Zambo soon to open at the old Marque site

Loosen your belt buckles Sydney, there's a new wave of Italian cooking rolling in.

Last week Lumi's Federico Zanellato snared Citi Chef of the Year at the Good Food Guide awards, the Pyrmont chef praised for cleverly fusing Japanese technique with Italian food.

Later this week, Matteo Zamboni fires up the sparkling new Zambo, which audaciously ushers in Italian cuisine to the old Marque site, a place so steeped in French they should have issued visas.

"We are doing some private functions this week and will open to the public September 20," says Zamboni, who has worked in some of Italy's more progressive kitchens.

While he still loves casual and traditional, he also trumpets a new Sydney "movement" pushing boundaries and serving modern dishes still attached to the roots of Italian culture. "This is what the best chefs in Italy have been doing for quite a while," Zamboni says.

The opening menu is a mix of comfy and edgy, a rainbow trout dish paired with, beetroot, lime, dates and anchovies, and a dessert marrying green pea with panna-cotta.

The interior changes from Marque's tenure are noticeable, the chef adds. "We've lightened the place up. We were able to reuse a few things. The marble screens are now on the front of the bar and we've kept the wine glasses."

Dinner Tues-Sat; Lunch Fri-Sat.

355 Crown Street, Surry Hills