Dreams have a way of slipping under, around and through a global pandemic, if they are strong enough.
In 2017, former Wildfire and Ocean Room operator Tonci Farac dreamed of creating Sydney s finest Italian restaurant in the heritage-listed shell of our oldest savings bank, built in 1849.
He engaged a top chef, Matteo Vigotti of Italy s Novecento and Peck, and Michael McCann of Dreamtime Australia, grand master of our most glamorous dining rooms. Cicchetti with beef tartare, eel mousse and egg with pecorino foam.
Photo: Edwina Pickles
Alas, Vigotti was back in Italy in 2020 when the world stopped travelling. It didn t stop the dream, however. More than three years, $6 million and one of Sydney s more complex refurbishments later, Seta has become a reality, with Australian-based chef Giovanni Astolfoni in the operatic kitchen.