McEnearney, a former Rockpool head chef, opened the uber-cool canteen in 2012 with partners Koskela, the furniture and homewares operators who trade out of the same warehouse space.

Koskela will now run the venture solo.

Back in February, Good Food tipped McEnearney was eyeing a new restaurant launch.

The chef says he is currently investigating a number of new sites.

"I'm extremely proud of what we've achieved here at Rosebery. It's been very exciting to have introduced the canteen concept to Sydney diners. But I'm now ready to start a new chapter and tackle some new challenges," McEnearney says.

While its canteen pitch has since been attempted across the country, Kitchen by Mike has remained the pace setter for the genre with its clever menu, quality and cool setting. The food is now the responsibility of new head chef Julian Nikiel.

Lea Fenton has joined as its new restaurant manager.