Lotus in Double Bay has switched to a takeaway-only operation.Anna Kucera“Our style of service requires quite a lot of staff,and we’re in a difficult moment for hospitality,” a spokesperson for Lotus Double Bay explains. A takeaway-only operation lowers overheads and still enables Lotus to retain ties with its eastern suburbs clientele.
Lotus is located in the retail space adjoining Double Bay’s InterContinental hotel,a site which sold in March for more than $215 million with plans for a mixed-use revamp that will still include a hotel.
Despite Lotus’ downsizing,Double Bay has generally remained buoyant,with a new hospitality injection on Bay Streetled by Neil Perry’sMargaret eatery. Bay Street’s lustre has seen it coined theRodeo Drive of Sydney restaurants, with the 140-seat Japanese-inspiredTanuki andBartiga joining the party in early 2024. In coming months,Perry will add to the arrivals on the strip,with Asian restaurantSong Bird,and jazz barBobbie’s.
The dining room at Neil Perry’s Margaret,which has become a buzzing hub at the centre of Double Bay.Jennifer SooAnd there’s more on the way. Australian-Korean restaurateur David Bae – who has a small empire of restaurants stretching from Circular Quay to Surry Hills – confirmed he’ll open a mega venue next year in Double Bay’s Ruby House development,on the corner of Bay Street and New South Head Road.
Inspired by venues such as Born and Bread in Seoul,plans for the Double Bay hospitality venue include a boutique butchery,specialising in wagyu,cocktail bar,10-seat omakase and 80-seat first-floor Korean barbecue restaurant. The venue will be namedSoot,the moniker Bae used at hisBarangaroo pop-up, which previously traded in the site where he has just openedAstro,a barbecue Izakaya.
Bae says he’s long coveted Double Bay. He won’t be the only new kid on the block in 2025,with California-based luxury home furnisher RH (formerly Restoration Hardware) including aglass-encased rooftop hospitality venue in its Bay Street plans. It also opens next year.