It's Greek with a touch of Japanese at newly renovated 1821

The Greek gods are smiling on us. George Economidis, the celebrated Greek chef who melds Japanese technique and the odd ingredient into his Hellenic food, pushes out his first Sydney menu today.

With restaurateur Jim Kospetas' CBD restaurant 1821 closed since the New Year, regulars were concerned.

But Kospetas has been quietly re-renovating the space with its original Athenian designer, Dimitris Economou​, while striking a deal to bring Economidis on as executive chef, working with Luiza Gomes​.

Kospetas, a fan of the chef's BlueFish restaurant in Athens, points to a lemon-scented snapper fricassee as one of his favourite Economidis dishes.

There's also a tempura cod and a smattering of other Japanese influences across the menu.

"He has a lot of respect for the Japanese and how they handle fish," says Kospetas.

"There's a bit of Japanese here and there but the end ingredient and love is Greek."