Al-anwar Newspaper English news in Australia
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.
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.
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.
