Clement Chauvin brings ‘sexy’ back to Kingston’s Kennedy Room
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‘Bringing sexy back’ isn’t just the name of a new transformation TV series. It’s the inspiration behind the food at Kingston’s Kennedy Room. And no surprise given who’s popped up in the kitchen … French chef, Clement Chauvin.
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Clement’s love and respect for food is palpable and his new menu replaces zucchini balls and cordon bleu with divine dishes, reasonably priced and worth every bite.
There is no doubt that Clement is one of Canberra’s star chefs. He left Water’s Edge to take on the challenge of a consulting role at Kennedy Room before opening his own place Les Bistronomes at the old Delissio site in Braddon later this year.
At the Kennedy Room, Clement has recently redesigned the food lineup, making it contemporary, and is working with the kitchen team on their execution. The dishes, beautifully plated, are a feast for the eyes.
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But Kennedy Room is a bar, correct? Yes it is, but it’s on trend for quality bars to entice customers with food that is so much more than ho-hum. And sharing is big these days. Really big.
The new menu isn’t as extensive, but that’s by design. “This helps us guarantee freshness and concentrate on presentation,’ says Clement.
The beef tartare, packed with Asian flavours and set on a wonderful drizzle of wasabi is gluten free. It’s a generous serve and comes with light, crunchy beef tendon crackers (yes you read that correctly). The vegetarian jalapeno poppers, with guac and sweet chilli sauce are great with an icy cold beer. You can’t go wrong with the caramelised pork belly with celeriac remoulade, beetroot, coconut mayo and cashews, also gluten free. I haven’t yet indulged but the charcuterie platter looks sensational.
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Mains include a memorable Nicoise salad, created with top-notch tuna, a duck confit red curry that has amazing colour and depth of flavour, and tender roasted lamb rump with smoky eggplant, pickled zucchini, cool yogurt and an exotic cumin jus—all gluten free.
Kennedy Room has kept pizzas on the menu, but has reduced the number available. Specials are available to hold the interest of repeat foodies (which now includes myself and a group of friends). It’s worth a trip soon to try the magnificent handmade tortellini with juicy pieces of lamb, goat’s cheese and sage. Trust me on this one.
And if it’s a good old steak you’re after, the grilled section won’t disappoint. Quality meat, cooked as you like it.
Love a sweet ending? You can’t fault Clement’s creations, which include chocolate crème brulee, lemongrass pound cake, and salted caramel sundae with chocolate sauce, peanuts and honey comb. They are as decadent as decadent can be.
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Clement knew from the age of 15 that being a chef was his destiny and—bam—at 18 he was hustling in the kitchen at two-Michelin star Pic in France. That was where he learned, first hand, how intense the industry is—when it operates at this calibre. The hours were super long and Clement had it drilled into him that every mistake, no matter how small, was costly and didn’t make owners or head chefs at all happy.
Next was a job at prestigious Nicholas La Bec, another Michelin star restaurant in France. Same discipline. Same long hours. Work. Work. Work.
Craving a chance of scenery, Clement landed in London at Gordon Ramsey’s Claridges. Clement didn’t speak a word of English and pushed himself to the limit working in a team of 25, doing between 80 and 120 for lunch on a typical day and up to 180 for dinner, on the same day. He learned sequencing, which is how Claridges managed to serve a wave of around 10 customers every five minutes. He practically lived in the kitchen.
‘Gordon Ramsey has massive respect for his staff,’ says Clement. ‘He would come into the kitchen and we would line up and he would shake everyone’s hands and say hello.’
Then cupid hit and Clement found himself in love with an Australian. He packed up his bags and—bam—he moved to Australia. He was at Sage for two years before joining Water’s Edge.
He loves Canberra and marvels at how the capital has grown up in the food scene since he arrived four years ago.
‘There are some very cool concepts happening and it’s fantastique to see Canberra in the New York Times,’ he says. ‘The challenge is to survive. To do this places must have great execution, not just the idea. A restaurant is a complex business. It’s not just the chef or the food. It’s consistency, service, overall quality, concept and location. The whole package. The whole experience. That’s what makes customers come back for more.’
the essentials
What: Kennedy Room
Where: 25 Kennedy St, Kingston
When: Closed Mondays. Hours vary during the week. Not always open Sundays, so check first.
Call: 6162 2318
Web: www.thekennedyroom.com
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