Featuring: Seta Sydney, The Athenian, Novecento…

ONE of the most noticeable things about going to the CBD when office workers were mainly working from home was that the few people on the streets had almost exclusively adopted casual clothing. Restaurants were peopled with men in shorts or chinos with shirts with hardly a suit in sight. I mention this because don’t even think of opting for a suburban cafe-style dress code at Seta Sydney. Not because the management wouldn’t let you in, but because you would be squirming in your seat amidst the multi-million-dollar movie set surroundings.
In 2017, leading restaurateur, Tonci Farac (ex-Wildfire), took over The Athenian restaurant, which filled the ground floor of a grand heritage building in Barrack Street. The transformation has been jaw-dropping. Seta, the Italian word for silk, has been given a world-class renovation, courtesy of Michael McCann of Dreamtime Australia Design (Mr Wong and Felix). The palazzo-style interior is a vision of ornate columns, marble floors, polished timber and an open kitchen that looks straight out of the Netflix series, Chef’s Table, which focuses on the world’s leading restaurateurs.
For all its grandeur and the imposing exterior, built as Australia’s first savings bank in 1849, you feel immediately comfortable in the 600 square metre space. Apart from the main dining room, Seta is split into several areas from the chef’s table through an Italian crudo bar (an Australian first) and Venetian-style cocktail bar.
Seta’s menu is under the guiding influence of Matteo Vigotti, a former Bocuse d’Or award winner, and owner of the Novecento restaurant in Meina, Italy, which received a Michelin star in 2009. Vigotti has remained in Italy and the head chef translating his creative flair is Giovanni Astolfoni, whose resume includes some of the world’s leading five-star hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants.
The a la carte menu blends top class Australian produce with Venetian inspiration and exacting cooking techniques. It invites you to plan your own culinary journey and we enthusiastically took up the challenge. We started with two primi – riso carnaroli acquerello tenuto colombara, a fabulous risotto incorporating scallops, bone marrow, crispy chicken skin and celery essence – and a light-as gnocchi beautifully paired with blue swimmer crab, chilli, garlic and tarragon.
The five mains veered strongly towards seafood such as pink snapper with capsicum coulis, spinach, taggiasca olives and basil breadcrumbs. But our druthers were for the agnello – an artistic plate of perfectly cooked lamb rump, red cabbage, beetroot, capers and anchovy – whose exquisite appearance was matched by its taste. The duck breast with turnip, chicory and black cardamom was another star-rated choice.
For those with bigger appetites, share plates include Bistecca – a 1.2 kilo slab of Brooklyn Valley beef mbs 3+ t-bone – and Kobe wagyu with horseradish, dijon mustard, rosemary jus and watercress salad. Another dish that had plenty of takers was the soqquadro pasta with cuttlefish, cuttlefish ink, lemon and elderflower.
Desserts are contemporary takes on Italian classics from the Seta tiramisu through caramel millefeuille and monte bianco. Bu, oh the wines. Head sommelier Filippo L’Episcopo (ex-Uccello and Mr Wong) has orchestrated a 500-strong wine list, of which 80 per cent are Italian bottlings. The suave connoisseur has also put together a selection of six wines exclusive to Seta, partnering with Sergio Carlei, owner of the biodynamic Carlei Vineyards in Victoria.
The staff are all suited and booted and as welcoming as they are professional-looking. There’s no use of the word guys when addressing customers, but there is no stiff formality, either. I popped in the following week with a business colleague for a Negroni. That’s how compelling this exceptional new addition to the CBD is – for drinks or dining in style. Seta Sydney, 11 Barrack Street, Sydney; phone (02) 9262 2624.

I became addicted to Hubert, the downtown Sydney restaurant that re-ignited the city’s passion for French food with fusion touches such as kimchi gratin and escargot XO. I also became an habitue of Alberto’s Lounge, the Italian bolthole near Central that elevated trippa alla fiorentina to must-order status. The common denominator of the two gourmet outposts is Daniel Pepperell.
The talented chef has teamed with sommelier Andy Tyson and chef Michael Clint (ex-Rockpool Group) to open Bistro 916 in Potts Point, where Merivale’s year-long Lotus pop-up pulled in foodlovers. The decor is based on the fantasy version of a Parisian bistro with waiters garbed in white coats. You don’t often see brains on a menu in Australia because most people are squeamish about innards. But Pepperell has made lamb’s brains a star at Bistro 916 – crumbed, fried and served with smoked eel mayo.
Then there’s the boudin noir, blood sausage wrapped in flaky brik pastry, the pork rillettes and chicken liver parfait. The Plats Principaux is a five-strong stellar lineup centred on steak frites – the number one dish in France – but much improved with a Rangers Valley entrecote and partnered with pepper sauce and perfectly cooked chips. Duck frites, a vegetarian mushroom frites, lobster frites and fish of the day round out the simple but really good selection.
Tyson has curated a 200 bottling France-centric winelist from growers’ champagnes through burgundies and chablis. You can wax nostalgic with chocolate mousse for dessert, but I recommend the Quarts de Chaume-based creme caramel. Bistro 916, 22 Challis Avenue, Potts Point; bistro916.com.
CHI means energy in Mandarin and you can certainly feel the force when you step into the Lotus Dining Group’s latest restaurant of the same name at Barangaroo. The lively space was designed by noted architects and interior designers, Luchetti Krelle, and there’s a rich vibe from the abundance of gold and red and white lanterns. Head chef Chris Cheng takes his cue from Chinese street food and also works native ingredients such as saltbush and Davidson’s plum into the mix.
A lineup of lucky Maneki Neko cats adds a touch of cuteness to the slick premises with harbour views, whether you drop by for a glass of wine, Chinese-inspired cocktail or Tsingtao beer. The menu is divided into seven parts, including snacks, dim sum, skewers from the grill, noodles and rice, mains and desserts. We left feeling as full as the proverbial boot after jade prawn dumplings and king brown mushroom rolls to start, followed by duck breast with Davidson’s plum, caramel and charred lettuce and lamb shoulder with Chinese tabouli. But if you have room, squeeze in the yuzu cheesecake with pomelo, blood orange sorbet and salted plum meringue. CHI by Lotus, Shop 2/100 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo; phone (02) 8318 8605.