Manu Feildel to open La Botanique event space in Mascot

He can dish it up on reality TV, but chef Manu Feildel can never be accused of being frightened to step up to the plate and have a swing with his own restaurants.

Feildel has had his share of restaurants that didn't last, including Aperitif and Le Grand Cirque, and more recently, Duck In Duck Out in Sydney. And while the chef describes opening a traditional restaurant in the current climate as risky, his latest venue will open in Mascot in mid-October.

Feildel snapped up a warehouse site where he's opening La Botanique, not a restaurant but a studio and event space for hire. One he argues is a better business model in these trying times. It certainly looks snazzy enough to film one of his TV cooking shows, and there's good news for fans of his cooking.

The chef has already spoken to his on-air cooking mate Colin Fassnidge and some other chefs about doing dinners down the track at La Botanique. "It can seat 65 during COVID, [and in normal times] it'll be 120," the chef explains.

While there aren't any future plans for a new restaurant – although the chef says "never say never" – he says he has learnt lessons along the way. He argues Duck In Duck Out was brought undone because "a lot of Australians don't like duck".

"If I turned it into a chicken shop it probably would have made it," he says.