The latest piece to the Merivale empire, Hotel Centennial, has finally opened under the tutelage of The Paddington’s Ben Greeno, Fred’s Danielle Alvarez and Head Chef James Evangelinos.
With their love of local produce and talent for restrained simplicity, Greeno and Alvarez have crafted a menu shaped by Mediterranean sensibilities.
“This is a nod to Southern Europe; food inspired by the season and what people want to eat”, says Greeno. “It’s what you’d like to make at home, but rather go out for”.
On the menu are a selection of flat breads from the wood-fired oven, with toppings such as ‘minced lamb, merguez, yoghurt and pickled chillies’ and ‘fennel, greens and garlic cream’, along with simple pastas and salads. Seafood will be a consistent motif – think ‘wood oven squid with aioli and cherry tomatoes’ followed by the more substantial ‘grilled flounder with seaweed salsa verde’ and ‘snapper fillet with tomato, verdicchio lemon and capers’.
Dessert will showcase the summer’s harvest in dishes such as ‘lemon verbena custard tart with fresh peaches and nectarine’. The team will also bring a Merivale interpretation of the ‘waffles with banana caramel sauce and whipped cream’, a dessert that is synonymous with Hotel Centennial.
New Head Chef James Evangelinos is fresh from three years at Matt Lambert’s Michelin star restaurant, The Musket Room, in New York City. Megan Sullivan, previously Restaurant Manager est., will be leading the floor.
Hotel Centennial
Address: 88 Oxford Street, Woollahra
Website: http://merivale.com.au/hotelcentennial
Hours: Monday-Friday: 12pm-12am, Saturday: 12pm-12am; Sunday: 12pm-10pm
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