It is clear there is excitement and trepidation mixed with not a little sadness as chef, Huw Jones and partner, Renee Loftus prepare to say farewell to Zanzibar Cafe.
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It’s been a huge part of their lives for the last five years since they opened in the first week of November 2011 but on Saturday, November 26, they will open their hatted restaurant for the last time before moving on to new experiences.
“It’s a 15-year-old restaurant, which is pretty old in the restaurant business and without a complete and very expensive renovation it’s coming to the end of its life,” Mr Jones said.
They hadn’t planned to finish this early in the season but their lease has come to an end and they didn’t want to be tied into another long lease.
“We were offered one year but that puts us at the end of winter again; the timing isn’t ideal,” Ms Loftus said.
Zanzibar Cafe has been a beacon of fine dining over a wide area and has maintained its hatted status for five years. The nearest alternative hatted restaurant is Rick Stein’s Bannisters at Mollymock and during the last five years there has only been a handful of restaurants that have been awarded a hat from the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide reviewers across the entire south coast.
“That’s been a strong suite for us,” Mr Jones said.
“We’ve got a lot out of Zanzibar and often when you close something it can be depressing but it’s not like that for us. Zanzibar needs a new identity and we contemplated putting the money in but it would have been very expensive for a full renovation.”
They are both looking forward to taking some time out and enjoying the chance to have more than just a long weekend away.
“When you’ve got the accolades you have to work for it. You’re not just cooking for the reviewers but for every customer,” Mr Jones said.
Fine dining is a demanding business with 12-hour days when the restaurant is open and hasn’t been without its dramas such as running out of gas, losing power or flooding due to a broken pipe, always at the worse possible times. But when you love what you do, the dramas form part of the colourful backdrop to life.
It’s never been about the money; we have always been driven by the passion and love of what we do,” Ms Loftus said.
But now it is time to explore new horizons and in particular consider opening a restaurant they own in a location that takes advantage of some of the local scenery.
“When you’re locked into something you don’t have the time to really look and even if something comes up you’re not in a position to take advantage of it,” Mr Jones said.
“We’ll take a break so we are fresh to get back into something else, maybe even do some time in other kitchens we aspire to, for some further experience.
“I feel like the cooking side is not what I need to focus on and would like to focus on new skills such as marketing,” Mr Jones said.
But there is also a long-term plan to have something locally and in the meantime they will stay in contact with customers through their mailing list and might even consider “pop-up dinners” at local venues.
Both Ms Loftus and Mr Jones spoke about the wonderful support they had received from local and visiting customers and thanked everyone including the local producers who provide many of the ingredients for the spring and summer menus.
“We’ll always have this to look back on fondly; if the right opportunity has presented we would have gone into it. It’s positive, we’re really happy and we never treated the restaurant like a life sentence,” Ms Loftus said.
“We’re going out with a bang rather than a fizz and want to thank the whole community for their ongoing support,” Mr Jones said.
Zanzibar Cafe will continue to open Tuesday to Saturday evenings for dinner and Thursday and Friday for lunch (reservations essential ph: 6495 3636). The last date for reservations will be November 24 and the last opening will be November 26. People with Zanzibar vouchers are urged to use them at the soonest opportunity.
