Fassnidge left the Four In Hand at Paddington, after 10 years operating its kitchen, when the venue was purchased by Public House Management Group for $8 million in December 2015.

Now the pub is on the market for $6 million — minus the liquor­ and poker machine licence, meaning it is likely to be developed into residential property.

My Kitchen Rules judge Fassnidge said it had taken 10 years of his own “blood, sweat and tears” to turn the Four In Hand into the success it once was.

“I had a full restaurant and a full bar,” he said. “It took 10 years to build and they destroyed it in a year.”

The famously outspoken Fassnidge, who went on to open other restaurants including the acclaimed 4 Fourteen in Surry Hills, blamed poor management decisions for the imminent closure of the once-popular Four In Hand.

“I’m very passionate about it. I think a lot of people think it is a disgrace,” he said. “It was a Sydney icon before I got there and we had a duty to look after it. It was one of the last remaining real pubs for locals.

“It wasn’t my choice to leave, I didn’t own the building.”

Fassnidge said that Public House Management Group, which has five other venues including Woollahra Hotel and Toxteth in Glebe, turned the Four In Hand into a “generic pub with no soul and no love”

“Most of the publicans in Sydney are having a quiet little laugh, they’ve taken a Ferrari and turned it into a Morris Minor,” he said.

Renowned chef Guillaume Brahimi initially consulted for the new venue owners on how to run the restaurant, but left quickly. Fassnidge said while Brahimi “did a good job” the publicans were then “left to their own devices”. Public House Management Group declined to comment.

The nearby Windsor Castle Hotel has also been converted into private residence.

This article originally appeared on the dailytelegraph.com.au. 

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