Gordon Ramsay protege heads to the Charing Cross

Who's nabbing the world's best young chefs? That would be Sydney.

Hot on the heels of news Josh Raine is taking the reins at Tetsuya's in the new year comes word the youngest ever head chef at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant has just touched down in Sydney.

George Lyon has landed at the Charing Cross Hotel as its new head chef.

Lyon, who was just 24 when Ramsay gave him the keys to the kitchen at London House, said working there and later as head chef at Maze by Gordon Ramsay wasn't nearly as stressful as cooking Christmas lunch for his boss.

"They had the Beckhams over, it was very high pressure, you don't want to ruin someone's Christmas," he says.

Owner Warren Livingstone says: "The plan is for George to work in the venue for the next few weeks and get a feel for it before we undertake a refurbishment of the Dining Room with the launch of his new menu."

Lyon is already working on some dishes for the pub, known affectionately as The Char.

"Scallops with sweet corn and miso puree with crispy chicken skin and charred corn will be on it," he says.