Matteo Downtown has opened on Bond Street in Sydney’s CBD, inspired by the all-day dining restaurants of Milan and Rome and with a foot firmly planted in Italian aperitivo culture.
The new venue is the brainchild of hospitality team The Adored Group. Made up of Adam Abrams, Orazio D’Elia and Eddie Levy, the trio – which, individually, have launched some of Sydney’s top drinking and dining destinations (Kittyhawk, Lobo Plantation, The Island) – joined forces to open Matteo Double Bay in 2017. Now, they stand to make their mark on the Sydney CBD.
In addition to the breakfast, lunch and dinner dining options offered by the restaurant, significant attention has been paid to building the bar as a destination in its own right, with its own menu and experience.
The bar itself is framed by an installation of art by Daimon Downey, inspired by old-school Italian posters with food-related innuendos and puns that capture the Italian passion for eating and drinking.
Bar Manager Maurizio Furiani serves up an innovative drinks list, focused on uncomplicated, classic Italian flavours built around spritzes, negronis and Italian classics.
The drinks also features uncommon Italian spirits and small batch liquours such as Italicus (Rosolio di Bergamotto made from native Italian Botanicals), Puni Sole (the first Italian Malt Whisky), Strega (an old school herbal liqueur made from saffron and honey liqueur), and Gin del Professore Madame (an Italian gin collaboration between famous distiller Carlos Quaglia and the Jerry Thomas Project, an Italian bar that is one of the best in the world).
Five days a week from 4pm-6pm, guests can gather at the bar and sip on a selection of wine, beer, and cocktails – accompanied by complimentary snacks, as per the Italian evening tradition.
Snacks are delivered on roaming trays and showcase whatever produce Chef Orazio D’Elia decides is best on the day (from pizzetta to calzone, octopus bites and fried school prawns), accompanied by refreshing aperitifs – like the venue’s signature Downtown Spritz, made with Ketel One Vodka, Aperol, Fiorente elderflower liqueur, grapefruit bitters, Prosecco and home-made cucumber soda.
