Flint in the Vines is the sister restaurant to the original Flint Dining Room & Bar in Canberra City and opened on April 14,2010. Sadly, our sister restuarant burnt down on June 23, 2011. We are rebuilding. Flint in the Vines is owned by sommelier Jai Dawson and chef Grant Kells, operated by Jai, the restaurant offers a more relaxed family style to the city restaurant. It is located on a historic property and overlooks the Shaw Vineyard. It's large open spaces on the terrace offer a perfect getaway for a family Sunday lunch, or the dining room can provide the ideal setting for a romantic dinner for two!Jai Dawson moved to Melbourne in 1996 leaving behind the bright lights of the Gold Coast where had spent the previous three years working in various restaurants and developing a keen interest in hospitality and in particular, wine.
Once in Melbourne, a chance encounter with an old friend landed him a job as the assistant sommelier at the ‘Duck’ restaurant at the crown casino complex. Owned by the son of the original ‘Dan Murphy’, the restaurant carried a wine list with over a thousand labels and a level of training and knowledge that he had not seen before and so the seeds of Jai’s love affair with the wine industry had been planted.
Six years in Melbourne saw him gain further experience at some of the state’s best venues like the iconic Mietta’s and Langton’s where he worked alongside renowned chefs Philippe Mouchel and Jeremy Strode. Whilst at Radii @ The Park Hyatt he was also featured in an article for the ‘Age Epicure’ on Melbourne’s leading bar tenders.
2004 saw him make the move to Sydney and after a short stint at the famed Catalina’s restaurant in Rose Bay he took a move in a different direction, helping to open and run a small cafe in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. After only six months it was named in the top ten cafes in Sydney.
Again wanting to work closely with the wine industry, he sought the position of sommelier at the world famous Longrain Restaurant & Bar’, a venue that at the time carried two chef’s hats and was headed by Chef Martin Boetz and Sommelier Sam Christie. It was his six years at Longrain working alongside owner Sam that gave him the drive and insight to follow a career as a future restaurateur.
Moving to Canberra in 2008 and choosing a slightly different path as a boutique wine merchant, Jai quickly developed a strong relationship with many of his restaurant based clients one of which was Chef Grant Kells.
After two years working under chef Jeremy Strode, he left to take up the challenge of his first head chef’s job at Wine Banc in Martin place, Sydney. Here he received 1 star from the Australian Gourmet Traveller.
After this time he couldn’t pass up an opportunity that arrived, to become the youngest head chef at the Raffles Hotel, Singapore. He held this position for two years. In this time the hotel won the prestigious, Conde Nast award rating as the second best hotel in the world.
Grant then moved to Washington DC working at the infamous Willard Hotel, just next door to the White House. During this time he served the American President and many heads of state visiting the White House.
A return to Sydney was next on the cards when Grant opened his first restaurant Kells Kitchen in Sydney’s Darlinghurst, before moving to Canberra and opening the award winning Flint Dining Room & Bar in New Acton Pavilion. During this time at Flint Dining Room and Bar, Grant met Jai Dawson.
