Ottoman Cuisine underwent a significant renovation to get the grounds and restaurant interior back up to scratch. Photo: Ottoman Cuisine/Facebook.
They say when one door closes, another opens, but this week it feels more like ”Ondine closes, Ottoman (re)opens”.
Ondine in Deakin has called it quits after a challenging few years. The opening of the French bistro in 2020 coincided with the beginning of lockdown restrictions, and its pivot to a takeaway menu early on saved it through the pandemic years.
Coming out the other side intact was a significant achievement for the business, but after nearly five years, the countdown to closing has begun.
Ondine owner Daniel Giordani told Region “the time is right” to close. Photo: Ashley St George.
Customers were emailed on 7 November with the news: “The Christmas season is nearly upon us, and with it, Ondine – European Brasserie will be entering into its last few weeks of trading. Whilst this was a hard decision to make, we have decided not to reopen the doors in the new year.
“We would like to express our most sincere gratitude to all those who have supported us along the way, none of it would have been possible without you.”
The restaurant will continue regular service until lunch on Saturday, 21 December.
This decision comes after the shock closure announcement from Miss Van’s at the end of October, the closure of Temporada earlier this year and other high-profile casualties in recent times, such as XO in Narrabundah and Aubergine in Griffith. The Aubergine site remains vacant several years on. Casual restaurants such as the long-lived Izumi Japanese have also shut up shop in City West, and institution Emperor’s Court Chinese in Yarralumla said goodbye after 36 years.
It’s another sign of the times that the hospitality industry is struggling to cope with rising costs and fewer customers during the cost-of-living crisis. However, Ondine owner Daniel Giordani told Region there was “nothing particularly newsworthy” about his venue’s closure, it was just time to move on.
“The time is right, I think. For the last couple of years, we’ve been running a catering company as well as the restaurant, so I’m just going to focus on that,” Mr Giordani said.
“I have the opportunity to close before things get too bad. It’s not going to get any easier out there in the foreseeable future.”
Co-owner and head chef Keaton McDonnell had already left the business in late 2023 to work at fine-dining restaurant Louis in Barton.
Despite the flurry of high-profile closures, the industry isn’t all doom and gloom: much-loved Canberra institution Ottoman Cuisine reopened its doors this month and is reported to be busy (too busy to answer our inquiries, at least).
Owners Serif and Gulbahar Kaya closed in 2021 and sold the Barton building, initially telling fans that they planned to reopen in a new location. However, when the site came up for sale again, they jumped at the opportunity and have been working to refurbish the space for most of this year. But the menu contains all the classics people have come to know and love.
AK’s Diner has enjoyed long lines of patrons keen to get their hands on the Malaysian street eats of the former XO chef. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Other recent openings are a little more casual, such as former XO chef and co-owner Annand ”AK” Ramakrishna’s hotbox takeaway AK’s Diner in New Acton. Verity Lane favourite Lim Peh’s is now up and running at the Woden Plaza Food Court, and Japanese-inspired sando joint On Lonsdale cut the ribbon on its Braddon cafe last week.
Newcomer Carlotta from Melbourne restaurateur Chris Lucas has also arrived in the city recently, with several more venues on the horizon.
Visit Ondine before it closes on 21 December.
Join the rush of Canberrans heading back to Ottoman Cuisine.
Find out more about Lim Peh’s.
Grab a sando at On Lonsdale.
And fill your belly at AK’s Diner.
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