamish Watts and Ben Carroll, are quietly assembling a Sydney empire, opening Bondi Hardware and The Botanist, the latter at the former site of Milson's restaurant in Kirribilli.

Privett confirmed a Southern California-inspired menu for the Neutral Bay opening, with a sprinkling of Mexican. He has crumbed jalapenos with pork mince and morcilla with crushed peas on SoCal's draft menu.

SoCal will slide into the former Young Street digs of a ''gentleman's'' karaoke bar. Sake and Momofuku Seiobo designer Luchetti Krelle has signed to create the SoCal interiors and an exterior terrace space that will feature a San Diego-style beach bar.