Surry Hills landmark The White Horse hotel set for A-list relaunch

The White Horse Hotel is a Surry Hills landmark without having fully etched its name as a top-line dining venue. That might be about to change, with a posse of A-list hospitality talent – including one of Western Australia's top chefs – set to relaunch the venue in spring.

Craig Hemmings, the affable GM everywhere from Bilsons to Bennelong, has assembled – or should that be reassembled – a team that first worked together at Black by Ezard.

Joining Hemmings at the venture are James Audas (Lo-Fi Wines, Noma) steering the wine list, barman Michael Chiem (PS40, Sokyo), and chef Jed Gerrard, who is behind a stable of WA restaurants including Wills Domain and Perth fine-diner Wildflower.

"I could smell they were good; they're now all at the top of their game," Hemmings says.

The White Horse is serious about its food and beverage credentials, and the multimillion-dollar refit will position the restaurant on the ground floor, pushing the bar upstairs.

The partners' mood board for the food sweeps everywhere from Cafe Paci to Melbourne's Etta. White Horse's "chef partner" Gerrard has a CV steeped in Michelin-starred restaurants in France and Switzerland, and while that influences his technique, he emphasises he wants the restaurant to be affordable.

"A lot of what I do [in WA] uses Western Australian produce, and while I want to bring some of that over, I'll [cook] with a little more freedom," Gerrard says.

Audas, Chiem and Gerrard will continue to run their other venues, and while Gerrard will fly in and fly out, he expects to spend up to 12 weeks a year in Sydney.

Hemmings stresses the venue's cocktail bar will be for grown-ups. "It won't have DJs, it's not for the kids," he says.

And don't expect a name change. "Everyone knows The White Horse," he adds.