Khanh Nguyen, the chef who delivered Melbourne not one but two boundary-pushing fine-diners in three years, has suddenly departed Aru and Sunda.
Nguyen was executive chef of the two restaurants, and led Aru when it was named Restaurant of the Year by The Age Good Food Guide 2023.
His last service was on Saturday, July 1, according to a statement issued by the owner of the two restaurants, Adipoetra Halim, who also owns The Hotel Windsor.
In a post on his own Instagram account, Nguyen did not state a reason for his departure, nor what his next position would be, but said that he was leaving with a heavy heart.
“As I close this chapter, I am eager to script the unwritten pages that lie ahead. ‘Sometimes you have to let go of the life you planned to find the life that’s waiting for you’,” his post read, quoting American writer Joseph Campbell.
Nguyen opened Sunda on Punch Lane in 2018 with menus that combined South-East Asian ingredients and traditions with his fine-dining training, honed at Sydney venues including Bentley and Mr. Wong. A Vegemite curry with roti was an instant hit, while a contemporary take on an Indonesian benchmark, otak otak, showcased his technical prowess.
That playful mixing of culinary influences was rendered even more brightly at follow-up restaurant Aru, where Nguyen’s toolbox included a wood-fired hearth, dry-ageing cabinets, native Australian flavours and a newfound obsession with French pastry.
Aru was awarded two hats on opening in 2021 before taking home Restaurant of the Year at The Age Good Food Guide awards in Melbourne last November. Some of the restaurant’s dishes, such as duck sausage sangas and pâté en croute with flavours of banh mi, have quickly entered Melbourne’s culinary hall of fame.
Aru’s head chef Nico Koevoets will step into the top job at that venue, while Sunda’s brigade will run the kitchen for now.
Nguyen was central to the plans for the group’s next restaurant, Antara 128, an all-day brasserie and bakery that would be a playground for his fascination with bread and pastry. In a statement, the group said those plans remain unaffected, adding that Antara is on track to open in the third quarter of 2023.
“Together with Khanh we have shared a great five years,” the Windsor Group’s statement reads.
“Working together side by side over that time is no small feat... We respect his decision to leave, and genuinely wish him the very best in his pursuits.”
Nguyen thanked his teams in his Instagram post, pointing out that the success of the restaurants was equally shared between them.
Nguyen has been contacted for comment.
Emma Breheny – Emma is Good Food's Melbourne-based reporter and co-editor of The Age Good Food Guide 2024.https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirAFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVhZ2UuY29tLmF1L2dvb2Rmb29kL21lbGJvdXJuZS1lYXRpbmctb3V0L3RvcC1jaGVmLWtoYW5oLW5ndXllbi1hbm5vdW5jZXMtc2hvY2stZGVwYXJ0dXJlLWZyb20taGF0dGVkLW1lbGJvdXJuZS1yZXN0YXVyYW50cy1hcnUtYW5kLXN1bmRhLTIwMjMwNzAyLXA1ZGw2aS5odG1s0gEA?oc=5
2023-07-02 08:01:45Z
CBMirAFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVhZ2UuY29tLmF1L2dvb2Rmb29kL21lbGJvdXJuZS1lYXRpbmctb3V0L3RvcC1jaGVmLWtoYW5oLW5ndXllbi1hbm5vdW5jZXMtc2hvY2stZGVwYXJ0dXJlLWZyb20taGF0dGVkLW1lbGJvdXJuZS1yZXN0YXVyYW50cy1hcnUtYW5kLXN1bmRhLTIwMjMwNzAyLXA1ZGw2aS5odG1s0gEA
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