Ussi Moniz Da Silva’S former Kings Cross venues Maali, Eros taken over by former staff

Former employees of Ussi Moniz Da Silva have become owners of several iconic venues across Sydney after the controversial restaurateur is believed to have abandoned the sites and left the country.

Staff at Ussi Moniz Da Silva’s Kings Cross venues claim they have been left unpaid.

A couple who worked for controversial restaurateur Ussi Moniz Da Silva but resigned because of a disagreement of operations and claims of unpaid entitlements have taken over the licence for Da Silva’s Kings Cross venues Maali, Eros and Kings Cross Pavilion.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Christina Jaucian and her husband Lance Alaalatoa have taken over the licence for the Bayswater Rd hot spots after they suddenly closed in February amid claims Da Silva owed money to staff, patrons and landlords.

The couple both held senior management roles for Da Silva, with Alaalatoa the General Manager and Jaucian the Head of Operations. However both left the business, Alaalatoa in October and Jaucian in February, due to operational differences. They also claim they were owed unpaid entitlements and superannuation.

Da Silva is not involved in this new venture.

Jaucian, who previously worked in management for luxury department store Harrolds, said the decision to take over these businesses might sound like “mission impossible” but as a Kings Cross local she wants to see the venues restored.

Bar owner and restaurateur Ussi Moniz Da Silva has reportedly left the country.

She’s currently in the process of turning Maali Bar, which just last month hosted the VIP premiere for new television series The Last King of the Cross with John Ibrahim and Kyle Sandilands, into Chicane.

Meanwhile, Kings Cross Pavilion will trade as KX Social. Both venues are open for trade, while Eros will reopen in the coming weeks.

Jaucian said it was a “non-negotiable” to create a safe environment at the venues, which The Sunday Telegraph reported had attracted some “questionable, heavy characters” in the past few months before the business shut.

In February, Maali was forced to close for 58 hours after it was served with a temporary closure notice by the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority following a violent brawl inside the club.

BIKIE FEARS

Just one week later, the Eros Restaurant, which sits next door to Maali, was issued with a similar temporary closure notice. The short-term closure order was based on an application by NSW Police, whom it’s understood had received information on the Friday that members of an outlaw motorcycle gang were plotting to attend the venue to commit an act of retribution.

Christina Jaucian has taken over several venues in Kings Cross. Picture: Richard Dobson

It is understood that gang members had been allegedly planning to attend the venue to demand repayments for money the gang claims it is owed.

The information prompted concerns that bikies would attend the venue and present potential risks to diners and other members of the public at the popular Greek restaurant.

Jaucian is determined to succeed with the venues.

“Being a female in a male-dominated industry, it’s really driving me to prove something. It’s not about vengeance, but to show women can succeed in an area of Sydney that has a lot of history and nostalgia,” she said.

It’s also a homecoming for Jaucian, whose father ran nightclubs in the area in the 80s and 90s including Ziggurat, Propaganda and Profile.

Alaalatoa has worked in hospitality for 25 years and run venues like Kings Cross’s former The Piano Room and Manly Wharf Bar.

Maali nightclub, a club formerly owned by controversial restaurateur Ussi Moniz Da Silva on Bayswater Road, is under new management and will become Chicane.

He said he’s got the support of former staff and suppliers.

“I’ve been involved in some of the best venues in the city and also partied in Kings Cross back in the day when it was at its peak. I want to share that experience with the next generation,” he said.

MORE VENUES CLOSED

Da Silva’s Double Bay Mexican restaurant Sinaloa and his luxe CBD restaurant Meu Jardim have also closed.

Da Silva has reportedly left the country and has disappeared off social media, which in the past he has used to flaunt his lavish lifestyle, including first class trips to Europe.

Eros Sydney has been saved by former employees of Ussi Moniz Da Silva.

Sources close to the business say investors are considering legal action against Moniz Da Silva — including action for personal bankruptcy – claiming they are owed up to $2 million dollars in unpaid loans.

One source said Moniz Da Silva was a “slick” talker, and explained away concerns raised over his failed former hospitality ventures like Meu Jardim and Upper East Side. “He was very articulate and presented very well,” the source said.

In correspondence seen by The Sunday Telegraph, it’s understood Moniz Da Silva owed more than $400,000 in unpaid rent to the landlords of his Double Bay bar Sinaloa.

Savills Asset Management was forced to chain the door shut.

After allegations Moniz Da Silva told staff to jump the back fence and open the doors to Sinaloa anyway, Savills was forced to put a sign in the window warning they would prosecute if he trespassed. Savills declined to comment.

Ussi Moniz Da Silva was known to flaunt his lavish lifestyle on social media.

While Moniz Da Silva blamed a “downturn in trade” for delays and non-payment of staff wages, the source said business had been steady.

He flaunted a lavish life, filled with designer gear and overseas trips, and sources close to him said he was more concerned with the social side of his business than its operation.

“He was never present as a leader in the business, he was too busy drinking the spirit of the day with his questionable mates,” the source said.

“He was told he couldn’t be seen like that.”

In the month before he disappeared, as staff raised concerns over underpayment and unpaid wages, Moniz Da Silva moved into a luxury home at Clear Island Waters on the Gold Coast. It’s understood he was paying $2800 a week rent.

The source said: “People from all walks of life, cleaners, electricians, security guards, staff and investors … have been burnt by him in different ways.”

— with David Barwell, NewsLocal