Two weeks after announcing the closure of their flagship Bentley Restaurant & Bar, Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt have shown their hand. Their next venture is a pair of venues anchored by Khanh Nguyen, the King Clarence chef who has spent the last two years building one of the most personal cooking voices in Sydney.

Ashe will seat 80 diners across a hardwood-fired grill and a centre bar, with what Nguyen describes as 'the most personal expression' of his Southeast Asian cooking — long-aged ducks, charcoal-roasted whole fish, and pickle-driven side plates designed to be eaten across an evening. The smaller Vespertine room will sit alongside it as a late-trading wine bar.

The pair are expected to take the keys in early 2027, with a soft launch through summer. For the Bentley group, it represents an emphatic statement that the closure of the original room was a strategic move, not a retreat.