Paul Wilson heads Macquarie Hotel reboot

Distressed Cuban interiors and Latin food from one of Melbourne's most highly decorated chefs will be unveiled later this week when the revamped Macquarie Hotel in Surry Hills is rebooted.

Renamed Hotel Harry, the pub is a short hop from Spice I Am and Longrain.

Chef Paul Wilson, pictured with Hotel Harry co-owner Christian Denny, will open its food offerings in stages.

Wilson, who has a trophy cabinet full of Melbourne's top awards dating back more than a decade to his Age Good Food Guide Chef of the Year gong at Radii, has already offered Sydney a glimpse of his talent as creative food director at Icebergs.

Now we'll taste the type of crowd-pleasing food he punched out at Melbourne Pub Group venues such as the Newmarket Hotel and Acland St Cantina. HArpoon Harry Bar Publico, on the ground floor, will serve its first taste of slow-cooked barbecue this week.

"I've studied the Surry Hills lunch crowd and they like healthy, fast and interesting food," Wilson says. "There isn't a lot of knife and fork going on, so the menu has Latin tortas, typical street sandwiches of Latin America."

Paladar Dining Room will open at the end of the month. Wilson says he'll interpret classic Latin dishes.

We had a peek at the Palabar draft menu, which mixes crab and saffron tortilla with dishes such as wagyu heart, tongue and short rib Peruvian skewers and twice-cooked pork belly with pineapple adobo.