Veteran chef Kylie Kwong has announced the closure of her long-running Chinese-Australian restaurant Billy Kwong in Sydney.
The chef and cookbook author took to Instagram to break the news.
“This year I turn 50 and to mark this milestone Billy Kwong as we know it will close so I can make way for an exciting new venture.”
“I will be launching a completely new dining concept in my hometown of Sydney, which will celebrate my unwavering love of food, family and connection to the broader community at large. This new chapter will also facilitate the opportunity for me to further collaborate with inspiring partners both locally and abroad,” she said in her Instagram post.
She also thanked past and present staff of the restaurant, who she described as the “lifeblood” of the 19-year old restaurant, which moved from its original site in Surry Hills to Potts Point in 2014.
The closure of Billy Kwong does not signal the end of Kwong’s culinary career, however.
She signalled plans for a casual eatery in a smaller dining space than Billy Kwong’s current Potts Points premises in Sydney’s east. The yet-to-be-named restaurant will be a collaboration between Kwong and Adelaide-based designer Khai Liew.
“In the meantime, Billy Kwong is still very much open and we look forward to seeing all of our wonderful, supportive diners in the coming months,” Kwong said in the statement.
