Fashion loves a pop-up. The idea is taking on a temporary retail space for a quick showcase of a collection, a limited edition line or creating a short-term experience for customers.
The idea extends to hospitality, but restaurants use a more elegant description – a ‘residence’.
It’s usually used to describe when a renown chef works out of a restaurant that’s not their usual home for a week or two, but a new version coming to Sydney brings a lot more to the dining table.
3 Michelin Star Restaurant SingleThread in California is bringing its seasonal, Japan-meets-Cali style to Bathers’ Pavilion in Balmoral Beach for four weeks in August.
Head Owner Chef Kyle Connaughton and Head Farmer Katina Connaughton will join the Bathers’ Pavilion in delivering a new experience for Sydney diners.
Recently named joint No.1 restaurant in the world by La Liste, SingleThread operates an intimate destination restaurant in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley. It has a boutique hotel attached and its own 24-acre farm, from which most of the restaurant’s produce is sourced each day.
Its reputation has been built on the back of intimate meals consisting of hyper-seasonal food that blends Japanese kaiseki traditions with California farm-to-table cooking.
Diners at Bathers’ Pavilion will enjoy a 10-course tasting menu including SingleThread’s Hassūn-style specialty – individual bite-dishes laid out on an elaborate structure of wood, moss, foliage and flowers, designed to tell the story of that morning on the farm.
The exquisite tasting menus SingleThread is known for will also be part of the experience, along with rare wine and sake pairings, bespoke ceramics, custom tableware, floral installations and a new art commission created exclusively for the collaboration.
“Modern fine dining in 2026 is about a sense of place and a sense of time. You should only be able to experience that meal there, in that moment,” says Chef Kyle Connaughton, who reveals the collaborative approach will include both restaurant’s strengths.
“It’s almost like we’re creating another restaurant together. It’s not Bathers’ Pavilion and it’s not SingleThread, it’s something else entirely.”
Three dishes from the tasting menu have now been unveiled, revealing the level of refinement, detail and ingredient consideration diners can expect:
Malted Potato | Sydney Urchin | Leeks | Yuzu Kosho
Local sea urchin is paired with malted potato, sweet leeks and the bright heat of yuzu kosho, bringing together oceanic salinity, subtle richness and restrained acidity in a dish that speaks to both the Sydney coastline and SingleThread’s Californian-Japanese sensibility.
Westholme Wagyu | Shime Carrot | Caramelised Mugi | Short Rib Jus
Australian Westholme Wagyu is served alongside shime carrot, a lightly cured Japanese preparation designed to intensify flavour and texture. Caramelised mugi adds warmth and depth beneath a rich short rib jus.
Satsuma Mandarin I California Bay I Sun-dried Olive I Piment d’Ville
A distinctly Californian expression of winter citrus, this sweet Satsuma mandarin sorbet is balanced with aromatic California bay, the savoury complexity of sun-dried olive and the gentle warmth of piment d’Ville.
Seats are limited, and available now at BathersPavilion.com.au
