Old world velvet booths, 21-foot heritage ceilings and handmade pasta set the tone at Vito’s, a new CBD restaurant celebrating the golden age of New York’s Italian-American dining rooms.
Words HANDE RENSHAW Photos STEVEN WOODBURN
Grand booths and silk-shaded lamps give Vito’s the feel of a New York institution that’s evolved over generations, with tables of Queensland maple finished in burl veneer and brass inlay.
The Tricolore Bombe Alaska makes a fitting finale to a long night at Vito’s.
New-season, wild-caught Skull Island tiger prawns on the menu at Vito’s.
“Vito’s has been years in the making, and every detail has been meticulously considered. We set out to create a restaurant that feels like it’s always been here, and the Bridge Street site was a major part of that.”
Marble, brass and ox-blood leather set the scene at the bar, where classic cocktails include the Vito’s martini and a 1985 Sidecar.
Handmade pastas sit at the heart of the menu.
On the Vito’s dessert menu: Italian cream cake with coconut and black walnut.
Guests enter through a custom mosaic entrance tiled in 24k gold leaf and lit by Romanesque lanterns and gas-filled neon lamps in aged brass.
Velvet booths, towering ceilings and the glow of silk-shaded lamps set the scene at Vito’s, the latest opening from Sunday Co., the group behind Whalebridge and Morrison’s Oyster Bar and Grill.
Eighteen months in the making, Vito’s takes its cues from the great Italian-American dining rooms of mid-century New York, where a bowl of pasta could just as easily turn into a long night at the table.
‘We set out to create a restaurant that feels like it’s always been here, and the Bridge Street site was a major part of that,’ says Brett Sergeant, managing director of Sunday Co.
Working within the heritage shell of the Burns Philp Building, Craig Madgwick of Design Madgwick has created a dining room that feels as though it has been part of Bridge Street for decades. Guests arrive through a mosaic entrance tiled in gold leaf, and inside, 21-foot ceilings, six-foot chandeliers and a mezzanine overlooking the dining floor give the room a grand sense of scale. Red velvet, ox-blood leather, brass and marble, much of it crafted by local artisans, add warmth and character.
Leading the kitchen is executive chef Michael Fox, formerly of Carbone in Hong Kong, who has shaped a menu of Italian-American classics around premium Australian produce, from Gippsland beef to King George whiting and John Dory.
‘Italian-American food is about generosity and comfort, but there’s real precision behind the classics,’ says executive chef, Michael Fox. ‘We’ve spent months working with the best producers to source exceptional seafood and meat. Every dish on the menu is about respecting the food people know and love, while presenting them with care and refinement.’
Handmade pastas sit at the heart of the menu, with conchiglie tossed through crab and green garlic butter and a signature 10-layer lasagne. The wood-fired grill turns out a 1kg Prime Angus Porterhouse with Marsala sauce, while desserts by Lauren Eldridge include ricotta and pistachio cannoli and an Italian cream cake with coconut and black walnut.
Stay late enough and the night ends the way it would in New York, with a slice of 18-inch pizza at the bar.
Vito’s
11 Bridge Street, Sydney NSW
Follow @vitos.syd
