It’s been years in the making and this month highly-anticipated restaurant Viand has opened its doors in Woolloomooloo – enticing Sydney diners in with the aromatic scents of Thai cuisine.

Australian chef Annita Potter has spent the better part of two decades running kitchens and honing her culinary panache all over the world. Notably, she’s been labelled the protegé of David Thompson, under whom she worked at Michelin-starred Thai restaurant Nahm in London. Now, the chef has put down roots in Sydney with her own restaurant that presents a sensory celebration.

Few chefs have gained as much international cooking experience as Potter, whose culinary CV is enough to give its reader whiplash.

Having begun her career in Perth and undertaken work in kitchens across Europe, Potter was later lured closer to home, to Asia, where David Thompson and his company were launching Long Chim. Potter’s time was divided between Cambodia and Vietnam, tasked with developing the culinary program for luxury vessel Aqua Mekong. From here, she went on to launch Long Chim Singapore and Sydney, and pursued another project back in London before running Thompson’s Aaharn in Hong Kong. Fortunately for us, she’s returned to Australia with her own concept in tow.

Lucky few may have already sampled Viand’s dishes when it was tested as a pop-up restaurant in late 2020 and early 2021. Of course, pandemic-related delays ensued since, but Potter’s persistence ensured Viand’s conception remained on track. Now, the permanent restaurant has taken residence in the former Puntino site on the corner of Crown and Cathedral streets in Woolloomooloo.

“Viand is an archaic word for an assortment of foods, which for me is a perfect description for what I believe Thai food is,” Potter says. “I purposely chose something without Thai connotations. A food concept of its own, not specific to any cuisine and, at the end of the day, I am a chef who cooks and produces an assortment of food, and hopefully, as my concept grows, it too will grow into other cuisines.”

At Viand, intoxicatingly flavourful menu items see such dishes as spanner crab with pickled garlic, river tamarind and puffed tapioca dance on the palate  – playing into the theatrical nature of the space. Then there’s salted duck egg relish served with scampi and sticky, aged pork; and a jungle curry featuring king prawns with long leaf coriander and golden shallots. A vegan tasting menu is also available. Alongside the flavourful food offerings, premium wines will be poured, while a carefully curated tisane and tea selection will add to the sensory-forward dining concept.

London-based architects, Ab Rogers Design are behind Viand’s design, which centres the kitchen at the heart of the space – prompting an immersive experience for diners who will take a front-row-seat to the action. Upstairs, Potter’s partner Mark Wotherspoon will run Ellipsis Gallery, a multi-functional contemporary arts space as dynamic as the restaurant below it.

Viand 
41 Crown St, Woolloomoolloo
Wed – Sat, 6:30pm – 10pm
viand.club.com

Related restaurant news: Celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge is opening his first ever bistro in the Sydney CBD