Two-hatted Paddington restaurant Ursula’s announces closure

Two-hatted Paddington restaurant Ursula’s will close on Saturday, May 23 after nearly five years of service.

“Running a small independent restaurant, the way we believe it should be run, has become increasingly difficult and, with the lease coming to an end, it felt like the right moment to close this chapter,” said chef-owner Phil Wood in an announcement on Thursday.

When Ursula’s opened in October 2021, it was Wood’s first foray into restaurant ownership, with wife Lis Davies. It followed an illustrious career at some of Australia’s most influential restaurants, including Tetsuya’s, Eleven Bridge and Rockpool, where Neil Perry hired him as head chef at the age of 27.

“I was so young,” he told Good Food in 2018. “It was a lot of pressure – I felt like Rockpool was so important in Sydney dining. It’s terrifying to take charge of a restaurant with such a huge social responsibility.”

When it came time to strike out on his own, Wood chose to embrace and elevate classic dishes, like Flo Bjelke-Petersen’s golden syrup dumplings and lamb with mint sauce. He called it “new Australian” cuisine.

As the menu evolved, it featured dishes such as carrot souffle with Brussels sprouts, feta, ginger and croutons; roast chicken with crab, creamed corn, lime and kombu butter; and a chocolate ganache with brandy snap, coconut, ginger ice-cream, prune and port compote.

The chef, noted for his precise approach to flavour and technique in the 2026 Good Food Guide, said he was “incredibly proud” of the food the restaurant has served, describing it as “uniquely modern Australian and very much of its place.”

“The cornerstone of the menu from early on has been that Moreton Bay bug pasta with crustacean butter,” Wood said.

His perfect Ursula’s meal began with oysters with Champagne mignonette, and salmon roe and egg sandwiches followed by bug pasta and roast prawns to share, then roast chicken with kombu butter, and steak with wasabi and lime accompanied by Paris mash. For dessert, it “would have to be golden syrup dumplings”.

The restaurant was also notable for its golden-hued dining room, with charming personal touches such as the hand-painted lampshades and menus featuring custom illustrations from New York-based Happy Menocal.

“In a sea of beige dining rooms we wanted to bring colour and fun back to dining,” Wood said. “Over lockdown, Lis and I spent countless hours setting and resetting our dining table at home to select the crockery, glassware and cutlery. We pored over every detail.”

Wood was named The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Young Chef of the Year in 2007 and used the restaurant to support the next generation of young chefs, hosting the finalists’ dinner in 2026.

“When we opened Ursula’s, the goal was simple: to create a ... restaurant that was generous to its staff and guests, deeply connected to its neighbourhood and built with care and integrity,” he said.

“I can honestly say with great pride that we achieved this ... We’ve loved sharing it with Sydney and those of you who have visited us from all around the world.”

Reservations are open for the restaurant’s final 10 weeks. The husband-and-wife team will continue to operate Cafe Cressida in Woollahra.