Hellenika chef heads up new Greek restaurant on the wharf

Previous SlideNext Slide
Greek$$$$
Akti, meaning coast in Greek, is your port of call for charcoal-grilled kontosouvli skewers, slow-cooked lamb shoulder and bubbling saganaki on the Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf.
The venue takes over from seafood restaurant Manta, which was also owned by the Sydney Restaurant Group. The sunset-hued dining room is layered in pink and plum shades and lined with Greek treasures – from ceramics and sculptures to painted motifs. Outside, pretty scallop-edged umbrellas extend along the water's edge, inviting guests to sip Asyrtiko in the sun.
In the kitchen, head chef Robert Judd, formerly of Brisbane's Hellenika (the lauded Greek restaurant at The Calile Hotel), teams up with Athens chef Ntinos Fotinakis to deliver an array of modern meze, from leek and feta pie to crumbed moussaka croquettes.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Sydney Morning Herald

2 days ago

• Sydney Morning Herald

The downfall of a drug racket: An underworld drama

Soon it was obvious that Hafner was a bigger fish than first thought. Hafner had form, not so much in his criminal records but in his associates, including the notorious Tony Mokbel. Act One, Scene Two: A bizarre claim in the County Court In 2007, Hafner went to the County Court to argue that a house in Bulleen that had been seized as part of Tony's impressive real estate portfolio was, in fact, his. He explained that the house had been given to him by his generous grandmother and had somehow been scooped up as part of Mokbel's $55 million asset portfolio. An honest (well dishonest) mistake, he told the County Court. Hafner, you see, was going through a difficult divorce, and he wanted to make sure his partner could not get her hands on half the title. 'My words were that basically I was having domestics with my missus and, basically, I don't know what to do with my grandmother's house, and we ... came to the conclusion that I'd sign it over to him,' he said. The ever-helpful Tony was happy to oblige. Of course, Mokbel was not in a position to corroborate his mate because at that time he was sitting in a Greek cell having sailed away from Australia on the yacht, Edwena. Unfortunately, an argumentative lawyer for the prosecution suggested Hafner had handed over the house because he owed Mokbel $360,000 and the property was a square-off. The house was valued about $500,000 at the time, and on June 15, 2001, National Australia Bank records show the house was transferred to Tony, who forgave a $320,000 debt and in return transferred $50,000 to Hafner. Mokbel even paid the $17,000 stamp duty to make it all above board. A detective who worked on the Mokbel case said: 'Tony was the biggest dealer in town, and Darren owed him money from a drug debt. When he couldn't pay, Tony said, 'What have you got?' and that's why he signed over his grandmother's house.' But every cloud has a silver lining, and when the seized house was sold on July 12, 2008, it fetched $625,000, which went to the State Revenue Office. Hafner's story, unlike the Edwena, sank without trace. County Court judge Michael McInerney dismissed the case, adding: 'I do not accept [Hafner] as a credible or reliable witness.' Mokbel could afford to be generous because the Hafner debt was chump change. The suburban pizza shop owner, who police described on his file as 'lacking financial acumen', was now flying. By 2000, he was planning to build an $18 million, 10-storey 'winged keel' apartment tower over Sydney Road. The plan was to build 120 apartments and townhouses, offices, restaurants, a gym with pool and a four-storey car park on the old Whelan the Wrecker site. No one seemed to wonder how he could generate that sort of money. He was also developing 10 units in Templestowe, which he planned to sell for $300,000 each. In 2000, he owned the Brunswick market site and claimed to make $500,000 a year in rent money. His business portfolio was admirably diverse, including investments in shops, cafes, fashion houses, fragrances, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs and land in regional Victoria. He and his companies owned two white vans, two Commodores, a red Audi, a 2000 silver Mercedes, a Nissan Skyline and a red Ferrari Roadster, which he bought in September 1999. He even managed to give his wife a Kilmore pub as part of the family businesses. One of his fashion houses was appropriately named LSD – apparently an abbreviation for Love of Style and Design. His social network was also varied. It included an MP, a tame bank manager, a bent accountant, a newsagent who gratefully accepted $20,000 a week that Tony invested in Tattslotto, seven jockeys and trainers, and a handful of bookies. One jockey, who was in Mokbel's car when the drug dealer had a fender-bender with a tradie near the State Library, showed his athletic prowess, opening the door and making a dash for the shadows while a contrite Tony apologised and exchanged details with the second driver. One bookie opened a ghost betting account allowing Mokbel to punt under another name. In one week during the 2002 spring racing carnival, the account turned over $445,000. To Tony, it was just pocket money. The bets were made just weeks after Mokbel was finally granted $1 million bail on the serious drugs charges. When one bookie came to collect $80,000 at Tony's Port Melbourne home, they walked to Mokbel's car, where he opened the glove box. While forward-thinking motorists might have a roll of coins for parking meters, the bookie estimated the wad of stashed cash was 'at least $300,000'. Loading You might think that having lost a house to Mokbel, Hafner would have sought an alternative income stream. But he was nothing if not persistent. He did branch out, receiving workers' compensation for several years, doing cash jobs on the side (despite a bad back), then going on the dole for 10 years while selling drugs and using stolen credit cards in a fraud ring. In 10 court hearings he collected 36 convictions. Act Two, Scene One: The Fawkner cops get the green light The Fawkner detectives built up a case and went to their bosses, and it was at that point Operation Manic was established. Hafner was followed around the state, and soon a case was built that he was the middleman in an international syndicate. Federal police tracked three shipments of pure pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in speed, flown into Australia from Malaysia, India and Dubai, and identified two other key members, Sarah Baines and Abdul Diallo. At one point, police tracked the crew to a Thomastown service station, where they were to buy a kilogram of speed for $165,000. But, in a familiar story in a drug business that is riddled with rip-offs and no-shows, after the initial meeting, the deal fell through. By September, police had enough to move in and arrest the three. The finale: Courtroom justice If everyone has 15 minutes of fame, Baines, 33, must be truly annoyed at how she used hers. When she appeared in court as part of Hafner's syndicate, the Herald Sun wrote: 'A Melbourne party girl who peddled dildos for a living is down on her luck after she was accused of running a high-end drug-trafficking racket.' At court, it was found she had worked in a retail sex shop and ran a cleaning service, and in prison had become an unofficial carer for a disabled inmate. She had been using drugs from her early 20s, and when police raided her Southbank apartment they found evidence of drug transactions, and of the drug, 1,4-butanedoil. Diallo, the court was told, was an African leader in the community, having arrived in Australia as a young refugee from Sierra Leone after his father was murdered. Hafner had been examined in prison. Quoting the psychological report, the judge said: 'You looked and sounded despondent and depressed. You presented as being at least moderately depressed and mildly anxious.' Little wonder when you are looking at a long stretch and could well die in jail When it came to sentencing, no one was spared. County Court judge Richard Maidment gave Diallo 12 years with a minimum of eight years and eight months, while Hafner was sentenced to 12 years with a minimum of eight years and four months. Baines received 11 years with a minimum of seven.

The Age

2 days ago

• The Age

The downfall of a drug racket: An underworld drama

Soon it was obvious that Hafner was a bigger fish than first thought. Hafner had form, not so much in his criminal records but in his associates, including the notorious Tony Mokbel. Act One, Scene Two: A bizarre claim in the County Court In 2007, Hafner went to the County Court to argue that a house in Bulleen that had been seized as part of Tony's impressive real estate portfolio was, in fact, his. He explained that the house had been given to him by his generous grandmother and had somehow been scooped up as part of Mokbel's $55 million asset portfolio. An honest (well dishonest) mistake, he told the County Court. Hafner, you see, was going through a difficult divorce, and he wanted to make sure his partner could not get her hands on half the title. 'My words were that basically I was having domestics with my missus and, basically, I don't know what to do with my grandmother's house, and we ... came to the conclusion that I'd sign it over to him,' he said. The ever-helpful Tony was happy to oblige. Of course, Mokbel was not in a position to corroborate his mate because at that time he was sitting in a Greek cell having sailed away from Australia on the yacht, Edwena. Unfortunately, an argumentative lawyer for the prosecution suggested Hafner had handed over the house because he owed Mokbel $360,000 and the property was a square-off. The house was valued about $500,000 at the time, and on June 15, 2001, National Australia Bank records show the house was transferred to Tony, who forgave a $320,000 debt and in return transferred $50,000 to Hafner. Mokbel even paid the $17,000 stamp duty to make it all above board. A detective who worked on the Mokbel case said: 'Tony was the biggest dealer in town, and Darren owed him money from a drug debt. When he couldn't pay, Tony said, 'What have you got?' and that's why he signed over his grandmother's house.' But every cloud has a silver lining, and when the seized house was sold on July 12, 2008, it fetched $625,000, which went to the State Revenue Office. Hafner's story, unlike the Edwena, sank without trace. County Court judge Michael McInerney dismissed the case, adding: 'I do not accept [Hafner] as a credible or reliable witness.' Mokbel could afford to be generous because the Hafner debt was chump change. The suburban pizza shop owner, who police described on his file as 'lacking financial acumen', was now flying. By 2000, he was planning to build an $18 million, 10-storey 'winged keel' apartment tower over Sydney Road. The plan was to build 120 apartments and townhouses, offices, restaurants, a gym with pool and a four-storey car park on the old Whelan the Wrecker site. No one seemed to wonder how he could generate that sort of money. He was also developing 10 units in Templestowe, which he planned to sell for $300,000 each. In 2000, he owned the Brunswick market site and claimed to make $500,000 a year in rent money. His business portfolio was admirably diverse, including investments in shops, cafes, fashion houses, fragrances, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs and land in regional Victoria. He and his companies owned two white vans, two Commodores, a red Audi, a 2000 silver Mercedes, a Nissan Skyline and a red Ferrari Roadster, which he bought in September 1999. He even managed to give his wife a Kilmore pub as part of the family businesses. One of his fashion houses was appropriately named LSD – apparently an abbreviation for Love of Style and Design. His social network was also varied. It included an MP, a tame bank manager, a bent accountant, a newsagent who gratefully accepted $20,000 a week that Tony invested in Tattslotto, seven jockeys and trainers, and a handful of bookies. One jockey, who was in Mokbel's car when the drug dealer had a fender-bender with a tradie near the State Library, showed his athletic prowess, opening the door and making a dash for the shadows while a contrite Tony apologised and exchanged details with the second driver. One bookie opened a ghost betting account allowing Mokbel to punt under another name. In one week during the 2002 spring racing carnival, the account turned over $445,000. To Tony, it was just pocket money. The bets were made just weeks after Mokbel was finally granted $1 million bail on the serious drugs charges. When one bookie came to collect $80,000 at Tony's Port Melbourne home, they walked to Mokbel's car, where he opened the glove box. While forward-thinking motorists might have a roll of coins for parking meters, the bookie estimated the wad of stashed cash was 'at least $300,000'. Loading You might think that having lost a house to Mokbel, Hafner would have sought an alternative income stream. But he was nothing if not persistent. He did branch out, receiving workers' compensation for several years, doing cash jobs on the side (despite a bad back), then going on the dole for 10 years while selling drugs and using stolen credit cards in a fraud ring. In 10 court hearings he collected 36 convictions. Act Two, Scene One: The Fawkner cops get the green light The Fawkner detectives built up a case and went to their bosses, and it was at that point Operation Manic was established. Hafner was followed around the state, and soon a case was built that he was the middleman in an international syndicate. Federal police tracked three shipments of pure pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient in speed, flown into Australia from Malaysia, India and Dubai, and identified two other key members, Sarah Baines and Abdul Diallo. At one point, police tracked the crew to a Thomastown service station, where they were to buy a kilogram of speed for $165,000. But, in a familiar story in a drug business that is riddled with rip-offs and no-shows, after the initial meeting, the deal fell through. By September, police had enough to move in and arrest the three. The finale: Courtroom justice If everyone has 15 minutes of fame, Baines, 33, must be truly annoyed at how she used hers. When she appeared in court as part of Hafner's syndicate, the Herald Sun wrote: 'A Melbourne party girl who peddled dildos for a living is down on her luck after she was accused of running a high-end drug-trafficking racket.' At court, it was found she had worked in a retail sex shop and ran a cleaning service, and in prison had become an unofficial carer for a disabled inmate. She had been using drugs from her early 20s, and when police raided her Southbank apartment they found evidence of drug transactions, and of the drug, 1,4-butanedoil. Diallo, the court was told, was an African leader in the community, having arrived in Australia as a young refugee from Sierra Leone after his father was murdered. Hafner had been examined in prison. Quoting the psychological report, the judge said: 'You looked and sounded despondent and depressed. You presented as being at least moderately depressed and mildly anxious.' Little wonder when you are looking at a long stretch and could well die in jail When it came to sentencing, no one was spared. County Court judge Richard Maidment gave Diallo 12 years with a minimum of eight years and eight months, while Hafner was sentenced to 12 years with a minimum of eight years and four months. Baines received 11 years with a minimum of seven.

Perth Now

5 days ago

• Perth Now

‘We need your help': Beloved Freo bar struggling to survive

The new owners of Mojo's Bar have made a public appeal for funding to help bring their transformative vision of the North Fremantle institution to life. Last year, local architect Michael Benson, musician and venue manager Tony Papa-Adams and DJ Paul Malone purchased the 190-capacity venue from Triple-1-Three, which operates Otherside Brewing Co. and the Freo Social. Triple-1-Three took over Mojo's, a breeding ground for top WA artists such as Tame Impala, John Butler and Stella Donnelly, in 2021. Your local paper, whenever you want it. The extensive renovations planned by the new owners were expected to begin early this year but have been put on hold due to financial 'struggles'. Mr Papa-Adams created a GoFundMe on Monday in an attempt to raise $16,000 for new bar furniture, 16 new beer taps, upgraded sound and lighting equipment and a new kitchen where they plan to serve 'family-style Greek-Cypriot food'. Renders of the new-look Mojo's Bar in North Fremantle. Credit: Benson Studio 'We need your help,' Mr Papa-Adams wrote. 'Not just to survive, but to grow into something even stronger that can sustain itself for future generations of music lovers. 'Live music venues everywhere are struggling. Rising costs, from rent and insurance to production and staffing, are threatening even the most beloved spots. 'These aren't just renovations. They're the foundations of a new business model one that makes Mojos more resilient, more welcoming, and more capable of supporting live music for generations to come.' Renders of the new-look Mojo's Bar in North Fremantle. Credit: Benson Studio The new owners also plan to put a roof over the beer garden, which will feature a small bar and sound system for patrons who are not attending a performance in the front room. When performers are not using it, the green room will become a vinyl record store. The venue has been an important incubator of local musical talent and the owners said the new-look Mojo's will continue to support up-and-coming bands. Renders of the new-look Mojo's Bar in North Fremantle. Credit: Benson Studio 'We're not just a venue,' Mr Papa-Adams said. 'We're a launchpad for emerging artists, a sanctuary for local musicians, and a gathering place for creatives, music lovers, and community, and a special part of North Freo's soul. 'If you've ever discovered your new favourite band or had a night you'll never forget on our wooden floors, you probably know how invaluable Mojos is to the community.'