Gran Torino

Neil and Samantha Perry have flipped the script on Song Bird in Double Bay, transforming the site into Gran Torino—a slick, two-level Italian diner, open from Saturday 9 August, 2025. 

The former Cantonese restaurant served its final dumpling on Sunday 3 August, and in less than a week, the Perrys reinvented the space.

Designer Collette Dinnigan and photographer Earl Carter helped revamp the interior, now featuring a gallery wall of vintage black-and-white photos from the '50s and '60s to complement the existing burgundy palette and leather banquettes. 

As for the menu, it’s all about classic Italian dining with modern Australian spin, spotlighting the freshest produce possible from Neil’s favourite suppliers. 

There’s house-made antipasti like thinly sliced Blackmore’s Mishima bresaola, generous pasta plates, line-caught seafood, premium steak cuts, and a lengthy dolci list—we’ve got our eyes on the bomboloni filled with vanilla cream and raspberry conserva. 

The drinks lineup leans hard into aperitivo, with bellinis, martinis, and Campari spritzes pouring alongside a globe-trotting wine list starring producers from Australia, Italy and beyond.

We’ve also heard whispers that Neil and Sam Perry are opening Bar Torino in the former Bobbie’s site this September.

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Image credit: Gran Torino | Yusuke Oba