Vino & Spuntino to open at former Claude's site in Woollahra

After a 43-year run with French cuisine, the long-time Woollahra home of Claude's restaurant is taking an Italian turn.

John Kerr was governor-general when Claude's served its first passionfruit souffle in 1976. After the restaurant closed in 2013, St Claude's picked up the baton, dishing up well-reviewed modern French.

But budding restaurateur Annie Ilieva has swooped on the site after St Claude's sudden exit in recent months.

On November 13, Vino & Spuntino will open on a patch of sacred Sydney dining turf once seen as unwaveringly attached to its French roots.

Ilieva's plan for Vino & Spuntino is a simple one: whether you pop in for a drink and a quick bite or a long, lingering meal, she wants it to feel like a holiday in Italy.

The dining room will get a spruce-up and a colour change, but for many Sydney diners, memories of fine dining and the seminal chefs who worked during its Claude's reign may linger a little longer.