THE SCOOP WITH SKIPPER

The historic grounds of Darwin’s Admiralty House offer anyone looking for a great restaurant a fantastic offering. Whether it be Char Restaurant or the Darwin Club, looking for a place to eat in Darwin has never been easier. This ease of dining has been achieved by the ambitious renovation of the venue completed this year and Executive Chef, Richard Brown’s blueprint for culinary success.

Chef Richard’s plan is a call to arms for everyone here, from our chefs in the kitchen to our team on the floor involving more training, more development, and more focus on the customer. These monthly updates will allow us to showcase what we have done, why we have done it and where we are going. It is not our plan to be the best dining venue in the Northern Territory, but to be the premier steak house and fine dining option in Australia.

Chef Richard’s blueprint first stage was to join the Australian Good Food Guide, allowing us to then be judged by our peers – with our intention to become a hatted venue. This is not done so as a marketing tool rather done so to allow our peers in the industry to give their stamp of approval. This approval will not be easy, we have a lot of work to do, and our focus now is on one key ingredient to any restaurant’s success – consistency.

Training

Commencing this month, we have started training our team either in Char and at the Darwin Club on defined service methods. This includes enriching their knowledge of our fantastic wine lists, tasting, understanding where our meat comes from and appreciating the different service styles of each restaurant.

Our front of house team are some of the best in the region and it has become a priority that they are offered the appropriate training needed. That experience will be consistent, will be tailored and will be unmatched in the Northern Territory.

Our produce

We have taken note of the past and seen we have been “hit and miss” regarding what is on the plate. Many restaurants encounter this, very few listen. To reach our blueprint for success we must listen, we must accept, and we need to be better. We have now perfected our supply chain, obtaining the best cuts of meat from all over Australia – including locations such as Cape Grim Tasmania & Tintinara, South Australia.

Yet, it is not just our beef that deserve attention, our Oysters are all sourced from Coffin Bay, our pastas are homemade, and our buns are baked in house. This entire process allows us to be ahead of the game in terms of quality and consistency with regards to everything on the plate.

Bringing our customers into the story

Over the upcoming months, we will keep you regularly updated on upcoming changes, a well as what is happening at Admiralty House. We hope this monthly update can be a source of knowledge for any budding restauranter as we will share what has worked and what has not and explain why.

It is that “why” question that will ensure we achieve greatness as we dare to ask that question when others may choose to ignore it. Obtaining consistency is not only about changing things around, but also allowing that question to be asked without fear of an answer.

Char Restaurant and the Darwin Club look forward to seeing you soon, and we hope you enjoy the journey – after all it, comes with the Territory.