Brent Savage is the Australian chef widely recognised as one of the most-influential figures in modern Sydney fine-dining and wine-led dining, and the co-owner with sommelier Nick Hildebrandt of the Bentley Restaurant Group. Savage is best known for Bentley Restaurant and Bar in Sydney, which became one of the defining Sydney three-Chef-Hat restaurants of the 2000s and 2010s, built around a close integration of innovative modern Australian cooking and an adventurous wine program. The Bentley Restaurant Group expanded to include Yellow, Monopole, Cirrus and other Sydney venues across the 2010s.
Savage’s 2025-2026 work centres on the continued Bentley Restaurant Group operations and a return to Barangaroo in Sydney. In March 2025 the head chef of Yellow purchased the vegetable-focused restaurant from the Bentley Restaurant Group, with Savage and Hildebrandt having opened Yellow in 2013. The Bentley Restaurant Group announced plans to return to Barangaroo, and Savage continues as chef and owner of the Bentley Group and Watermans. He remains one of the defining wine-led modern Australian chefs of his generation.
TL;DR
- Australian chef and co-owner of the Bentley Restaurant Group with Nick Hildebrandt
- Bentley Restaurant and Bar a defining Sydney three-Chef-Hat restaurant of the 2000s-2010s
- Known for integrating innovative modern Australian cooking with an adventurous wine program
- Bentley Group expanded to Yellow, Monopole, Cirrus and other Sydney venues
- March 2025: Yellow sold to its head chef as chef-owner
- 2025-2026: Bentley Restaurant Group returns to Barangaroo; Watermans continues
Brent Savage key facts
| Nationality | Australian |
| Business partner | Sommelier Nick Hildebrandt |
| Defining restaurant | Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Sydney (three Chef Hats 2000s-2010s) |
| Group | Bentley Restaurant Group (Bentley, Monopole, Cirrus, formerly Yellow) |
| Signature approach | Innovative modern Australian cooking integrated with adventurous wine |
| 2025 change | Yellow sold to its head chef as chef-owner (March 2025) |
| 2025-2026 | Bentley Restaurant Group returns to Barangaroo; Watermans continues |
Early life and training of Brent Savage
Brent Savage is an Australian chef who trained in classical and modern Australian technique and built his early career in Sydney restaurants. He developed a distinctive approach combining innovative modern Australian cooking with an integrated wine-led dining philosophy, the foundation that would define the Bentley Restaurant Group.
Savage partnered with sommelier Nick Hildebrandt, and the chef-sommelier partnership became the central organising principle of their restaurants, with food and wine developed in close integration rather than as separate programs. The partnership prepared them for opening Bentley Restaurant and Bar in Sydney in the mid-2000s.
Bentley Restaurant and Bar opened in Surry Hills, Sydney, in 2006, before later moving to a larger Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel location on O’Connell Street in the Sydney central business district. The restaurant earned three Chef Hats in the Australian Good Food Guide and became one of the defining Sydney wine-led fine-dining restaurants of the 2000s and 2010s.
Brent Savage career timeline
- Early career: Trains and works in Sydney restaurants
- Mid-2000s: Partners with sommelier Nick Hildebrandt
- 2006: Opens Bentley Restaurant and Bar in Surry Hills, Sydney
- 2000s: Bentley earns three Chef Hats Australian Good Food Guide
- 2013: Opens Yellow vegetable-focused restaurant in Potts Point
- 2013: Bentley moves to the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel O’Connell Street
- 2010s: Opens Monopole and Cirrus across Sydney
- 2010s: Bentley Restaurant Group becomes a leading Sydney wine-led group
- 2020s: Continues Bentley Restaurant Group operations
- March 2025: Yellow sold to its head chef as chef-owner
- 2025: Bentley Restaurant Group announces return to Barangaroo
- 2025: Savage continues as chef and owner of Bentley Group and Watermans
- 2025-2026: Continues Bentley Restaurant Group and Watermans operations
- 2026: Continues as a defining wine-led modern Australian chef
Brent Savage signature style: wine-led modern Australian cooking
Savage’s central argument, developed across nearly two decades from 2006 onwards, is that innovative modern Australian cooking developed in close integration with an adventurous wine program can define a distinctive wine-led fine-dining identity. The Bentley menu became one of the defining Sydney three-Chef-Hat experiences of the 2000s and 2010s, anchored in technically innovative cooking and an integrated wine philosophy with Nick Hildebrandt.
The second defining element is the Bentley Restaurant Group multi-venue operation. Bentley, Monopole, Cirrus and the formerly owned Yellow combined fine-dining, wine bar, seafood and vegetable-focused formats in a single chef-sommelier portfolio, one of the leading Sydney wine-led restaurant groups of the 2010s.
The third pillar is the chef-sommelier partnership model with Nick Hildebrandt. Within the Australian fine-dining cohort Savage sits alongside peers including Guillaume Brahimi, Mark Best and Tetsuya Wakuda as one of the defining figures in modern Sydney fine-dining.
Notable Brent Savage work
Several Savage projects have become reference points in modern Australian gastronomy. Bentley Restaurant and Bar in Sydney (2006-present) is his career-defining three-Chef-Hat operation and one of the defining Sydney wine-led fine-dining restaurants of the 2000s and 2010s. Yellow in Potts Point (2013-2025) became one of the most-influential vegetable-focused fine-dining restaurants in Australia before its 2025 sale to its head chef. Monopole and Cirrus extended the group across wine bar and seafood formats. The chef-sommelier partnership with Nick Hildebrandt is one of the defining food-and-wine integration models in modern Australian dining.
Brent Savage awards and recognition
- 2006: Opens Bentley Restaurant and Bar in Surry Hills, Sydney
- 2000s: Bentley earns three Chef Hats Australian Good Food Guide
- 2013: Opens Yellow vegetable-focused restaurant in Potts Point
- 2013: Bentley moves to the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel O’Connell Street
- 2010s: Opens Monopole and Cirrus across Sydney
- March 2025: Yellow sold to its head chef as chef-owner
- 2025: Bentley Restaurant Group announces return to Barangaroo
- 2025-2026: Continues Bentley Restaurant Group and Watermans operations
Brent Savage impact on modern Sydney fine-dining
Savage’s most concrete contribution is the founding of Bentley Restaurant and Bar in 2006 and its rise to three Chef Hats, becoming one of the defining Sydney wine-led fine-dining restaurants of the 2000s and 2010s. The close integration of innovative modern Australian cooking and an adventurous wine program set a benchmark for food-and-wine dining in Australia.
The second contribution is the Bentley Restaurant Group multi-venue operation. The group combining fine-dining, wine bar, seafood and vegetable-focused formats represented one of the leading Sydney wine-led restaurant groups of the 2010s, and Yellow became one of the most-influential vegetable-focused fine-dining restaurants in Australia.
The third contribution is the chef-sommelier partnership model with Nick Hildebrandt. Within the Australian fine-dining cohort Savage sits alongside peers including Guillaume Brahimi and Mark Best as one of the defining figures in modern Sydney fine-dining.
Brent Savage FAQ
What is Bentley Restaurant and Bar?
Bentley Restaurant and Bar is Savage’s career-defining Sydney restaurant, opened in Surry Hills in 2006 and later moved to the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel on O’Connell Street. It earned three Chef Hats in the Australian Good Food Guide and became one of the defining Sydney wine-led fine-dining restaurants of the 2000s and 2010s.
Who is Savage’s business partner?
Savage’s business partner is sommelier Nick Hildebrandt. The chef-sommelier partnership became the central organising principle of the Bentley Restaurant Group, with food and wine developed in close integration rather than as separate programs, one of the defining food-and-wine integration models in modern Australian dining.
What happened to Yellow?
In March 2025 the head chef of Yellow purchased the vegetable-focused restaurant from the Bentley Restaurant Group and now operates as chef-owner. Savage and Hildebrandt had opened Yellow in 2013, and it became one of the most-influential vegetable-focused fine-dining restaurants in Australia.
Is the Bentley Group returning to Barangaroo?
Yes. The Bentley Restaurant Group, owned by Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt, announced plans to return to Barangaroo in Sydney. Savage continues as chef and owner of the Bentley Group and Watermans through 2025-2026.
What is Savage’s culinary style?
Savage’s style combines innovative modern Australian cooking with an adventurous, closely integrated wine program. The wine-led approach, developed with sommelier Nick Hildebrandt, defined Bentley and the wider Bentley Restaurant Group and set a benchmark for food-and-wine dining in Australia.
What is next for Brent Savage
The Bentley Restaurant Group continues through 2026 with its announced return to Barangaroo, and Savage continues as chef and owner of the Bentley Group and Watermans. His work continues to be documented through Australian food media. His public Instagram (@brentsavage) is the best source for current updates.
