'Ormeggio 2.0' shifts to more relaxed seafood dining

The beat to retreat from top-end dining has a new member joining its ranks, this time one of the restaurant jewels of Sydney's north.

Ormeggio at the Spit, the double-toqued beach-head for Italian finery in Mosman, will close on June 22, reopening a fortnight later with a new look and an Italian seafood menu.

While refocusing on expensive produce sounds counter-productive, chef and co-owner Alessandro Pavoni subscribes to the theory fish doesn't need fuss.

"There'll be less technique. I don't need 12 chefs in the kitchen, I can do it with six or seven," he says.

The award-winning chef maintains keeping Michelin-level service in a city as expensive as Sydney is difficult so he'll include options such as shared plates for the middle of tables.

He's also recalibrated the tail-end of the menu, cutting out the need for a pastry section by centring desserts around gelato and panna cotta.

The design changes will include a new low-level eat-at bar in the dining room.

"So far we've been strong this summer, but we've lost business in the past two years … The times are changing in Sydney and we're changing with them. I'm calling it Ormeggio 2.0," he says.

While Ormeggio will join a number of restaurants heading toward a more relaxed product, the city is headed in two directions with venues such as Mimi's sticking with a more luxe package.