Celebrated burger eatery Bar Ume closes Surry Hills venue

The hatted Surry Hills restaurant that traded in its finery and joined Sydney's burger craze is closing.

Bar Ume's owner Kerby Craig couldn't be reached for comment, but the venue will shut its doors after a nearly 10-year run on Sunday, June 13. A statement on social media said the landlord didn't want to renew its lease.

Before it was Bar Ume, the upmarket Japanese venue was Ume Restaurant. Chef-owner Kerby Craig, a product of Tetsuya's, nabbed a chef's hat while he was at Koi restaurant at Woolwich.

In his 2012 review of Ume for Good Food, Terry Durack noted Kerby's devotion.

"Given the chef has had a Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide hat tattooed on his neck after helping achieve that status for Koi – and given the difficulties in removing indelible ink from human skin – I'm pleased to suggest Ume is worthy of a score of 15 out of 20."

Fans of the Ume burger can still sate themselves at its spin-off Barangaroo venue.