Sala brings modern Italian flavours to Pyrmont's Flying Fish site

Sala is fresh out of the box, but the restaurant, which opens in Pyrmont on Friday, November 25, has a long food lineage.

Chef and co-owner Danny Russo reached back to his childhood to find inspiration for the modern Italian eatery, which slides into the former home of Flying Fish.

"Every Italian kid grew up eating crispy risoni fingers. We're just serving the grown-up version with caviar and parmesan," he says.

Russo has cleverly teased his opening menu dishes on social media over recent months, giving diners a peek at his burrata with sour cherry 'nduja, octopus with pickled samphire, and split prawns with black garlic caviar butter.

In an age of facsimile Italian restaurant menus, Sala's opener is a refreshing read, and even finds space for an amped-up version of Russo's squid ink tortellini with crab meat from his days at The Beresford.

Russo has beefed up his kitchen team, luring head chef Michael Lewis from ANT restaurant in Italy's Piedmont. Sala, a joint venture between Russo and Flying Fish owners Kerrie and Con Dedes, has been given a refit by design outfit The General Store.

There's stone, marble and lighting installations, but they've been careful not to detract from the building's century-old bones. The 160-seat restaurant now has two private dining rooms and they also found room for Russo's crudo bar.

It isn't just respect for the building; co-owner Con Dedes wants to build on the strong seafood elements from Flying Fish's tenure at the site, "evolving" it into a modern Italian restaurant.

"My friendship with Danny spans years, and our combined hospitality experience brings a unique edge to the venture," Dedes says.

Open Wed-Sun lunch, Wed-Sat dinner.

Suite 62-64, Jones Bay Wharf, 26-32 Pirrama Road, Pyrmont, 02 9817 4618, saladining.com.au