Tiffy Sze
Founder and Managing Director, Tiffy Group
Tiffy Sze is the Founder and Managing Director of Tiffy Group, the emerging hospitality group responsible for five Melbourne venues, including Goldilocks, House of Correction, Lost Boys and more recently, Mirror Mirror Rooftop Lounge and The Clarendon Restaurant, and three more in the pipeline. With over two decades of experience in the industry, Tiffy’s empowering leadership, creative insight, and knack for building strong teams have been pivotal to the success of her venues and staff.
A fondness for transporting guests into a world of story-telling and make-believe, there’s a common theme of Tiffy bringing the magic of fables to tables. "I love creating experiences that allow guests to escape into a world where they feel young and innocent again. I believe in good energy, and fairytales always provide me with this sense of wonder and positivity."
Born and raised in China, Tiffy was immersed in hospitality from a young age through her father’s entrepreneurial culinary ventures. Throughout her upbringing, Tiffy’s father, Kwok Wai Sze, worked as an Executive Chef and regularly featured as a teaching Chef on TVB’s cooking program, Pleasure and Leisure.
In 1996, Tiffy and her parents moved to Sydney, Australia, where she commenced her hospitality journey, working her first job at McDonald’s, and moving through other roles in food service before relocating to Melbourne in 2002. Her father introduced ramen to the hospitality scene, opening the first of seven Noodle Kingdom restaurants in Melbourne and Adelaide, where Tiffy quickly learned the ropes of operations and management. After the success of Noodle Kingdom, Tiffy’s father brought the iconic Chinese vegetarian restaurant chain, Gong De Lin to Swanston Street’s Denyer’s building.
After accumulating over a decade of experience in hospitality, Tiffy leveraged her expertise to open her first venue. In 2013, she launched Goldilocks, a rooftop cocktail bar that quickly gained popularity. Marketed as a place for ‘fun and adventure’, guests are invited to journey down a dark alleyway and ride the lift to level five before entering a cottage-inspired interior, complete with a forest-themed rooftop. Embracing the nursery rhyme theme, the playful menu features dishes such as ‘three little pig’ pork belly sliders. The immersive atmosphere and unique concept were well received, giving Tiffy the confidence to create another dining experience.
This was followed by another concept in 2016 – House of Correction – located above the family restaurant Noodle Kingdom in Melbourne’s Denyer’s building. The cosy cocktail den transformed a space with a checkered past into a popular haven for after-work drinks and date nights.
The name, House of Correction, cleverly references the building's twentieth-century history in manufacturing surgical and rehab products, adding a touch of intrigue and playfulness to the venue. The inviting atmosphere, combined with Tiffy’s flair further cemented her reputation for creating unique and immersive dining experiences.
In 2021, Tiffy turned the adversities of the pandemic into opportunity, venturing northside to Fitzroy, and opening a pop-up vegetarian restaurant bar called Umbra. Continuing to display her knack for devising imaginative worlds, by 2022, this concept evolved into the fun cocktail playhouse called Lost Boys, inspired by the characters from Peter Pan who ‘wouldn’t grow up’. The treehouse-themed venue is decked out with board, and video games, and serves creative cocktails such as Pineapple Shipwreck, Pixie Southside and Love Potion.
Now with three venues, this paved the way for Tiffy to establish Tiffy Group in October 2023. But three was never enough. In late 2023, Tiffy bought the Clarendon Hotel site, with eyes on launching two separate venues inside the historic site: Mirror Mirror Rooftop Lounge, a Snow-White-inspired rooftop bar, and most recently, The Clarendon Restaurant, featuring a locally driven menu inspired by East Asian cuisine. The future will see the building resurrected as a venue for fine food and good times.
- Ends -
Notes to editors:
About The Clarendon Restaurant:
Ground Floor/209 Clarendon St, South Melbourne VIC 3205
The Clarendon Restaurant is located on the ground floor of South Melbourne’s iconic Clarendon Hotel, a landmark since 1888. Revitalised by the Tiffy Group in 2024, and led by Executive Chef Ryan Spurrell, the restaurant offers a menu that blends Asian flavours with classical French techniques, focusing on locally sourced ingredients. The Clarendon Restaurant serves lunch and dinner daily, featuring both a la carte and seasonal dishes. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 12 PM - 10 PM.
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Sunday from noon until 10 PM
Media image gallery link: via Google Drive
Website: theclarendonrestaurant.com.au
Instagram: @theclarendonrestaurant
About Mirror Mirror Rooftop Lounge
Level 3/209 Clarendon St, South Melbourne VIC 3205
Mirror Mirror Rooftop Lounge is located on Level 3 of The Clarendon Hotel and is inspired by the timeless tale of Snow White. The rooftop is a sophisticated space and the ideal spot for locals and tourists alike to mingle over drinks, bar snacks and DJ tunes. Mirror Mirror also caters for private parties and corporate events with its semi-private event spaces; Outdoor Lounge, The Terrace, The Corner or booking out the entire level for events of up to 280 people.
Opening Hours: Wednesday – Sunday from noon until late
Media image gallery link: via Google Drive
Website: mirrormirrorrooftop.com.au
Instagram: @mirrormirrorrooftop
For media enquiry, please contact:
Jasmine Geraridis | Reymond Communications
E: jasmine@reymond.com.au | M: +61 (0) 437 786 377
