Sooshi Mango trio eyes plans to open restaurant at the Italian Forum in Leichhardt

The Sooshi Mango trio makes a living from comedy, but the successful restaurateurs are serious about the prospect of restoring a dining precinct in Sydney’s inner west to its former glory.

Brothers Carlo and Joe Salanitri, and their best friend, Andrew Manfre, are successful comics and restaurateurs. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Forza Italia.

One of Australia’s biggest comedy acts made a recent visit to the dying Italian Forum in Leichhardt, giving Sydneysiders hope they could bring their young but celebrated Melbourne restaurant to the inner west and finally reinvigorate Little Italy.

Cloaked in full costume, Sooshi Mango’s Johnny, Vince and Sam – aka brothers Joe and Carlo Salanitri, and friend Andrew Manfre – recently inspected the once-atmospheric Norton St landmark that has turned into a shell of vacant cafes and restaurants.

Their visit was posted for their millions of social media followers and sparked speculation they could expand Johnny, Vince and Sam’s Ristorante from Melbourne’s Lygon St to Leichhardt.

Joe Salanitri has confirmed the group’s interest in rolling out the red, green and white carpet in Leichhardt.

“I went there as a kid – it just oozed Italy non-stop, especially in the forum,’’ he said.

Joe Salanitri, Carlo Salanitri and Andrew Manfre in character at their Melbourne restaurant. Picture: Mark Stewart

“It was amazing back in the day and it was really, really sad to see how it was when we went there the other day.

“All the shops were empty, the buzz and the vibe had all gone from there and it’s not something that’s 100 per cent, but the thought was ‘maybe we can bring Johnny, Vince and Sam’s here one day’.

“We don’t know when, but this could be a possibility to help bring this once-vibrant Italian hotspot of Sydney back to life.

“We find this very romantic to try and bring this back to life.’’

The Melbourne trio’s Sydney-raised manager Harris Meitanis echoed those thoughts.

“If we’re talking about bringing thousands of people into the precinct, it is an absolute lock that we would do that,’’ he said.

But there are serious reservations about the Leichhardt project.

Parking meters on Norton St, Covid and the cost-of-living crisis have decimated the once-thriving precinct.

Meitanis blames the Inner West Council, which he claims has “done everything possible to completely destroy that precinct in the last 15 years”.

“It’s criminal what they’ve done – it really, really is,’’ he said.

“We’re not convinced on the area because we’re not convinced that the powers-that-be want to return it to what it was.

“We’re all guns blazing to join in that fight, but we’re not going to do it without an assurance that we’re not going to be the only attraction for that whole area.’’

For starters, he wants to eliminate paid parking.

“There’s a reason people have stopped going to the area: because dinner costs $500 because it includes a parking fine,’’ he said.

Norton St, Leichhardt, has become a ghost town. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

In the middle of an “arduous” tour that ends in November, Meitanis says the trio does not have time to approach the council about the issues but wants the authority to get the ball rolling.

“We know if we build it, they will come,’’ he said.

“As much as we would love to do it, we need some type of assurance and support to know it will be a successful enterprise. We can’t build something in an arid landscape.’’

An Inner West Council spokesman welcomed the Sooshi Mango plan as part of its entertainment precincts.

“We led the way with special entertainment precincts, and the state government has based its strategies around vibrancy reform on the Inner West model,’’ the spokesman said.

“An offering from Sooshi Mango falls beautifully within the parameters envisaged by a special entertainment precinct.”

Sooshi Mango, with Zeljko Kalac, would love to have a restaurant at Leichhardt.

The spokesman said parking was available in Norton Plaza, the Italian Forum, Leichhardt Town Hall and along Norton St.

“We shut off parking meters at 7pm on main streets to encourage patronage to businesses at night when demand is lower.’’

The council had allocated $7.5m towards a main street revitalisation program that included Norton St and local businesses, and was a major sponsor for the Norton Street Festa, for which it injected $60,000 in cash and in-kind support annually.

Johnny, Vince and Sam’s Ristorante opened in Melbourne last year.

It is furnished to mirror a typical nonna’s home, replete with lace and plastic tablecloths, 1970s wallpaper and wooden furniture.

Meitanis credits the food, courtesy of chef Johnny Di Francesco, for its success.

“The nostalgia’s there, the Disney ride is there but the whole thing is underpinned by this incredible menu put together by arguably Australia’s best Italian chef with a team that delivers it,’’ he said.