Icebergs to hit Bali

Bali has landed its biggest Sydney catch to date, with Maurice Terzini poised to open a branch of Bondi's Icebergs Dining Room & Bar on the Indonesian holiday island.

A roll call of Sydney chefs and restaurateurs have targeted Bali in recent years, drawn to its bumper tourism numbers, cheaper operating costs and lucrative restaurant deals.

Terzini was courted by the Sea Sentosa development five years ago, originally declining the offer but he feels the timing is now right after a deal with another restaurant tenant fell through and he was reapproached.

"It'll be named Icebergs at Echo Beach, or we'll use the local name for the beach. It'll be a cross-section of what we offer [in Sydney], with a restaurant as well as a beach club bar," Terzini says.

He won't go it alone, with as yet unnamed "partner-backer" joining the venture. "I've wanted to do something here for a long time. I've been coming here since the early 1980s," he tells Good Food from Bali.

Terzini says the deal isn't yet signed, but Sea Sentosa has agreed on the terms and conditions. He has even flown his designers of choice, Lazzarini Pickering, from Rome to start work on the space.

The restaurateur will join a large Australian contingent with interests in Bali, including Bucket List owner Andy Ruwald and Terzini's former business partner Robert Marchetti, who has a chef consultancy deal on the island.