Noi to bring pig's head terrine to Petersham

"You try to fight it for so long, but it's there," Anastasia Drakopoulos says as the deadline approaches for the opening of Noi in Petersham.

She's talking about the hospitality bug that's clearly infected her lineage. Noi might be her baby, but the Drakopoulos clan is wedded to the restaurant industry.

Where her dad, Bill, owns a string of harbourside restaurants, from Aqua Dining to Ripples and the newly opened Fenwick in Balmain, Anastasia, 29, has chosen the water-less inner-western suburb.

And don't try asking the family over on a Saturday night – her three siblings also work in the restaurant game.

Most of them seem to have followed Anastasia's lead, venturing off and pocketing a commerce degree before drifting back to restaurants.

"My first school holiday job was at 13, helping out at the kiosk at Ripples," she says.

Having watched her father open countless restaurants, she's picked up a few tips.

Koi's design meter sets a high bar for Petersham. And location, location, location doesn't need water. "[Petersham] is definitely a force to be reckoned with," she says.

"Noi means 'us' in Italian. And the 'us' is basically myself and the chef, Alessandro Intini and the team," she says.

"Alessandro was a butcher before he became a chef, so he doesn't waste anything. Even the pig's head becomes a terrine."

Noi is one to watch, much like its budding restaurateur.

Opens September 6. Thu-Sun lunch; Thu-Tue dinner.

108 Audley Street, Petersham, 02 9337 7377, noirestaurant.com.au