When Mother Nature throws a fit, it’s sometimes necessary to ride the waves—as restaurateur Heathe St. Clair decided after Hurricane Sandy. As the founder of a restaurant group that included the well-loved Australian eateries The Sunburnt Calf in Brooklyn and Manhattan, St. Clair evaluated his options post-Sandy and handed the reins to longtime employees—whereupon he headed to Tulum to hone his vision for his next venture: Sundowner Yacht Club.
In celebration of Sundowner’s autumn 2019 opening in Tulum, St. Clair hosted a preview evening at Manhattan Cricket Club and Burke & Wills, two Upper West Side establishments housed in the former digs of St. Clair’s The Sunburnt Calf. Accessible behind an interior green leather door that leads to a narrow staircase lined with black-velvet flocked wallpaper, Manhattan Cricket Club opened in the autumn of 2013 in a 19th-century apartment above the restaurant Burke & Wills. The club’s speakeasy vibe is amplified by private liquor lockers for members and a leather-and-snifter atmosphere that evokes British colonialist gentlemen’s clubs of yesteryear.
Guest mixologist Zane Harris created signature tropical cocktails that highlighted spirits such as Chinaco Blanco Tequila, Plantation Xaymaca, and Citadelle Gin. The potent elixirs bore names such as Man Overboard, Drunken Sailor, and Sirens Song—all of which were served in Harris’s bespoke Riedel crystal, made in collaboration with the acclaimed Austrian manufacturer of luxury glassware.
The downstairs restaurant Burke & Wills bears the name of Australia’s equivalent of America’s Lewis & Clark, two 19th-century explorers who sought to cross the continent from south to north—and died in the process. Fortunately, their intrepid spirit lives on in the Australian-focused restaurant which opened in 2013.
Lined with leather banquettes, Burke & Wills’ atrium dining room served as a stand-in for Tulum’s Sundowner Yacht Club, the decor of which will recreate life amidst a luxury yacht harbored in a tropical jungle. In keeping with the club’s sustainable philosophy, Sundowner Yacht Club will utilize solar power and natural rain water, while also eliminating plastic from food and beverage service. Organic waste from regional produce will be composted at local farms—and all seafood will be sustainable.
The kitchen at Sundowner Yacht Club will be helmed by Executive Chef Stanley Wong whose previous experience has included stints at Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong and Grand Hotel Kronenhof in Pontresina, Switzerland, as well as Spice Market in Manhattan. For the six-course Asian-influenced preview dinner, Wong showcased his gastronomic prowess with a series of artfully-plated entrées that included grilled baby octopus atop a black peppercorn reduction followed by a tangle of Mentaiko spaghetti flecked with ikura and nori. Turmeric marinated striped bass was served with crispy rice noodles and a vibrant dill and scallion salad.
Throughout the six-course dinner, sommelier William Kraypohl provided wine pairings by Penfolds, one of Australia’s foremost wine producers. Founded in 1844, Penfolds is one of Australia’s oldest wineries. Particularly notable was a Penfolds Bin 51 Riesling from the Eden Valley that offered an herbaceous bouquet and pleasing minerality—perfectly paired with the creamy and briny Mentaiko spaghetti. Dessert was a decidedly decadent mango Pavlova layered with coconut cream and mango curd—nicely paired with Penfolds Club Tawney.
After more than 25 years in the culinary industry, Wong will settle into his role at Sundowner Yacht Club with a menu that highlights the gastronomic bounty of Australia and its Asian influences in a tropical setting known for its pre-Columbian Mayan culture. Envisioned by an entrepreneur from Oz, Sundowner Yacht Club sails into Tulum for an October 2019 opening.
