Paul Wilson lures chef Julien Perraudin to Salon De The

Time to pack away the deep-fryers, Sydney. One of the pioneers of the ''dude food'' movement is punting on a return to healthier menus.

Paul Wilson, the man behind pace-setting dude-food restaurant Duke, has lured chef Julien Perraudin from Melbourne to forge healthier eating habits at Salon De The, the Darlinghurst restaurant Wilson is opening with a who's who of partners, including Icebergs' Maurice Terzini.

''I still love it when I'm hungover, but we will deliberately steer away from deep-fry cooking. We like to call it more balanced dining,'' Wilson says of the Victoria Street eatery, which opens in early August.

The choice of French-Vietnamese is deliberate. ''Vietnamese is one of the lowest-calorie cuisines; we'll make it even healthier by lowering the sugar levels,'' he adds.

Perraudin, who has a French background, is reportedly fascinated by Asian food and has a great pedigree, having worked at Botanical and the edgy Melbourne Pub Group.

''The menu will be pescaterian and vegetarian-friendly. If Duke was for the boys, this is for the girls,'' Wilson says.