The Bentley Restaurant Group to return to Barangaroo with Watermans, opening in October 2025,and Monopole to close after 13 years
Media Release
Sydney,25 August 2025
The Bentley Restaurant Group, owned by leading Australian hospitality operators Nick Hildebrandt and Brent Savage, today announces plans to return to Barangaroo with Watermans, an Eastern Mediterranean restaurant with respected chef Darryl Martin (formerly of Barzaari) as executive chef.
Watermans will be located within the recently completed One Sydney Harbour Lendlease development in Barangaroo, metres from Sydney Harbour.
Nick Hildebrandt, co-owner and sommelier said: “2025 has been a huge year for The Bentley Group. We started the year with the launch of Eleven Barrack and we’re ending the year back in Barangaroo with Watermans, right in time for summer.”
The 120-seat venue combines indoor and outdoor dining areas and has been designed by Chris Grinham from H&E Architects and long-term Bentley Restaurant Group creative collaborator Pascale Gomes-McNabb. The outdoor area will house two striking pergolas wrapped in mature greenery, with the modern-luxe interior featuring timber veneer finishes, bespoke lighting and an open kitchen with a custom-made wood fired grill and oven.
Brent Savage, co-owner and chef, said:
“I’m thrilled to welcome Darryl into The Bentley Group family. The menu for Watermans is inspired by the cuisine of the Levant and highlights the best of Australian produce. It has a strong emphasis on vegetable-forward dishes, and it’s been fun to collaborate with Darryl, whose cooking I’ve long admired, especially his work at Barzaari.”
Highlighted dishes from the opening menu include: warm hummus with green zhoug; labneh with salted cucumber and lemon jam; pickled watermelon and raw tuna salad with sumac; sweet and sour Abrolhos scallop with sesame praline; whole roasted John Dory with chermoula; and pomegranate glazed slow cooked lamb shoulder with pickled radishes and black lime.
Monique de Cseuz, Director of Retail and Place at Lendlease said:
“Lendlease is thrilled to welcome The Bentley Group’s newest venue, Watermans, to the One Sydney Harbour development. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to creating a world-class destination in Barangaroo. Set to open soon, Watermans will join the thriving mix of retailers, enriching the precinct’s vibrant dining and lifestyle offering.”
Watermans will be open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week.
And, after 13 years, Nick and Brent also announce the closure of two-hatted Monopole at the end of the restaurant’s current lease. Monopole’s last service will be dinner on Saturday 6 September, and will trade for dinners Tuesday to Saturday and lunch on Friday until then.
Hildebrandt and Savage said: “We are extremely proud of what we’ve achieved at Monopole, both in the original Potts Point location and the CDB – an enormous amount of talent has graced both the kitchen and the floor. Monopole was a ground-breaking wine bar when we opened it and has always pushed the envelope, holding two hats for 10 years and winning multiple awards for its wine list, and while we’re sad that the lease has finished, we will never say never for a Monopole in the future.”
