The Location
A top tip is to “look for the gold Vespa” which can be found flashing her, Italian vibes round the corner from the Grace Hotel. There she is, a golden gilded Vespa looking like a scooter-esque Oscar trophy, as if we needed any more hint about what this restaurant is all about.
The Arrival
Before the Vespa, we are greeted by a row of delicious-looking focaccia sandwiches at the street-facing counter. Coffee, patisserie, focaccia “Dai, andiamo!”. The friendly crew welcome us as we take our seats.
Vittoria coffee 
You make enough coffees….?
The Team
Fans of the beloved CBD restaurant Secolo will be thrilled to see the return of Anthony, Tanja, and Robert Arienzale, along with head chef Mattia Senesi and master barista Salvatore Messina. You have to give it to them—they’re a good-looking roosters in their signature red Tessuto t-shirts and shorts.
The Vibe
Dining area
Tessuto, meaning ‘fabric’ in Italian, pays homage to the 190-year-old building’s history as home to Australia’s largest importer of silks, cottons, and textiles. Situated on the ground floor, the dining area buzzes like an Italian market square, with passers by and office workers coming and going. Exposed timber columns dominate the space, along with terrazzo flooring, a sit-up marble bar, a mightly impressive coffee machine, and mocha banquet seating add to the vibe. The art is yet to go up. It feels easy, casual but tightly focused on doing what they do well.
The Food
While we are here for lunch, I can’t get ‘carbonara scrambled eggs’ out of my head. Thankfully, Mattia indulges me. Wow, it’s freakin’ good. A golden mound of softly scrambled eggs, showered with parmesan and tossed with pancetta. Glorious.
Next up is classic bruschetta with finely diced tomatoes needing more seasoning, but nothing a salt ‘n’ pepper mill can’t fix. At $12, it’s a rare price point that doesn’t break the bank. It’s easy to forget how simple ingredients taste so great together. The antipasti of finely shaved slices of beetroot topped with crumbled goat cheese, rocket, and toasted pine nuts is a memorable forkful at $19.
Bruchetta 
pesto with green beans and potato 
Tuna salad
It’s the pasta mains that shine. I’m not normally a fan of pesto, nor is my dining companion, Penny. It’s 32 degrees in the city, and we don’t feel like a meat-based gnocchi but order it anyway.
What a find! It’s bursting fresh with basil, pine nuts, and pecorino. The nicely chewy spirals of fusilli are tossed with al dente green beans and the addition of cubes of potato (strange, but it works) adds a rich creamy flavor that has me nerding out on what varietal they’ve used. The pine nuts make the whole dish pop.
A beautifully plated blue swimmer crab spaghetti appears almost omelette-esque with its artistic perfect swirl. It’s technically perfect with a delicate sugo and a refined chili, garlic kick. It’s our pick of the menu. The salad of seared tuna paired with luscious roasted eggplant and quinoa rounds out the meal.
If you want to order and go, there is a range of freshly-made focaccias (I took home one of these beasties) and can highly recommend the prosciutto with mozzarella, fresh tomato, and house-made basil pesto. They are rather secretive about their secret weapon—an Italian baker who cooks every day for them, so maybe keep returning for great coffee, conversation, and perhaps the boys might reveal all!
Tessuto, 32-34 York Street, Sydney
Hours: Open from 7am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
