Is this the the death of the white table cloth? After 27 years, 66 Good Food Guid Chefโs hats and one accidental electrical fire, Sydneyโs three-hatted Rockpool is shutting itโs doors on July 30.
Owner Neil Perry says he is now focusing on his slew of other businesses, including Rockpool Bar and Grill and his chain of gourmet Burger Project outlets.
He is just the latest in a series of high-end chefs to hang up their pans after decades in the business. Last week Mark Best, chef and owner of Sydneyโs Marque announced he will be closing after 17 years while in Melbourne, renowned chef Andrew McConnellโs Moon Under Water is closing itโs doors.
Perry has told The Sydney Morning Heraldโs Good Food that the reason he is winding up his fabled eatery is that high-end gastronomy has lost itโs appeal for him both professionally and personally. โI travel around the world now and dine in modern three hat/three star/top 50 restaurants and I just get fatigued with flavour. Sometimes the foodโs just not all that deliciousโฆ Itโs heartbreaking in a way but weโve got a really strong idea of what we want to do.โ