It will be buona sera (good evening) on Thursday night when the operator of Mr Lim's restaurant, Sammy Jeon, opens his first Italian restaurant just around the corner.
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With a staff of one Hong Kong and two Korean chefs Mr Jeon is seeking to bring an Italian family restaurant feel to the Peisley Street site.
Thursday's opening night will be an introductory pizza night, with prices about $18-$19 per pizza, before the full menu including pasta dishes is rolled out later on.
Named Avido, which he said means greedy in Italian, the restaurant is at the same location as the former La Porchetta Italian restaurant which closed in February.
With a Sistine Chapel fresco-style ceiling, statues and paintings the interior is unmistakably Italian.
"It looks a little fancy here but I want to make it a family restaurant. I want it to be somewhere where people can bring their kids," he said.
He said while his chefs were not Italian they had cooked in Italian restaurants in Sydney for up to six years.
Mr Jeon said he would also be a chef at the eatery.
He said he was still looking for waiting and serving staff and was keen to offer younger people the opportunity of work.
"It's very hard in Orange to find staff," he said.
It looks a little fancy here but I want to make it a family restaurant.
- Sammy Jeon, Avido restaurant
Mr Jeon said they were aiming for a small menu.
"We're going to start with a very simple menu, three pastas and four pizzas, and we'll have quite a big entree," he said.
Local wines will be served from the 14-metre long bar.
And the Mr Lim's surprise feature, karaoke, is likely to also be featured at Avido. However it will be in the restaurant's function room and not the full restaurant.
He said he was happy to be using the existing pizza oven and not a wood-fired one.
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