Justin North departs Woollahra's Hotel Centennial

High-profile chef Justin North has confirmed he'll depart the kitchen at Woollahra's Hotel Centennial.

North headed to the glam eastern suburbs pub following the collapse of his Becasse restaurant empire in 2012, putting the then faded Centennial back on the food map.

The 2017 SMH Good Food Guide describes it as a classy joint, "evocative of a well-appointed home of substance and a modern gentleman's club".

North says he'll depart in about four weeks.

"I've done a bit of soul searching and I didn't want to get to the stage where I wasn't enjoying it. There's a good succession plan in place with Tom 'Russ' Deadman, one of the old Becasse boys, moving into the head chef job. It is one of the strongest brigades I've ever had, so it is in good hands."

The veteran chef will eye his next move after taking a short break. But he won't follow in the footsteps of his great mate, former Banc restaurant alumni Matt Kemp, who has packed it in to take his family on an extended road trip across Australia.

"I look at his photos on social media and think it looks great. But I think I'd only last a couple of days on the road," North says.