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25.02.11
Reeling in the big fish, The Atlantic launches at Crown
The food-obsessed city of Melbourne will have to wait until late-March 2011 for the unveiling of The Atlantic at Crown, the most ambitious seafood restaurant the city has ever seen. “Forget preconceptions about seafood,” says Executive Chef Donovan Cooke. “There really is nothing like The Atlantic experience anywhere in the world.” The new restaurant centres on the finest seafood available - sourced by Melbourne’s own King Neptune Con Andronis, founder of Clamms Seafood and co-owner of The Atlantic.
The Atlantic’s Oyster Bar, al fresco dining, basement lounge, restaurant and private dining areas have been designed by Blackmilk interior design and will hold a capacity of 300 diners. Expect hidden alcoves, banquettes, pescatorially inspired soft furnishings and lamps; a mix of exposed brick and poetry-scrawled wall motifs and every possible seating combination. Highlights include the open kitchen and kitchen dining room as well as The Den, the Atlantic’s sexy subterranean basement club.
The kitchens have been designed to Cooke’s exact specifications, including a 9 meter long, 2.5-tonne bespoke Comcater stove. The Atlantic will also boast a 20-metre custom-built seafood case where the best wild and sustainable fish, unique oyster varieties and pristine shellfish available will be on display.
“The Atlantic is about seafood in its purest form,” says Con Andronis. The menu will include a signature seafood platter that features the day’s freshest seafood. Guests can sit up at the Oyster Bar until 2am and eat Australia’s best rock, flat and black-lipped oysters, shucked to order of course. Donovan has added treats such as king crab; yakitori and tempura soft shell crab with jalapeno ponzu to the bar menu to complement the finest caviars and champagnes.
In the restaurant, Donovan has devised a menu where more delicate appetizers such as salmon with wakeme salad and Carpaccio of haramashi kingfish sit alongside mains such as big bold Atlantic marinara, whole wood-fired barramundi and snapper and John Dory served with saffron gnocchi, broad beans and a white sage sauce. The restaurant will also be the place to experience Donovan’s degustation menus in the private dining rooms, flavors that have earned him a cult international following.
Con and Donovan are co-owners of The Atlantic with entrepreneur Hatem Saleh and Tony Schiavello, principal of the Schiavello Group. Andronis, Saleh and Schiavello are also partners in hospitality powerhouse Atlantic Group [v]. If there was such as thing as Ocean’s Four, it would be this consortium: Tony’s business acumen and eye for design; Hatem’s attention to detail; Con’s deep knowledge of seafood and Donovan’s international culinary genius come together for the ultimate seafood experience – The Atlantic at Crown.
THE ATLANTIC AT CROWN, CROWN COMPLEX, SOUTHBANK OPENING HOURS, LUNCH + DINNER 7 DAYS UNTIL LATE
RESERVATIONS+61 3 9698 8888
The Atlantic team at a glance:
Donovan Cooke
Yorkshire-born, Donovan began work in kitchens aged 15. His talents saw him singled out by culinary luminaries Michael Roux and Marco Pierre White. He has worked at The Savoy Hotel and the Waterside Inn in London and La Cote St Jacques in Roigny, France. Donovan came to Melbourne in 1999 where he was co-creator of the influential Est Est Est. Ondine followed in 2002. From 2004, Donovan was chef de cuisine at Derby Restaurant and Bar at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. In 2005, he was recognised as Honorary Commander, La Commanderie des Cordon bleus de France for outstanding culinary achievements. In 2010, Donovan returned to Melbourne to become executive chef and co-owner of The Atlantic.
Con Andronis
To put it simply, Con Andronis has revolutionised the supply of fish in Melbourne. He started Clamms Seafood 22 years ago with George Kaparos. Top Melbourne restaurants quickly realised the quality of this wholesale supplies. Ever since, Con’s name has been synonymous with the best fish on any table in Australia. Clamms now supplies more than 800 restaurants, buying more than 40 tonnes of fresh and frozen fish each week. Con has been recognised as a Melbourne Food and Wine Legend. Con is also a director of catering and events company Atlantic Group [v].
Tony Schiavello
Tony was born in Sorianello, Italy in 1938, migrating to Australia aged 18. In 1966, Tony co-founded a small office interiors business with brother Guiseppe. Two years later, they established Schiavello. Today the Schiavello Group of Companies has 1200 employees and annual turnover of more than $450 million. In 2005, Tony was inducted into the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame. Tony is also a director of Atlantic Group [v].
Hatem Saleh
Hatem is the managing director of Atlantic Group [v]. He began his career as a restaurateur. Thinking big, Hatem hatched a plan to develop a major event space for Melbourne that could cater for more than 500 people. He transformed Shed 7 at South Wharf in 1999, and created Atlantic Group [v] business. In 2002, Atlantic Group [v] introduced two more event spaces – Sumac and Alumbra. In 2006, Atlantic Group [v] won the highly competitive tender to redevelop Central Pier, Docklands where the business is now housed, along with latest ventures Va Bene pizzeria and The Woolshed Pub and Dining Room.
David Gray
As general manager, David will be The Atlantic’s front-of-house supremo. With more than 28 years’ experience, David has honed his skills at Claridges and the Savoy Hotel. His most recent role was as head of The Manly Pavilion, awarded best new restaurant for 2011 by the Sydney Morning Herald.
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