Sean McConnell unleashes his inner Rebel (Rebel)

Posted on 20 September, 2019

Chef Sean McConnell will unleash his inner Rebel (Rebel) in NewActon tomorrow when he and wife Jenny Harders make their debut as joint restaurateurs.

Walking into Rebel Rebel in NewActon for the first time, I feel somewhat discombobulated. For a couple of years, this address was my regular weekday haunt—but the only traces left of casual eatery and grocery store hybrid TwentyOne are the timber-framed windows. In its place, a sophisticated and inviting neutral-toned space, equal parts moody and airy, and big on texture.

Designed by Sam Rice, formerly of March Studios (where he worked on projects for Baker D. Chirico, Gazi and the award-winning Nishi building), it features dramatic high ceilings, lined with reclaimed timber salvaged from the demolition of Canberra housing project Bega Flats. Countering the rawness of this timber is smooth concrete, tactile earthenware and linen, plush banquettes and sleek lanterns. I want to run my hands over every surface.

It’s no surprise that Sean McConnell’s first restaurant with wife Jenny Harders thoughtfully marries the space itself with the food and wine served within it.

“My wife and I have been planning on opening this restaurant for a long time,” says Sean. “We want it to be, I guess, whatever anyone wants it to be.”

Rebel Rebel’s opening hours alone demand versatility. From 7 am tomorrow—Saturday 21 September—it will open 7 am until 10 pm, seven days per week, for breakfasts, power lunches and dinners. ‘Isn’t the thought of that somewhat daunting?’, I ask. McConnell seems unphased.

“I’ve worked in the precinct for eight years, so I feel I understand the trade patterns pretty well and I think there is a demand there. We also think that this corner is one of the best corners in the ACT.”

He has a point. The light streams through the tall windows, and passersby peer in to catch a glimpse of what lies beyond the glass.

“The light in this room changes so much during the day. In the morning it’s just beautiful and bold. At night, with a little bit of ambient street light and movement, the room dynamics change.”

Chef Sean McConnell with restaurant manager Kristin Zeitlhofer.

Despite meeting and falling in love while working in hospitality in the early 2000s, Rebel Rebel marks Sean and Jenny’s debut as joint restaurateurs. It’s a concept they’ve had in the works for a number of years; a culmination of their travels to countries like Turkey, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece fused with Sean’s considerable respect and close relationships with local producers, forged over a decade of cooking in Canberra kitchens.

Sean says that, just like the song that inspired its title (David Bowie’s Rebel Rebel for those not around in the early ’70s), the food and drink experience is designed to be in its own way, an anti-establishment, establishment.

“It’s food I like to cook. It’s food that I’d like to sit down in a restaurant and order, but nothing too complex. It’s very, very vegetable-based—there’s only a couple of protein dishes here and there,” says Sean.

“We want it to be simple and generous, so we’ve gone with a bit of a Modern Australian vibe, with a lean towards Europe.”

Moonlight Flat Oysters with Pomelo and Pink Peppercorn.

Indeed, the breakfast menu reads like a trip around Europe. From a very English blood pudding and fried eggs with pickles and house-made HP sauce, to an Italian-inspired dish of soft polenta with poached eggs, braised cavolo nero and pecorino, and even a jaunt to the Middle East with cardamom and tahini granola with labneh, rhubarb and rose.

Lunch and dinner offer the same menu, served from 12 o’clock. The culinary journey continues.

Straciatella, tomato vinaigrette, bottarga, purple basil.

“We’ve got some bloody good oysters from Moonlight Flat, one of my favourite producers; a smoked beef tartare with whipped zucchini and zhoug, which is like a Middle Eastern, really fiery sort of herb sauce; and a sardine piadina, which I guess you could just call an Italian taco.”

The small dessert menu offers a twist on tradition, with dishes like Salted chocolate ganache, pomegranate, blueberry; Marmalade cake, almond, fennel; and Roasted rhubarb fool, buckwheat.

Front of house will be headed up by Kristin Zeitlhofer, who worked with McConnell at Monster. She’s also the brains behind Rebel Rebel’s diverse wine list, which will be available dine-in or takeaway, so if you enjoy a bottle of wine that you can’t get anywhere else in Canberra, you can wrap one up to take home with you.

“Kristin has curated our wine list and she’s got an incredible palate and incredible passion,” says Sean. “We’ve got thirteen portfolios lined up to create our wine list, so there’s a little bit of young experimental New World wine, a little natural/minimal intervention, and a little old-world class sitting alongside it as well.”

Rebel Rebel seems a natural and effortless fit for the NewActon precinct in both aesthetics and food philosophy—not surprising given McConnell has been an integral part of its culinary development, shaping two of its most lauded eateries, Močan and Green Grout and Monster. And if it’s the sum of all that has come before, this is one rebellion people will flock to join.

the essentials

What: Rebel Rebel
Where: 21–23 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra
When: Opens 7 am Saturday 21 September. Open 7 am to 10 pm, seven days.
Bookings: rebelrebeldining.com.au

Photography: Tim Bean