Kitchen by Mike opens express airport outlet

One of Sydney's most eagerly awaited restaurant relaunches is dead in the water, with Kitchen by Mike jettisoning the Kippax Street site in Surry Hills where a DA was lodged to build a 180-seat reboot of the Rosebery original.

But Kitchen by Mike fans can relax; they'll soon be able to chow down without being frisked.

Owner Mike McEnearney says he'll open a second KBM at Sydney International Airport in coming weeks, and unlike his current "airside" location, this one will be before security and customs.

McEnearney, who maintains the numbers didn't stack up on his Surry Hills ambitions, says the new KBM will have a twist; it's an express version.

"We're looking at opening at the end of December, but it'll probably tip into January. This one is great for people who want to have a meal with their family before they travel - it is next to Luke Mangan's Chicken Confidential," he says.

While the new venue won't have a wood oven, McEnearney stresses it'll still have plenty of KBM signatures on the menu.

And he hasn't given up on ambitions to reboot the brand closer to the city. "I'm looking at other sites," he adds.