Casa Ciuccio

Effortlessly cool Casa Cuiccio, a skinny two-roomed space from the team who brought you Bar Lourinha, is confident, vibey and loads of fun. Gather around the beautiful timber bar in the atmospheric front room, have a chinwag with the chefs at the 'kitchen table', or chill in the quieter courtyard, festive with umbrellas and fairy lights. A compact ensemble of dishes for snacking and sharing might start with crunchy-soft chorizo and potato croquettes, or an anchovy 'montadito', a char-striped finger sandwich with a juicy white anchovy. Tender octopus tentacles come hot off the grill, but the big tickets here are the smoked coal-pit meats, slow-cooked for at least six hours. There might be suckling kid, or Black Angus rib, or a fantastic Boston pork butt rubbed simply with allspice, lemon thyme and garlic, plus a generous serve of small potatoes roasted whole in their jackets. Finish with a bowl of cool, caramel dulce de leche scattered with crunchy peanut praline. Service is whip-smart.

Like bees to a honey pot, Melburnians have flocked to this Bar Lourinha sibling at the top end of Gertrude. Ciuccio (pronounced: choo-cho) has a buzzy, confident vibe and a share-friendly mod-Med menu. And if the words 'smoked coal-pit meats' set your heart aflutter, you've found your spot, at the shared 'chef's table'.