Former Wildfire restaurant owner on a buying spree, starting with Athenian

After patiently sitting on his hands since the closure of Wildfire restaurant in 2014, the founder of the Circular Quay mega-eatery has gone on a buying spree.

Veteran restaurateur Tonci Farac​ has snapped up the Athenian restaurant in the city, is close to finalising a deal on a yet-to-be revealed Sydney food institution and will open Solera, a champagne, cognac and cocktail bar on Hickson Road, in December.

Farac was a reluctant departee from the Overseas Passenger Terminal, where redevelopment aimed at creating more space for cruise ship operations saw him well remunerated for Wildfire's long lease.

"It (the Athenian) is in the building on Barrack Street, where the first bank in Australia operated, with vaults where convicts kept their money," Farac says. "We've tweaked the menu and continue to operate it as is. Long-term, we've engaged designer Michael McCann (Mr Wong, Felix) to work on the design for a new concept we'll implement next year."

Farac says he's motivated to do something for the younger talent he has met along the way. "Nghia Dinh, Ty Van Emden and Scott Bayly​ are all partners in the venture. They can run it in five years when I'm off playing golf."