The ACME restaurant site at the bottom of Bayswater Road has been empty since the home of pig’s head macaroni closed a year ago. But that has all changed, with Figo Restaurant & Bar opening there in recent days.
Figo isn’t just a “give it a lick of paint, reopen and see how it goes” project. Some serious coin has been thrown at its refit, and the crew is promising.
Co-owner Mena Labbozzetta moved to Milan for work, where she met Massimo Orobello, who still owns Mare Mosso restaurant there. Orobello returned to Sydney with Labbozzetta, and Figo is their new restaurant baby.
“Massimo has partnered with his cousin Nick Rullo from Adelaide … Head chef Mattia Porcellato is from the north of Italy and has worked here [Uccello, Cuccinetta].”
Figo has our interest. “We like to think it is the Italian version of Mr. Wong,” Labbozzetta says. The menu isn’t as whacky as ACME, with more of a traditional approach with some gentle upgrades. The carpaccio is wagyu and dressed with truffle pecorino, its tuna tartare partnered with crumbled taralli, like a cross between a breadstick and a pretzel.
“Figo means ‘cool’ in Italian,” Labbozzetta adds.
Open Fri-Sat lunch; Mon-Sat dinner.
Shop 3, 56-60A Bayswater Road, Rushcutters Bay, 02 8323 9883
