Fresh from the acclaimed NoMad restaurant in New York, Chef Jean-Paul Lourdes has been appointed special guest chef at Gowings Bar & Grill, the signature restaurant at QT Sydney, the flagship property from Australia’s leading designer hotel collection QT Hotels & Resorts. The acclaimed chef will be in residence at the beloved Sydney restaurant for the Australian summer season, collaborating with the Gowings culinary team and top local food purveyors on new menu innovations and expansions.
Chef Lourdes has honed his culinary skills around the world in such world-class restaurants as Les Maisons de Bricourt and Restaurant Kikunoi under the tutelage of some of the world’s most celebrated chefs, including Daniel Humm, Alain Ducasse, Joël Robuchon and Pierre Gagnaire. “I am excited to extend the Gowings menu with some new dishes to savor,” says the New Zealand-born chef. “With food, it is about sourcing the finest produce and we have the best Australia has to offer – Rangers Valley Beef, Cape Grim Beef, Palmers Island Seafood and Sonoma Single Origin Bread – just to name a few! I have a simplistic approach to food and I hope to strengthen our patrons’ enduring love for Gowings Bar & Grill.” The move marks the chef’s return to Sydney, where he graduated from the University of New South Wales.
The menu at Gowings Bar & Grill will remain true to its heritage and retain many guest favorites, while drawing on Lourdes’ rich gastronomic experience. The entire menu is virtually handmade by the team, incorporating fresh ingredients from the hotel’s rooftop garden and beehives, as well as top local purveyors. New menu additions include: Rangers Valley 1kg New York Bone; Roasted Snapper with Slipper Lobster and Persian Saffron; and Portuguese Octopus with Notes of Chorizo. Desserts include a signature New York Cheesecake, Passionfruit Pavlova and Chocolate Ganache.
“Gowings has always been a very popular bar and grill,” says Brett Sergeant, Director of Hospitality for Event Hospitality and Entertainment Limited. “Through working with some of Australia’s most acclaimed producers and welcoming Jean-Paul as a Guest Chef, the restaurant is well positioned to elevate the dining experience.”
As explained by one of the restaurant’s key suppliers, Anthony Puharich of Vic’s Meat: “We are so excited to be working with QT. Since opening in 2012, Gowings has been providing quality, consistency and hospitality all laced with a bit of fun. The collaboration with Gowings is all about providing diners with a unique selection and range of meat that is of the absolute highest quality.”
Complementing the new summer menu, the Gowings wine list is influenced by both classic and unconventional winemakers from Australia and around the world. “The Gowings wine list has been carefully paired to our menu to heighten the overall experience,” said Shun Eto, QT Curator of Wine.
For more information on Gowings Bar & Grill at QT Sydney, visit: www.qthotelsandresorts.
ABOUT QT HOTELS & RESORTS:
QT Hotels & Resorts first put its stamp on the Australian tourism sector with the launch of QT Gold Coast in 2011. The unique and exciting property delivered the first injection of QT’s signature designer spaces with bold entertainment and intriguing yet relaxing guest experience. Now one of Australia’s most loved and dynamic hotel brands, the family of properties includes QT Gold Coast, QT Port Douglas, the flagship QT Melbourne, QT Sydney, QT Falls Creek, QT Canberra and QT Bondi. Adding to its portfolio of stunning boutique hotels and resorts, the newly opened QT Museum Wellington and QT Queenstown in New Zealand mark QT’s first international properties. QT is set for further expansion with plans for QT Perth and QT Parramatta currently underway.
