A $3 million refit is transforming the 150-seat Crown Street space into an art-strewn Parisian brasserie.
The former Surry Hills home of Toko and era-defining MG Garage finally has an opening date for its next chapter – and a name.
Armorica Grande Brasserie will open in the space on April 20.
Good Food caught a whiff early last year that Andrew Becher, the restaurateur behind Franca and Parlar, had nabbed the site with plans for a Parisian brasserie.
Since then, Becher has stripped the space of any traces of its former occupants.
While still in the final stages of its refit, the restaurateur promises: “Sydney hasn’t seen anything like it.”
The interior of the 150-seat restaurant comes with a price tag rumoured to have topped $3 million, but the offering isn’t “as fine dining as Franca”.
Becher wants customers to feel equally comfortable sliding onto the custom-dyed leather upholstery for steak frites and a glass of wine, or settling in for executive chef Jose Saulog’s menu, which will feature coral trout crudo, lobster and a Gundagai lamb chop.
Armorica – named after the ancient region that spanned modern-day Brittany and Paris – will continue Becher’s reputation for art-strewn restaurants.
Works from American illustrator David Plunkert will feature on the restaurant’s walls.
Open lunch Fri-Sun; dinner Tue-Sun (from April 20).
490 Crown Street, Surry Hills, armorica.com.au
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