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Newtown to welcome two swish new venues this February from the team behind Continental Deli

Flora and Mister Grotto are set to open on Australia Street this February — with a third to follow.
Moody restaurant interior at Mister Grotto in Newtown Sydney
Moody interiors at the soon-to-open Mister Grotto in Newtown
Hugh O'Brien

Australia Street has already carved out its name in the hearts and minds of inner west residents and Sydney’s diners, and now it further cements itself as a dining destination when two new venues open next door to each other. Flora and Mister Grotto will respectively see a café and a seafood restaurant open up next to Continental Deli.

The group Paisano and Daughters is founded by brothers-in-law Joe Valore and Elvis Abrahanowicz (who are also associated with the Porteño group) and named after the pair’s seven daughters. The new ventures continue to revitalise the storied H. May building on Australia Street, kicking off with the opening of Continental Deli a decade ago, and now evolving with the addition of Flora and Mister Grotto; and in March they will also open an Italian restaurant.

“It’s been almost four years in the making,” Abrahanowicz tells GT. “Just doing one venue at a time, there’s a lot of work that goes into it – doing three at once is insane. But we all work really well together.”

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house ferments and preserves at Flora in Newtown Sydney
Flora’s house ferments and preserves

Flora, which sits at 206 Australia Street, serves as a vegetarian-focused day-to-night café-restaurant. The team has nabbed chef Jude Hughes, who brings his experience in the kitchens of The Summertown Aristologist in the Adelaide Hills and Three Blue Ducks in Byron Bay to Newtown. Experimenting with fermentation (seen in the everyday salad replete with house-made tempeh and ferments with sprouts and cashew ranch) and cheesemaking (showcased in dishes like ricotta and cacao husk pancakes with smoked maple syrup and espresso butter), Hughes will bring a forward-thinking approach grounded in old-school fermentation techniques to the pass. By day, plates will be joined by bulletproof coffees and white chocolate-spiked cold brews; and in the evening, a wholly Australian wine list will be poured.

Next door dwells Mister Grotto, an ode to seafood from the cool waters of Tasmania, up through the NSW coastline and to the warm waters of Queensland, with Spanish, French and Mexican techniques and influences. Head chef Måns Engberg will work closely with passionate suppliers and fishermen to honour their catches in both raw dishes and mains cooked carefully over charcoal. On the raw side of the menu you’ll find delicate cuttlefish in young coconut; seared bonito with sauce vierge and frisée; and prawns done in a Mexican-style aguachile (raw and seasoned with lime and chilli) with golden kiwi and serrano peppers. From the grill there are barbecued pipis in dry vermouth and lavender honey with cornbread; and nannygai served with sweet corn, Manchego, macadamia and salsa macha (a peanut and chilli oil condiment). Mister Grotto will also draw on Continental Deli’s knack for tinning with preserved mussels escabeche, harrisa octopus and smoked cod on the menu.

Buttermilk soft serve with fig compote and honeycomb at Mister Grotto
Buttermilk soft serve with fig compote and honeycomb at Mister Grotto

Alongside the two new venues, Osteria Mucca will also open in March. The Italian restaurant will be housed in an old butcher’s shop; and joined by the Australia Street Suites, three boutique short-term suites.

Flora will open daily from 8am–10pm; Mister Grotto will open for lunch Saturday and Sunday and dinner daily, both from 10 February. paisanoanddaughters.com.au

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