Restaurateurs eye Kensington Street dining strip

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British celebrity chef Jason Atherton's Sydney restaurant, Kensington Street Social, will swing open its doors early next month, but there'll be some local flavour in the kitchen with former Manly Pavilion chef Tony Gibson joining as its head chef.

With three restaurants poised to open in coming months at The Old Clare Hotel development in Chippendale, the attention has turned to elsewhere in Kensington Street, where a mix of small cottages and industrial spaces has piqued the interest of Melbourne operators.

The owners of Golden Monkey and Mr Big Stuff have been spotted touring the strip, as have reps for MoVida​. Belle's Hot Chicken, pumped by the success of its Sydney pop-ups, has been keen on Kensington Street for some time.

Jason Atherton lends a big name to the area, but the launch of his new restaurants in New York and Dubai will surely prune the amount of time he spends in the kitchen.

Gibson, who will work with executive chef Robert Daniels at Kensington Street Social, says some of Atherton's signatures will make the menu, and there'll be a few twists along the way. "There won't be a cheese board, we'll do cheese dishes instead," Gibson explains.

The former chef has known Atherton since both were rising through the kitchen ranks. "We were flatmates together in London," he says.