Sydney-based hospitality group Public has given new life to iconic Inner West pub the Lady Hampshire.
The group, which has made a big impact on the landscape with venues including Oxford House, The Strand Hotel and The Norfolk, has reinstated the Lady’s live music focus and revitalised the food offering with the appointment of Brendan King as head chef.
King joins after time at Baba’s Place, Fish Shop and Fish Market, where he worked alongside Joel Bennetts.
The newly minted head chef is paying homage to foundational pub dishes and has put together a menu that covers a Hampshire smash burger, salt and pepper wings, samosa spring rolls and a half roast chicken, but expect things to change.
“I had a lot of freedom to create the menu,” says King. “There’s pub classics with spins fitting the neighbourhood, and as Lady becomes re-lived in, the menu will evolve with it and become even more embedded in the Inner West’s food scene.”
The space has undergone a minor renovation while still preserving its iconic murals of Steve Irwin and Kath and Kim by Scott Marsh.
“The design concept was to create an evolving hospitality and music space, and it was very important for us to retain as much original character of the venue as we could,” says George Gorrow.
The Lady Hampshire’s launch weekend commences this Friday with revolving music acts set to celebrate the pub’s new chapter.