Mode Kitchen and Bar, the latest addition to the city’s CBD dining scene, has opened at Four Seasons Hotel Sydney.

Meaning ‘of the moment’, Mode is a celebration of seasonal cooking, classic cocktails and polished service in a welcoming 1920s-inspired setting.

Mode Kitchen and Bar strikes the perfect balance between casual bistro and fine dining, all with a touch of glamour thanks to the Luchetti Krelle interiors.

Mode Kitchen and Bar will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner from 12noon and can be found on the ground floor of Four Seasons Hotel Sydney on George Street in The Rocks.

Head Chef, Francesco Mannelli’s menu focuses on flavour and technique over embellishment and uses seasonal ingredients sourced from only the best producers.

Mannelli’s favourite dishes include:
•Slow-cooked Wagyu cheek, red cabbage and chestnuts;
•Hiramasa kingfish sashimi, sweet and sour onions and macadamias;
•Risotto, fresh Tasmanian truffles and mushrooms;
•Fremantle octopus, potatoes, leeks and radishes; and
•1kg Coorong Angus T-bone aged for 21 days

Mannelli comes to Mode Kitchen and Bar with more than 20 years’ experience in top restaurants both in Australia and abroad, most recently at Sydney’s Balla, Bistrode CBD and est.

His said his passion for cooking and quality produce stems from his upbringing in Florence picking olives and grapes at his uncle’s vineyard.

“Mode Kitchen and Bar encompasses everything I have learnt and found a passion for, transformed into something new and truly my own,” Mannelli said.

“The menu reflects everything that Mode means to me: simplicity, ease, comfort, enjoyment and finesse. It is something I am truly excited to welcome guests to; something so close to my heart it’s like welcoming you into my home.”

Mannelli is joined in the kitchen by Sous Chef, April Shen who has built up an impressive CV with experience at Pei Modern, Pendolino, Bistro Moncur and Bacco Osteria e Espresso. Simone Cordedda joins as Restaurant Manager, and with his international CV and true Italian hospitality spirit, will deliver a truly welcoming restaurant and drink offering.

Complementing the Mode lunch and dinner experience is the nine-metre-long bar and bar menu which is central to the venue’s glamorous old-meets-new-world offering. Signature cocktails include the Rhubarb Fizz, Vesper on The Rocks and a Reposado Sour and a range of bar snacks to enjoy, such as the Fraser Island spanner crab sandwich.

An extensive wine menu focuses on Australian wines alongside the best from the rest of the world, with more than 200 labels on offer and many by the glass.

Interiors by Luchetti Krelle include 18 pearl-like Tom Dixon pendant lights that complement the burnished bronzed bar front and brass highlights on the solid timber, velvet and luxe leather furniture.

At the central bar, brass is punctuated with 24 metres of honey-coloured Spanish Giallo Antico stone slabs. A curved, fluted glass façade envelopes the guests making Mode Kitchen and Bar intentionally intimate.

Mode Kitchen and Bar features a variety of dining spaces, from stools at the bar and cozy banquettes, to a Chef’s Table and a Tasting Table, both overlooking the open kitchen, along with two semi-private dining rooms.

James Wilkinson

Editor-In-Chief, Hotel Management