10 William St

This niche in the wall on a charming Paddo side street is a favourite after-work hang for sommeliers and wine cognoscenti. The arrival of chef Daniel Pepperell (ex-Attica, Momofuku Ssam NYC) has added new excitement to the menu. Pepperell’s menu goes off-strada in fascinating ways with interesting twists on Italian classics: an unusual veal tongue tonnato is simple and lovely, served with anchovies, fried capers and pickled celery; pig’s tail lasagne is fun and delicious (more tail, please!), and for the faithful there’s black pudding bruschetta. More conventional choices are top quality, too: a meaty, satisfying cavatelli bolognese, vongole served in their own salty juices and the tiramisu ‘fratelli’, a Paradiso family special. Stay downstairs if you like bar action, upstairs for a restaurant vibe. And if you want fascinating, funky wines to match everything, well, just ask the friendly, wine-mad Italian staff to assist.