High ceilings, industrial decor and hanging greenery give this Woolloomooloo restaurant’s dining room a refined yet relaxed feel, making it suitable for catch up lunches and date nights alike. Breakfast and lunch is largely cafe staples with an upscale edge, like spelt pancakes with poached pear and crab benedicts. Dinner is a strictly Italian affair – start with a few picks from their 60 strong cheese and salumi menu, there’s everything from 24 month dry-cured culatello from Emilia Romagna to wagyu bresaola from Tassie. Add on a strong and earthy wedge of pecorino al tartufo or creamy taleggio and you’ve got an antipasto board that will carry you until mains arrive. The kitchen keeps it traditional with hearty plates of tagliatelle al ragu and braised oxtail with dutch cream potatoes, but also shows off Australian flair in dishes like the smoked emu tartare with parmesan crisps and balsamic pepperberry, or the prawn ravioli.
Hang around after the dinner plates are cleared with a few more glasses from their long list of local and Italian wines, or try one of their grappas, an Italian brandy made with the grape skins, pulp, seeds and stalks that are left over from the winemaking process.