Is 10 William Street’s squid sandwich creation Sydney’s weirdest burger?

You’ll need both hands to come to grips the myriad tentacles bursting out of the in-demand panino con il polpo. It’s octopus. All of it. On a sandwich.

Panino con il polio, an octopus panino, is the lunchtime special at 10 William St, Paddington. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Sydney’s burger scene has been given a squiddy new twist.

Josh Niland started the trend with his yellowfin tuna cheeseburger – which tastes like a beefburger – at Fish Butchery.

Now, popular wine bar 10 William Street has created an octopus burger, complete with tentacles.

A limited number of panino con il polpo has been introduced for lunch on Friday and Saturday’s for a couple of weeks.

Head Chef Francesco Ruggiero said he came up with the idea for the menu item when he returned home to Puglia Italy in June for a holiday.

Chef Francesco Ruggiero with the octopus panino. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

“It’s something I eat in summer all the time, this octopus sandwich. It’s very traditional,” Ruggiero said.

“We needed something a bit more lunchy and no one is doing it in Sydney. It looks weirdly good.”

Usually a whole octopus, depending on the size, is cooked in it’s own salty jus and added to the burger along with some Spanish spices, capsicum, tomato, lettuce and garlic.

Ruggiero adds the item is a limited addition to the menu.

“There is not going to be a lot. People have been asking for takeaway, but, I want to priorities the dine-in guests. I don’t want them to take a photo and go away. We want people to sit, eat and enjoy. It would be nice if you were in Puglia, eating on the beach, but we aren’t.”

The burger cost $28 and Ruggiero jokes can be eaten with a knife and fork, but it’s preferable to eat with the jus going everywhere.

The wine bar, which is run by the same team behind Fratelli Paradiso, has garnered a reputation for having interesting and innovating chefs.

Since the restaurant posted a photo of the dish on social media, customers have been divided over there thoughts on the dish.

ICONIC SYDNEY PUB TO REOPEN WITH 36-HOUR PARTY

As the saying goes, when one iconic Sydney venue closes, another one opens up.

Fresh off the news that late night hotspot Frankie’s is shutting up shop, The Daily Telegraph can reveal that iconic Chippendale music venue The Abercrombie is set to reopen and they are kicking things off with a 36-hour long party to take revellers straight into Christmas morning.

The corner hotel, also known as The Australian Hotel, was built in 1938 and over the years has been a popular watering hole for journalists, Carlton United Brewery staff, university students and music lovers before it abruptly closed in 2014.

Hospitality group Solotel bought the hotel, and surrounding terraces, in 2016 however Covid delayed plans to renovate the heritage-listed space.

Now, the venue is set to open Friday 23 December and will encompass three venues under one roof.

The Abercrombie Hotel is set to reopen on December 23.

The ground floor, with it’s 24 hour licence, will pay homage to the venue’s music history and be a live performance and club space, public bar, and beer garden.

Upstairs is Casa Rosa, a playful, late-night Italo-disco cocktail lounge and rooftop terrazza with DJs.

The Abercrombie Hotel when it was up for lease.

While the adjoining terraces have become an aperitivo wine bar and shop, Lil Sis.

Solotel CEO Elliot Solomon said he opened the venue gave a generation of kids a taste of the heady clubbing days of Sydney.

“This new era for the Abercrombie is focused on helping to redefine the fabric of Sydney’s night-life as well as provide a platform for the next generation of party crews and clubbers to create their own culture-defining experiences,” he said.

The opening sees a surge in new venues opening across city catering to music including the Solotel owned Rekodo, underground bar Tiva, Oxford Street’s Japanese party restaurant Kissuu and the reopening of Arq.

Elliot Solomon, Solotel Group CEO, Zoe Simmons GM of The Abercrombie and Mike Rodriguez NSW Gov 24-hour Economy Commissioner, outside the Iconic pub and music venue. Picture: Jonathan Ng

A recent report from the Transport and Tourism Forum found that there are now more visitors in the CBD on weeknights and weekends than before the pandemic.

Figures from the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner found that there has been a seven per cent increase in creative and performing arts venues of 7% (310 businesses) across Greater Sydney.

The 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues said Sydney was embracing a new era of night-life.

Originally published as Is 10 William Street’s squid sandwich creation Sydney’s weirdest burger?