Much has been made of Riccardo Momesso's 'modern' flourishes, with his penchant for flattening scallops into 'pasta' or serving seared emu fillet with gorgonzola foam. It does little to prepare you for just how Italian most of the food is, however, modelled on the gutsy flavours of the trattoria. This is warm, filling, autumnal food all year round with its in-season game (or sometimes goat) and get-stuck-into-it dishes such as a gooey, gamey venison liver 'alla Veneziana'; dense, fall-apart slow-cooked veal cheeks; or earthy, pillowy chestnut gnocchi sauced with mussels, clams and cuttlefish. If the chef is having fun in the kitchen, so, too, is the party-loud crowd that fills up the split-level dining room day and night. A tongue-in-cheek 'salame' of blue-eye and prawn has a rough charm, and, to end, a dessert of candied half orange with orange granita, 'dry' chocolate mousse, chocolate sorbet and chocolate dust is, of course, both modern and Italian.

Open Mon–Fri noon–3pm; Mon–Sat 6–10.30pm
Typical prices E $18 M $39 D $17
Cards DC AE MC V
Wine A solid list with a strong Italian section, classic Australian labels and good German and Austrian bottles
Owners Joe Mammone, Riccardo Momesso & Michael Badr
Chef Riccardo Momesso
Seats 85; outdoor seating

And … On balmy nights snare a table on the decked terrace.