Akti, a contemporary Greek restaurant from Sydney Restaurant Group, has opened at Sydney’s Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf. The space was formerly home to Manta, also owned by the same group. The group’s other venues include Ripples Chowder Bay, Aqua Dining, The Fenwick, and Ormeggio.
Akti will see the Drakopoulos family bring their Greek heritage to the harbourside, with international chef Ntinos Fotinakis (Bungalow 7, Athens) and head chef Robert Judd (Hellenika, SK Steak & Oyster) at the helm.
“It has truly been a privilege to manage the closing chapter of Manta, a Sydney dining institution for the past 17 years,” said Sydney Restaurant Group Founder Bill Drakopoulos.
“Akti will bring new energy to a space as quintessentially Sydney as the harbourside Finger Wharf, which is heritage listed and significantly where many Greek migrants first arrived by steamship in the 1950s. We are paying homage to this shared heritage, with the new venue embodying the Greek tradition of filoxenia – whole-hearted hospitality.”
Fotinakis has curated the menu for Akti, which will be executed by Judd.
“From my time working at Hellenika, I have a great understanding of and appreciation for Greek cuisine,” said Judd. “I’m thrilled to be joining the Sydney Restaurant Group team and working alongside Ntinos to deliver a beautiful Greek experience at one of Sydney’s most classic harbourside locations.”
The menu has been designed to reflect the best of nostalgic Greek classics, all interpreted with a modern twist, such as giouvarlakia – traditionally a meatball ’soup’, now reimagined as a raw fish dish; and galaktoboureko – deconstructed and turned into an ‘Athenian Mess’, a tableside dessert both nostalgic and contemporary.
The menu will hero Australian seafood through traditional shared dishes, highlights include: Ntinos mezze with taramasalata with smoked yuzu, tzatziki, and melitzanosalata: Smokey roasted eggplant that’s puréed, garlic, lemon and extra virgin olive oil; and moussaka croquette, a deep fried snack that reinvents the classic.
The drinks list includes Greek wines along with an extensive list of domestic and international wines. The cocktail list will be a collaboration of Akti mixologist Nicola Drakopoulos and Fotinakis with a mix of classics and signature house specialties, such as Meet Me At Akti, with aperol, limoncello, clarified guava and pistachio; and Kalimera, Baby, a tzatziki-inspired drink with dill vodka, pepper vodka, cucumber, mint and greek yoghurt..
Perry Drakopoulos oversaw design, emphasising coastal accents with the dining room layered in soft pinks, plums and ivory tones. The space incorporates the main dining room, private dining room with floor-to-ceiling harbour views, an alfresco terrace and Baraki space (Greek for ‘small bar’).
Akti joins recently opened The Bellevue and stalwarts China Doll and Otto on the finger wharf. Akti is now open, from Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm until late.
Photography by Jacqui Turk.
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