The Great Northern Beaches Rivalry Continues

Top Northern Beaches chefs Alessandro Pavoni and Giovanni Pilu are going head to head in a series of jointly hosted dining experiences.

Prime Italian restaurants Ormeggio at The Spit and Pilu at Freshwater will see these culinary greats showcase their incredible skills over four courses with matched wines and snacks for just $135 pp. The first dinner will be hosted on Wednesday 15th March at Ormeggio, with the second at Pilu on Thursday 6th April. A second series will be hosted on Wednesday 14th June (Ormeggio) and Wednesday 9th August (Pilu).

Alessandro and Giovanni are known for their great friendship and rivalry as much as their culinary prowess.

Lombardy-born Alessandro Pavoni has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants across Italy and France and was Executive Chef at Sydney’s Park Hyatt until opening Ormeggio at The Spit, located at D’Albora Marina, in 2009. The restaurant serves Italian cuisine created using a blend of traditional and new techniques. Traditional dishes are presented in a visually stunning and gastronomically innovative way; texture, colour, temperature and taste are all considered.

Ormeggio has garnered a long list of honours since opening; it was included in The Australian’s prestigious Top 50 restaurants and has two coveted Chef’s Hats in The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2017.

At the other side of the Northern Beaches is Pilu at Freshwater in Manly. Run by Giovanni Pilu and his wife and business partner Marilyn Annecchini, the restaurant celebrates the distinctive flavours of Giovanni’s native Sardinia.

Giovanni started out in the hospitality industry at the age of fourteen, working in his Uncle and Aunty’s restaurant during the school holidays. He moved to Australia in 1992 to be with Marilyn after meeting her while she was on holiday in Sardinia. The pair introduced Sydney-siders to the wonders of Sardinian cuisine, eventually finding the perfect venue for Pilu at Freshwater in2004. The listed heritage building sits right on the beach boasting sparkling views of one of Sydney’s prettiest secluded coastlines. Locally sourced, fresh ingredients and a true passion for traditional Italian cuisine has regularly earned Pilu great critical acclaim. The couple have consistently been bestowed two Chefs Hats by The Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide and the restaurant is one of First Table’s top rated.

However, they say the proof is in the pudding (and the other courses preceding it). For your opportunity to dine at the Northern Beaches’ top Italian restaurants and to decide whether Alessandro Pavoni or Giovanni Pilu does it best, book now:

Ormeggio at The Spit  - Wednesday 15th March and Wednesday 14th June 

Book online click here

Pilu at Freshwater - Thursday 6th April and Wednesday 9th August 

Call 9938 3331