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Fortuna Drink + Eat opens with a takeaway window pushing focaccia

Scott Bolles
Scott Bolles

Prosciutto focaccia slice is served only at night.
Prosciutto focaccia slice is served only at night.Killian Pham

Good focaccia can be surprisingly difficult to find in Sydney. So a new Italian restaurant with a sneaky side window offering takeaway focaccia by the slice at night is a welcome addition.

Fortuna Drink + Eat has opened in the corner site previously occupied by Darlinghurst restaurant Eliza, with Jeremy Bentley (ex-The Square in London and The Devonshire in Surry Hills) in the kitchen, the venue a quiet casualty of late 2021.

Restaurateur George Nahas, who also operates Bella Cucina and Romolo in the Sydney CBD, has taken the keys. "My partner at Fortuna is Egon Marzaioli," he says. "He's using his family recipe from Naples.

Co-owners Egon Marzaioli and George Nahas at Fortuna Drink + Eat in Darlinghurst.
Co-owners Egon Marzaioli and George Nahas at Fortuna Drink + Eat in Darlinghurst.Killian Pham
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"We're playing around with the focaccia. One day it might be with prosciutto, another with zucchini. We've activated a window for takeaway (the focaccia is currently only available after 5pm Wednesday to Sunday), and during the day we have things like salads and panini at lunch," Nahas explains.

The all-day venue kicks off early with sourdough crumpets and scrambled eggs with Calabrese sausage, before squid ink salami and tuna prosciutto hit the table, along with larger dishes, including a lamb pappardelle.

Located at the heart of the Victoria Street dining precinct, little of Eliza's DNA remains. Nahas and Marzaioli tore out the kitchen and over-sized bar in a major makeover of the site, which is now brighter with more of a pastel palette than its predecessor.

Fortuna Drink + Eat in Darlinghurst has been given a pastel-toned makeover.
Fortuna Drink + Eat in Darlinghurst has been given a pastel-toned makeover.Killian Pham

Open Mon-Tue 7am-4pm; Wed-Fri 7am-late.

247 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, 0431 791 424, fortunasydney.com

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Scott BollesScott Bolles writes the weekly Short Black column in Good Food.

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