Beccafico

The design brief, apparently, was a doozy – to create a modern Italian restaurant in a palm-fringed North African-influenced development in Waterloo that referenced beachside architecture and classic Scandinavian design. "While not obvious bedfellows," reads the masterfully understated entry on the Matt Woods Design website, "the final result is a raw and minimalist interior that ignores the whims of trend and the potential clichés".

Mercifully, the menu at Beccafico has not been subjected to the same cultural diversity. It's pure o-sole-mio Italian, from the good-looking artisanal salumi and house-made gnocchi to grilled octopus with cannellini beans, and panzanella salad. Brindisi-born head chef Diego Arata, formerly of Canberra's venerable Mezzalira, even offers the traditional Sicilian dish of stuffed sardines known as sarde a beccafico, so-named because the little parcels supposedly resemble the beccafico, a small Italian songbird.

I fall headlong into the "pasta as primi piatti" trap yet again by starting with paccheri with oxtail ragu ($24), which turns out to be more a hearty, wintry main course than an elegant sufficiency of a first course. The big, floppy inner tubes of Gerardo di Nola pasta are cooked dauntingly al dente, sauced with a rich, glossy, slow-cooked ragu, and topped with fresh celery leaves and pecorino shavings ($24). A more appropriate starter is the bright and refreshing kingfish carpaccio ($20), the slashes of fresh raw fish tossed with marinated fennel, sprigs of mint and deeply pink grapefruit segments in a gently acidic, oily dressing.

Matt Woods did well with the brief, creating a clean, lean space using his signature recycled and fire-charred hardwoods. Tonight, diners fill the small tables opposite the kitchen, underselling the more interesting, adjoining dining space with its open grill, wine cellar and full bar. Repeated LED halos of glowing white light on the wall add an ecclesiastical touch, as if we are being watched by angels from above.

As a secondo, polpette al sugo ($28) is another big, hearty, old-fashioned dish, starring three big, soft, meatballs coated with a cheesy, tomato and green pea sugo that's straight out of nonna's handwritten cookbook. They're on the bready side, however, making them more meatloaf than meatball.

Twice-cooked spatchcock alla diavola ($29) is a strong, simple dish. The golden, crisp-skinned poussin is presented cleaved in two, kicked up with rosemary, chilli and lemon. Nothing fancy or tricky here; just a nicely cooked bird teamed with equally golden roast potatoes. But why pre-cook and then pan-sear the "roast" potatoes? Why not just roast them in the first place?

Wines are an egalitarian mix of solid Italians and contemporary Australians, with – insert the Italian word for "hallelujah" here – a good three-quarters of the list sitting under $50. Luigi Pira's 2011 Barbera d'Alba is one of the priciest bottles at $68, but the smoky, power-packed red earns its keep.

No doubt the word "zeppole" does for Italians what "doughnut" does for me – makes everything else on the dessert list fade from sight. Three golf-ball–sized doughnuts ($14) are handsomely light and pull-apart, dusted with powdered sugar, and in no need at all of the sweet, runny chocolate and Cointreau dipping sauce.

Beccafico joins Kepos & Co and mod Vietnamese So.9 at the fringes of the tiled and pooled Casba residential development, and will come into its own in summer when the glass doors will concertina open to the sun. It's a friendly, welcoming place; low on attitude, with eager-to-please Italian comfort food – and just the right mix of Italo-Scandi-Moroccan-beachfront vibe.

THE LOWDOWN

Best bit: The cool, contemporary design 
Worst bit : Pre-grated cheese
Go-to dish: Twice-cooked spatchcock alla diavola with rosemary and chilli, $29