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White Cockatoo and Phoenix Hotels taken over by a new generation

Scott Bolles
Scott Bolles

Phoenix chef Nick Alexis with owners Alex and William Cooney.
Phoenix chef Nick Alexis with owners Alex and William Cooney.Steven Siewert

The White Cockatoo in Petersham is the latest pub to fall into the hands of Sydney's generation next, reopening in October as the West Village.

"The locals say it used to hum in the '70s and '80s," says co-owner Locky Paech, who was part of the new wave Drink'n'Dine group that rebooted the Norfolk in Redfern and the Forresters in Surry Hills. Design crew Alexander & Co will rework the hotel, crafting a courtyard in the 1886 building.

Former Catalina chef Sam Thomson will steer the kitchen at the West Village, and while a version of the schnitzel that made the Petersham pub a destination for some will remain, Thomson will roll out a gastropub menu big on organic and ethically farmed produce, with a generous sprinkling of native ingredients. Paech has teamed with business partner James Bodel to create a new group, Goodtime Hospitality.

"Hopefully this is the first of many [hotels]," says Paech. "We looked outside of the inner city for a community-driven place. We want to give an area what it needs, and we think Petersham needs a meeting place. It won't be [gimmicky]. It's our version of a modern Australian pub."

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A similar pitch is under way over in Woollahra, where new operators Will and Alex Cooney swung open the doors last week at the Phoenix Hotel, which has a mixed history, most recently as a short-lived champagne bar. The handsome Woollahra hotel is big on cocktails and craft beer, with former Brown Sugar chef Nick Alexis turning out a simple Mediterranean-inspired menu. If haloumi, fig and ouzo doesn't rock your Greek fishing boat, there's a Tunisian radish salad, crab with angel hair pasta and a date brulee.

But don't expect too much in the way of finery. Alex Cooney is direct about the brief: Phoenix is first and foremost a hotel.

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Scott BollesScott Bolles writes the weekly Short Black column in Good Food.

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