On a chilly Wednesday night,this convivial crowd-pleaser is pumping. Puffer-clad walkers from nearby Central Park nab sheltered footpath tables to munch on crisp,airy Roman-style pizza,its dough fermented for up to three days.

Inside,white stucco,pale terrazzo and plush,pink-cushioned rattan chairs come together to create a relaxed holiday vibe,and strains of “Happy Birthday” regularly waft down the steep stairs. Friendly,fast-moving staff squeeze past the open kitchen’s long marble pass to deliver dishes such as the can’t-take-it-off the-menu double-crustacean pasta:fleshy prawn and lobster chunks amid thick ribbons of pappardelle cloaked in lobster bisque.

Tender veal cotoletta arrives in crunchy slices,topped with melted stracciatella and flash-fried basil. To finish,executive chef Joe Di Cintio embraces his nonna’s Sicilian heritage with sfingi,soft ricotta doughnuts rolled in cinnamon sugar. A confident,familiar formula.

Continue thisseries

Melbourne’s Eastern Suburbs

Up next

Greasy Zoes

Think small,then halve it.

Haidilao

Hot pot spot with the lot.

Previous

Golden Dragon Palace

Superb dim sum in a serene dumpling den.

See all stories