For five years,this modest space was the beloved Spaghetti Bar. Then co-owner and chef Daniel Whelan joined forces with Daniel Saligari from Midnight Starling next door,flipping it into this peach and pistachio-toned charmer.

While Saligari maintains a happy hum among diners,Whelan cooks Italian food that’s peasant at heart but executed with finesse. Vitello tonnato is tweaked,with the veal roasted (not poached) and dressed with a luscious confit tuna mayonnaise and crisp capers.

A single large raviolo balloons with hare,pork and liver filling,a bold combination matched by puddles of cheesy sauce and a chianti reduction. Tiramisu sneaks in a cocktail’s worth of booze,including the herbal liqueur Strega,marsala and Galliano. This is food you’ll still be thinking about weeks later.

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Central Victoria

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