Sale of iconic Cross haunt

After two decades as a glamorous Sydney institution, the Bayswater Brasserie has folded, and nightclub boss John Ibrahim is vying for a slice of the spoils.

The Kings Cross cocktail bar and restaurant had closed for refurbishment and a cheerful sign promised patrons doors would reopen tomorrow , with ``new menu and a new direction''. Instead, owner Robert Smallbone shocked his landlord and former short-term partner in the business, Kurt Braune, by putting the business in the hands of an administrator. Now the lease is up for grabs and among the six or so nightclub bosses who want to take it over is John Ibrahim.

Mr Braune, a property investor who owns budget hotels and paid $2.2 million 10 years ago for the prime building on Bayswater Rd, is looking for expressions of interest on the lease. Asked if Mr Ibrahim had been through, Mr Braune said: ``We have had all the significant people make contact.'' Mystery surrounds the circumstances of the trading company behind the Bayswater, Bathgate Restaurants, and neither Mr Smallbone nor Bathgate's administrator, Ian Struthers, was talking.

Source: Sunday Telegraph