Chester White Cured Diner

There is something about Chester White Cured Diner that makes you feel as though you're cosying up in your own living room, pouring a glass as dinner bubbles away on the stove.

It seems odd that we go out to feel at home, but the luxury of not cleaning the dishes is reason enough. And I guarantee you don't cure meats as well as these fellas do.

Buffalo Dining Club trio Marcelo Garrao, Peter Kypreos and Michael Fantuz have converted the bottom level of an old cottage using a simple formula shaken with a hint of rockabilly charm.

Wine, meat and easy diner-style eats is what it's all about. Keep it cosy, keep it small.

Slide in off the footpath and grab a vintage red stool at the bar. Or squeeze onto one of a few tall tables or a narrow bench on the balcony surrounded by a white picket fence and some hard-working heaters.

This tiny spot started out as a wine/house-cured charcuterie bar, but a recently added menu of home-style pasta and meat dishes have helped it morph into more of a quiet, friendly neighbourhood diner.

It's still hard to go past the charcuterie, considering that's what they're known for.

Hooks and hooks of glorious meats hanging behind a long, white-tiled bar make for the prettiest butchery you've ever seen.

One of the three gents, who treat you like you're in their lounge room with an almost alarmingly casual style of service, will happily put together a $19 plate.

Buttery capocollo, spicy nduja and smoky, lean speck come with cheese, green olives, bread and some huge house-pickled vegies (that are very pickled; too brine-y for me) including carrots and cauliflower.

The salami selection is not for the faint-hearted - truffle salami, wild boar, wagyu beef salami. My arteries are clogging just thinking about it.

Wash it down with beautiful wines; there are a couple of beers (Trumer Pils or a rotating light beer), a top negroni and some simple aperitifs, but it's all about the grapes.

And you wouldn't want it any other way with the Italo-inspired meats and pasta. A Serbal malbec ($14) is perfect with rich lamb necks spiced with rosemary and chilli ($19), or a winter-y plate of orecchiette pasta with six-hour slow-cooked lamb shoulder ragu ($15).

An Italian Tiefenbrunner pinot grigio ($12) seems the way to go with the carbonara, a tasty bowl of organic porcini mushrooms and speck tossed with thick, noodly strozzapreti pasta ($19) that isn't gluggy or overly creamy.

Mum's-style pork ribs ($10) are the highlight - marinated in mother's sauce with a perfect fat-to-meat ratio. And a glass of sticky (TIB Botrytis semillon from NSW, $15) with a slice of ''cheeky'' tiramisu ($5) is a nice finish.

Two dishes are enough to share, and we're stunned to be parting with just $50 each for a couple of wines, a charcuterie to share and a hearty dinner.

This place isn't about being fancy; it's a solid nook with simple, good-quality fare and low-key vibes. Beats my living room any night of the week.

THE LOW-DOWN
YOU'LL LOVE IT IF … you want homemade pasta and wine without doing the dishes
YOU'LL HATE IT IF … you're in the mood for fancy cocktails and a big night
GO FOR … house-cured meats, carbonara, Mum's-style pork ribs, Serbal malbec