Akti, an elevated contemporary Greek restaurant from Sydney Restaurant Group, at Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf opened last week, bringing a new chapter to the landmark space which was formerly home to Manta.
Akti sees the Drakopoulos family bring their Greek heritage to the harbourside, with celebrated international Chef Ntinos Fotinakis (Bungalow 7, Athens) and Head Chef Robert Judd (Hellenika, SK Steak & Oyster) at the helm.
Founder of Sydney Restaurant Group, Bill Drakopoulos says:
"It has truly been a privilege to manage the closing chapter of Manta, a Sydney dining institution for the past 17 years. Akti will bring new energy to a space as quintessentially Sydney as the harbourside Finger Wharf, which is heritage-listed and significantly where many Greek migrants first arrived by steamship in the 1950s.
"We are paying homage to this shared heritage, with the new venue embodying the Greek tradition of filoxenia - wholehearted hospitality.”
Ntinos led the recent successful Greek pop-up at Manta and has curated the menu for Akti, which will be executed by Robert, who says:
"From my time working at Hellenika, I have a great understanding of and appreciation for Greek cuisine. I’m thrilled to be joining the Sydney Restaurant Group team and working alongside Ntinos to deliver a beautiful Greek experience at one of Sydney’s most classic harbourside locations.”
The menu has been designed to reflect the best of nostalgic Greek classics, all interpreted with a modern twist, such as giouvarlakia - traditionally a meatball ’soup’, which has been reimagined as a raw fish dish; and galaktoboureko - deconstructed and turned into an ‘Athenian Mess’, a playful tableside dessert that is both nostalgic and contemporary.
Heroing Australian seafood through traditional shared dishes, menu highlights include: Ntinos mezze with taramasalata with smoked yuzu, tzatziki and melitzanosalata: smoky roasted eggplant purée, garlic, lemon and extra virgin olive oil; blue eye crudo, a Greek take on ceviche with passionfruit, chilli, cucumber and onion; moussaka croquette, a deep-fried snack that reinvents the classic; and slow-roasted lamb shoulder, presented tableside smoking with burnt rosemary, creating a theatrical experience.
Ntinos says: "Having met the Drakopoulos family in Greece, I felt kinship and knew that they would be fantastic partners in bringing my food to Australia, where there has been a recent emergence of Greek cuisine.
"Being a coastal city synonymous with beautiful beaches and Summer, Sydney and the harbourside location of Akti in particular, feels like the perfect extension of the Greek experience.”
The beverage program will not only celebrate Greek wines, there is also an extensive list of domestic and international wines to pair with the cuisine.
The cocktail list will be a collaboration of Akti mixologist Nicola Drakopoulos and Ntinos with a mix of classics and signature house specialties, such as Meet Me At Akti, with Aperol, limoncello, clarified guava and pistachio; Kalimera, Baby, a tzatziki-inspired drink with dill vodka, pepper vodka, cucumber, mint and Greek yoghurt; and Before 9, a savoury Martini riff with EVOO fat-washed vodka, clarified celery, cherry tomato, kalamata olives and spices.
Perry Drakopoulos has overseen the design direction of the venue, emphasising coastal accents with the dining room layered in soft pinks, plums and ivory, a palette reminiscent of an Aegean sunset.
Guests can settle into the main dining room, retreat to a private dining room framed by floor-to-ceiling harbour views, enjoy the breeze on the alfresco terrace, or ease into Baraki (Greek for ‘small bar’) for a casual drink and meze.
He says: "We want our diners to be able to relax into the meal the way one would sitting harbourside in Greece - surrounded by both natural and decorative beauty and comfortable enough to socialise for hours over delicious food and drinks.”
Akti is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 12 pm until late.
