The Museum of Contemporary Art has finally moved away from its rooftop cocktail bar and elevated its dining scene with the opening of Canvas, the latest conceptual venue from newly formed hospitality collective, The Big Group.
Evolving dining concepts have been done before, but never has Sydney seen something like this.
Keen gourmands may remember the acclaimed In Situ at San Francisco’s SFMOMA, where guest chefs took a gallery-like approach to culinary art, recreating famous dishes from around the world. The restaurant has since closed but the art-like concept has popped up in other countries since.
In a way, Canvas is takes a similar approach, obviously informed by the fact that it crowns one of Sydney’s foremost art institutions. The Big Group have, true to their name, big plans for the space, which will serve dynamic (and affordable) set menus during lunch before transforming into a stylish event space at night with scope for regular parties and brand activations.
Affordable fine dining
Since the space is one of those rare beasts that fits the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge in the same vista, offering fantastic views of Circular Quay, The Big Group has found a nice middle ground between serving up a new culinary offering for Sydney while still keeping it as a highly sought space for epic events.
A new chef-in-residence will take lead in the kitchen every season, introducing a revolving door approach that’ll see the offering change dramatically to keep diners coming back often.
To launch, The Big Group have engaged talented chef Josh Raine, whose work as the executive chef of Tetsuya’s since 2018 has made him one of the city’s most bankable culinary stars. For his introductory menu, Josh has worked up a set featuring dishes like asparagus with nori, poached egg, lemon and prawn, a signature tomato essence risotto with fennel and chervil, and spring lamb with daikon, Tasmanian wasabi and hazelnut.
Importantly, the set menu is only on offer for lunch service from 11:30am to 4:30pm with two courses fixed at $85 per person and three-courses for $100. Keeping things affordable but high quality is something The Big Group reportedly pushed as a non-negotiable, aligning Canvas with the current economic climate.
Canvas
Address: Level 4, 140 George St, The Rocks NSW 2000
Opening Hours: Wednesday – Sunday (11:30am – 4:30pm)
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