Red Rabbit bounces back

While Claude's had just four sets of owners in 37 years, the restaurant that replaced it has its second owner in just a few months. Red Rabbit opened last October but was beset with backroom drama and changes in personnel.

It had remained closed since Christmas under a cloud of speculation when new owner, Sangkyu Ku, reopened it last week. The Korean chef says he was originally approached to be the new chef at Red Rabbit but did a deal to ''take over the lease" from Phillip Haw, the previous owner.

Haw couldn't be contacted for comment, but Ku says the restaurant had suffered at launch because of "high expectations coming after Claude's".

He has decided to retain the Red Rabbit name because the restaurant's interior is themed around the moniker. Ku has been in Australia for seven years and has Bird Cow Fish and Bennelong on his CV. His new modern-Asian menu includes lemon-pepper squid, green-tea noodle soup and pork-belly tacos.