New Opera House restaurateurs Stoked? You bet

The Stokehouse has won the tender for the Sydney Opera House's Bennelong site. It has big clogs to fill from the departing Guillaume Brahimi, particularly as the new kid in town despite chef Anthony Musarra's Sydney connections.

While the people's house has been coy with figures, talk suggests the group will throw about $3.5million at a redesign and pay up to $1.5million a year in rent. Frank van Haandel said he was not paying anywhere near that. "I would not be here if that was the case."

He is selling out of local Italian hero Ladro – he and Musarra took a 50 per cent stake in the business when Ladro Greville opened three years ago. The two Ladros – Gertrude and Greville – will revert to ownership by Sean Kierce and Ingrid Langtry, who opened in Fitzroy with Rita Macali 10 years ago.

SCOTT BOLLES AND LARISSA DUBECKI