BAR CHEF

Savvy Tepanyaki & Bar

2010-07-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a turbulent few months but after a great deal of work and change to life in general, I finally have my own Restaurant and Bar in Byron Bay with my best friend Jake Rozyn. Jake and I have spent the past 6 weeks renovation Savvy Restaurant which is located on the top floor of 9 Fletcher Street in the centre of Byron Bay.

Savvy is a Japanese Restaurant and Bar with Teppanyaki, Izakaya Dining (Jap Tappas), private BBQ and Cocktail bar with stunning wine and a constantly growing sake list as well.

Our Restaurant has a large indoor/outdoor deck with views of the main beach, private booths that seat up to six per booth, long communal tables, bar seats and a custom made black granite Teppan table. Our capacity is strictly limited to 70 people and we cater to all kinds of parties and special events. We offer traditional Japanese dishes like fresh sashimi, tempura and Beef Tataki and Terriyaki, as well as some slightly more Western orientated dishes such as whole fried baby snapper and chocolate butter crepes for dessert. Our wine list is of 'city sophistication' and our cocktails are the best you will find anywhere in the world. Our Sake range is also growing constantly and the venue although only fifty percent complete is undoubtedly the classiest venue the Shire has ever seen.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates as Savvy Byron continues to expand on all fronts!!

Latest Project - Harvest Cafe in Newrybar

2010-02-23T02:11:00.000-08:00

Owned and operated by two of the best in the business and my closest friends Tristan Grier and Kassia Picone, Harvest Cafe provides everything you could want in a country dining experience be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. Slightly detached from the main dining room is a smaller venue originally designed as a bakery complete with an age old wood fired oven.

Soon to undergo a complete renovation, this site will be home to a private dining room, cocktail kitchen and lounge bar, function space and bread bakery. The new bar design will allow Harvest to offer a massive range of cocktails that will rival even the highest quality set-ups found anywhere else worldwide.

Stay tuned for future progress reports and updates.

Why Pay a Consultant?

2010-01-20T23:59:00.000-08:00

When it comes to the business of bars, a lot people think they know best. Building a bar for most people can cost a great deal of time and money and it's outcome can mean instant success or failure. There is a lot of money to be made with the right bar design and for most venues, the bar is the engine that drives it. To fully understand the mechanics behind a successful bar design and operation, you need to have experience working in one. BAR CHEF has over thirteen years of experience working in every style of bar on the market and its this experience paired with a design back ground and innovative design concepts and techniques that make BAR CHEF the most qualified to help with your next project.

Incorrectly placed items such as fridges, ice-wells, bins, sinks, taps and bottles can cost your business tens of thousands of dollars in lost productivity and therefor lost sales. Nearly all Architects focus predominately on the aesthetic value rather than the functional aspects and more often than not they incorporate standard materials giving your bar a 'generic' look and costing you full price in the process.

There are dozens of examples like the ones listed above that most people are unaware of until its too late to fix them. Do not fall victim to 'know-it-all" Designers and Architects that either don't want to share the work or are too proud to admit they can't do it better. Trust the person who's business is bars and get it done better, the first time with BAR CHEF.

Current Movements

2010-01-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Loyal Follower,

BAR CHEF has recently made his exit from the Ladylux nightclub after a relatively successful reopening stint and is kick starting the year with some exciting new prospects.

If all goes well over the coming week, I will be back in Byron Bay on the 3rd February to begin Consultation and Design work on a new venue for the fabulous owners of the best Backpacker Bar in Australia Cheeky Monkeys. This will be an exciting venue for many reasons and will surely fill a massive gap in the market up there and also give a diverse range of needy patrons the kind of place to hang out that they have all been waiting for.

There is also a slim possibility that BAR CHEF may indeed finally have his own venue in the not-too-distant future (ie: this year), should a particular owner and backer fall into place. Fingers crossed for the future everyone and remember....

If it's anything bar then it's better with BAR CHEF!!

Bars in 2010

2010-01-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

The new year is here and business is more competitive than ever before. If you are considering opening a new bar then you have to get it right the first time or you will likely fail to first impressions and possibly lay to waste vital set-up costs that could have saved your business. With, new liquor legislation and changes in social trends, multi-outlet venues are fast becoming a thing of the past. Drinkers and diners alike are quickly making the move to smaller and more personal establishments where comfort, service and over-all quality are the focus.

Whether you are considering opening a lounge bar, a cocktail bar, a restaurant bar or any other style bar, Bar Chef is the best chance you have of securing the success of your new venture. Be wary of 'one time' consultants and industry 'Professionals' who are just out to make a quick buck and watch your business slowly fail. Bar Chef has been providing a solid service to dozens of successful bars around Australia for the past nine years and is here to stay and support you every step of the way.

With extensive experience in every style of outlet, Bar Chef has learned what people want and how to deliver it every time in ways that will keep your clients coming back for more each and every time.

For an obligation free consultation or to find out more about what BC can do for you and your business, contact us today.

Absolut Cocktails at Ladylux

2009-11-04T19:06:00.000-08:00

Tracy Draco

Red Grapefruit shaken with panama passionfruit and white coconut sugar, Absolut peach, Agavero Liqueur and a splash of cranberry, garnished with a fire float.

Solitaire

Messina lime sorbet shaken with Absolut Pear, Frangelico and fresh lemon juice on homemade Rozella flower jam.

Wakabayashi

Lychees crushed with sugar, shaken with wood-spice infused vodka and soho liqueur, double strained.

Rosie Carver

Messina cherry sorbet shaken with Amaretto and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Garnished with diced maraschino cherries.

Nightclubbing

2009-11-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

After helping with the initial set-up, I am currently Managing the bar at the newly re-vamped Ladylux Nightclub & Lounge on Roslyn Street in Potts Point. Prior to it's closure in June, Ladylux has been one of Sydney favourite night spots for the past 5 years. With a fresh fit-out, new VIP room, 'sunken' dance floor and two new bars, Lux now offers high-end wines, restaurant quality cocktails and great tunes from around the world. Lux is open from 9pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights and will open on Wednesdays and Thursdays soon for a more 'laid-back' affair. The bar also offers freshly shucked rock oysters before midnight and is available for private hire most nights. The cocktails list I have designed for the club is themed around the early James Bonds (Dr No & Goldfinger) original lovers and female nemesis and includes drinks made with Messinas fresh sorbets. Drop in and check it out.

BMS

Bar Design for The Times

2009-08-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Every year, dozens of new bars open and close their doors around the country and hundreds do the same accross the globe. What makes some new bars more likely to succeed than others and what can Bar Chef do to help you secure the success of your new bar?

With over ten years experience working and managing every style of bar in the market, BC can help you get the best new bar design to suit your venue. There is nothing generic about a Bar Chef bar and every facet of structure, concept and design is angled precisely to maximize productivity, personality, function, form, aesthetic appeal, maintenance, occupational health & safety and above all profitability. Since 2002, I have assisted over a dozen bar and restaurant owners prepare, repair and revive their venues and it's these opportunities that have allowed me to gain a unique insight into what makes bars work best in different environments. No other consultant or designer has the inside knowledge or ability that Bar Chef has to guarantee you get the best results every time, the first time.

Paired with these unique skills and valuable experiences is the partnerships and support systems that Bar Chef has formed over the years. These contacts are crucial to the success of your venue and provide you with instant access to all the benefits associated with these relationships, without having to spend your own time and money building them from scratch.

Taking advantage of such a unique service will not only save you a significant amount of money on set-up costs but will also help to increase your chances of success in a very competitive industry. For more information on any of the services listed on this site, contact me directly or email your inquiry to barchef1@hotmail.com

'Mocktails' in the Market

2009-08-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

I am currently working on a large 'mocktail' menu for an great venue in Bankstown called Reflection Cafe. This job is unique because the venue will be offering it's customers a high class 'bar style' alchohol free cocktail menu. The style of this menu presents new challenges in achieving a variety a different flavour combinations similar to those found in alcoholic classics and modern cocktail recipes where the normal addition of various spirits and liqueurs plays a large part in the structure and taste of the beverage. Most of the drinks on this tailored menu will represent classics such as the Mojito, Caipiroska and the Bloody Mary which can be easily replicated to produce great results without the influence of alcohol however, other original drinks on the menu rely solely on the balance of different fresh ingredients, bodies and textures.

There are a great deal of non-drinkers out there today and it's impressive that a venue such as this is willing to cater solely to that market. Good on you Reflection Cafe and thank you for choosing Bar Chef to provide you with your exciting new menu.

Services

2009-05-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

Custom Cocktail & Beverage Menus
Professional on-site Staff Training
New Bar Concepts & Design
Systems & Procedures
General Consultancy
Management Services
Project Supervision
Sales Reviews

About

2009-04-21T23:28:00.000-07:00

When Bar Chef began operating as a business in early 2002, it's primary purpose was to create new and unique beverage/cocktail menus for restaurants and bars and to train the staff of these venues to become proficient in the production of these drinks.

Some of the venues Bar Chef created menus for during this time were:
Dish Restaurant Raw Bar - Byron Bay, Chinatown Restaurant - Byron Bay, The Bower Room - Byron Bay, C-moog Nightclub - Byron Bay, Watergate Restaurant & Lounge - Broadbeach & Port Douglas QLD, Sopranos Restaurant QLD and The Malaya Restaurant - King street wharf Sydney.

The other application of the business at this time was private functions and events and in it's first year of business in 2002, Bar Chef hosted more than 50 private parties. This figure was doubled in the following year of 2003 and events included occassions of all types from birthdays to soire's and weddings. The demand for Bar Chef at private functions was so great at the time that I began inlisting fellow bartenders and cocktail waitresses to help me cope with the work load. Venues like Summer Hills Lodge (North of Byron Bay), who hosted wedding ceremonies and receptions on a regular basis, enlisted Bar Chef as the sole caterer for beverages which provided the business with a regular income for some time.

Since then, Bar Chef has hosted many more functions for parties in Sydney, upper New South Wales and Queensland and has written cocktail menus for top restaurants like Subsolo Restaurant, Sydney Cove Oyster Bar, Pony Restaurant and the new Spice I am in Darlinghurst to name a few.

Today Bar Chef has also added Bar Design to it's list of services and to date has re-designed the bar at Pony Restaurant in the Rocks - Sydney (formerly by renowned heritage architect Michael McCann), aided in the design process of Watergate Lounge - Port Douglas, designed a new bar counter/service area for Macleay Street Bistro - Potts Point, Sydney and recently completed full concept and bar design for Spice I am Restaurant in Darlinghurst, Sydney.

History

2009-04-14T05:07:00.000-07:00

The concept for Bar Chef was born during the year 2000 when my skills as a Cocktail Bartender began to take shape which in turn inspired a theory that made sense of the profession where others did not.

Over the following year, I became more involved with photo shoots for magazines such as the Womens Weekly, Gourmet Traveller and The Good Living where I would mix cocktails and style drinks for new articles and columns.

Shortly after this I was approached to write my own bi-monthly column for the CPA (Certified Practicing Accountants magazine), rotating with Max Allan one of Australias top wine writers.
At this time I was the Beverage Director for the Establishment Hotel on George street and my role involved creating new and original drinks for a wide range of high prfile clients and events. During my time in this position I began working closely with the companies Head Pastry Chef Marc Stone, who taught me a number of new techniques to creating new flavours using methods like poaching and infusion.

It was this insight that led to the developement of my unique theory for creating original harmonious cocktails and balanced classics. I used the preparation skills of a professional kitchen as a blue print for the facilitation of my new theory and began to work this into my practice as a bartender and mixologist at every opportunity.

I learned that by applying the same sound and practical theory to every beverage, resulted in a better and more consistent product and also made it easier to train other bartenders and home enthusiasts. Shortly after, the Industry began adopting many of these practices and cocktail creations on menus began changing everywhere.

In a nutshell, Bar Chef is a business based on the creation of the first solid theory to evolve in the profession of bartending that provides 'tried and true' practical structured guidelines where previousley there were none.