Restaurateur Maurice Terzini and billionaire Lang Walker to open CicciaBella in Parramatta

Maurice Terzini and billionaire Lang Walker might seem a curious duo, but they were business partners back at the turn of the century when the-then Melbourne restaurateur galloped into Sydney and opened Otto at Woolloomooloo Wharf.

There will be hopes of similar magic with the latest venture: Terzini and Walker Corporation are opening a branch of CicciaBella in Parramatta in September.

The Walker-backed $3.2 billion Parramatta Square development has been nabbing some lip-licking food talent. Chifley Square hit eatery District Brasserie is poised to join the development, and Golden Century has been in discussions to join the party.

CicciaBella, which has parted ways with Mitch Orr and installed Nic Wong as head chef, reopened this month in Bondi with new direction.

"We want to get back to being more of a classic trattoria," Terzini says.

Parramatta has led the west in attracting big-name food operators in recent years. Not all have worked out, with Jamie Oliver and Chophouse among those to have abandoned the postcode. But plenty have found a niche, with bar-tsar Sven Almenning's Nick & Nora's among the stayers.

Terzini believes the precinct is on the rise, with Parramatta Square set to revitalise the city centre and create a "new culinary experience".