Pavoni prepares for Ormeggio 'spinoff'

Alessandro Pavoni recently pulled the pin on his restaurant at Westfield Sydney, but he's back on the expansion bike, set to open a spinoff to his twin-toqued Mosman restaurant Ormeggio at the Spit.

Pavoni was looking for a new business partner, and he didn't have to look far. Ripples and Aqua Dining owner Bill Drakopoulos lives in a Seaforth home overlooking Ormeggio at the Spit, and is a regular at the restaurant.

''I just approached Bill,'' Pavoni says. ''I wanted to have a partner who had great experience in service. He has 200 employees and a sales and marketing team that'll help the restaurant.''

The duo is considering a northside site to open a new restaurant together.

''I can't replicate Ormeggio,'' Pavoni says. ''It'll be different, a Venice-style trattoria on the water.''