Source : the age
After a rocky 18 months for one of the top blue-chip food strips in the country, Challis Avenue in Potts Point has some early spring in its step, with one of the city’s hottest hospitality groups relaunching local institution La Buvette over the weekend, plus a new venue from Fratelli Paradiso on the way.
La Buvette is the latest reclamation project from The Goodies Hospitality, after its reboot of the former Chefs’ Warehouse premises in Surry Hills as Bessie’s & Alma’s, and the 2025 launch of Vin-Cenzo’s in the one-time Darlinghurst home of Tre Scalini restaurant.
The venue had been a fixture at the site from last century until it closed in 2019. While the original La Buvette was more of a cafe, the relaunch is a French wine bar. Chef Morgan McGlone and his business partners Nathan and Sali Sasi from The Goodies, whose stable also includes popular Surry Hills haunt Bar Copains, are the minds behind the project.
“Everything Nathan does is super refined,” McGlone said of the food. The opening menu has an oyster and champagne granita, escargot served with Cafe de Paris butter, choux pastry filled with comte custard and larger dishes, coral trout with vin jaune sauce and beef striploin in peppercorn sauce.
“We even have a homage to [Australian-Japanese chef] Tetsuya Wakuda,” McGlone said, pointing to Wakuda’s tartare of tuna with goat’s cheese, which La Buvette has recreated as a snack-sized tart.
Challis Avenue has played a significant role in Sydney dining history, with restaurants including Cicada, Morans, Lotus and Bistrot 916 restaurants calling it home over the decades. The closure of the chef’s hatted Bistrot 916 in late 2024 due to redevelopment of its site saw a drop-off in evening foot traffic on the strip.
Peter Lew, co-founder of Challis Avenue’s 16-year-old stalwart, Fei Jai, is “excited for them [the new venues] to come, to help re-activate the street”. Fei Jai will receive a significant interior refresh in September.
A big part of the Potts Point pull is the area’s reputation for discerning diners. “They’re very loyal, well-travelled and regular,” Lew said.
They can also be tough judges. McGlone knows the area and clientele, having previously operated Sunday, on Macleay Street. A fierce loyalty to their local eateries and the rich food lineage of the area was a big part of the reason why McGlone and Nathan and Sali Sasi decided to take on the project.
As a young apprentice, McGlone lived in a tiny apartment across the road from La Buvette in 1996. Not only was he a regular, but McGlone occasionally pitched in a few times to help its owner, the late Pierre Labancz, when he was short-staffed.
McGlone welcomes Fratelli Paradiso’s new venue, which opens down the road in the Bar Sopra site. The liquor licence transfer lists the name as Caffe Paradiso 6, with Fratelli Paradiso executive chef Trisha Greentree as the licensee.
There’s also good news at Franca restaurant around the corner, which has been closed due to remedial work on the building. Owner Andrew Becher said the venue would reopen in September.
With 30 outdoor seats and just nine indoor seats, La Buvette will bring plenty of action to the Challis Avenue strip. But the indoor-outdoor ratio comes with its operational challenges. “There’s some cover, but we’ll be hoping for lots of sunshine this summer,” McGlone said.
Open Mon-Wed from 4pm; Thu-Sun from noon
35 Challis Avenue, Potts Point, labuvettesydney.com.au
