As Sydney slowly reboots after lockdown slumber, a mounting number of restaurants have decided to call it a day, including one of the most ambitious and upmarket eateries on Woolloomooloo Wharf.
With its splashy $350 Italian caviar on oysters and $170 wood-fired lobster, The Amalfi Way fronted on the showy waterside strip with the sort of luxe items and price tags you might expect on a holiday in Positano.
The restaurant was a big step up for its operator Luigi Esposito, who has long been rated among Sydney's best pizzaioli at his Via Napoli empire.
If opening during a pandemic wasn't challenge enough, The Amalfi Way wedged itself next to high-end Italian Otto Ristorante and seafood specialist Manta.
Tough turf, a challenge that hasn't stopped another restaurant stepping up in the space. Il Pontile opened in the former Amalfi Way digs on the weekend, with a familiar face in its kitchen.
Mario Percuoco, the Naples-born chef who previously operated Acqua Pazza in the city and had a spell cooking in Avalon, is the chef at Il Pontile.
The Graaf Group-backed restaurant has given the wharfside space another makeover, with a "glass cellar", chandeliers and a VIP dining room.
Continue this series
December 2021 hit list: Where to eat and drink in Sydney this monthBig in the '90s, Kellett Street may be on the way back, thanks to another new opening.
Not-so-plain Jane is joining the line-up of Sydney restaurants named after women.
Alexandria new arrival Anything But Humble has lifted the game for neighbourhood pie shops.
Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.
Sign up