Provini

Provini is the latest offering from the ever expanding CoCu Group (Suburban, Edgar's, Academy nightclub, Mr Wolf, Public etc) run by group leader Frank Condi, with Sean Royle and chefs David Black and Wayne Alger.

It takes a traditional look at Italian food, with a proper Neapolitan pizza oven at its heart and the kind of deceptively simple flavours that make Italy one of the really great food nations. Occupying the site in Garema Place that was formerly La Scala and – for those of us with long memories – Charlie's, it has plenty of attitude and style, ensuring it fits neatly into this increasingly happening end of town.

As is the case with all the venues this group of locals produces, there is a freshness and a hype about Provini that makes its arrival an event. On a recent Saturday night the restaurant is clearly the place to be, with tables at a premium, and queues of beautiful people cramming in as the night matures.

Inside they have renovated extensively in what you might call "1970s domestic" – a giant orange light box gives a glow to the lacy curtains and brass fittings. If you grew up in this era it is hard to get too excited by this design style, but it works. Intelligent restaurant design has been applied throughout, breaking the space up with a quieter, plusher section and private room up the back, and bursting central dining room fronted with a raised deck.

All this would be for naught if the food and service were average. They aren't. Guests are greeted and seated neatly, and menus and drinks delivered through the throng. Plenty of advice is there if you want it, from staff who are confident and courteous. They want you to be as keen as they are about their new place, and work to make it so.

The menu is straight-forward, avoiding long lists of ingredients and techniques, and we opt to kick off with a classic margherita​ ($21) with basil, tomato and fior di latte - the king of mozzarella. Plate-sized and blistered, with just the right texture, the pizza is a singular delight, true to the Naples tradition of a few quality ingredients on a great base, all brought together in the wood fire. Next time we will try the contadina: fresh ricotta, zucchini and rosemary.

A dish of smoked venison carpaccio is scattered with pine nuts and a little vinegar. A wonderful deep ruby colour, the meat is served paper thin and slightly below room temperature, as it should be, relying on the quality of the meat and the scant additions to bring flavours out. The dish could have done with a little more acid for my money, but achieves the balance of subtle flavour and texture that makes it sing. Little pork and veal meatballs ($15) are meaty and juicy from roasting, and sit nicely in a bowl of simple tomato sugo​. Charred bread is at the ready to mop up, and not a scrap of this wholesome dish is left.

One of the many delights on the streets of Rome are porchetta vendors, who serve rolls filled with great slices of whole roasted pig, stuffed with garlic, rosemary and sage or other wild herds. Provini's traditional roasted pork belly with grilled vegetables and crackling ($34) is as close as you get on this side of the world. An elegant slice of the terrifically herbed and moist pork, set off with blistering crackling, this is the dish of the night. White fleshed fish cooked in a bag ($36) shows all the benefits of this traditional process. The vegetables absorb a wonderful subtle fish flavour, and a juicy flavoursome dish results.

Tiramisu has been much abused since it hit our restaurants over 20 years ago, often becoming a cloying hash of sugary cream and soggy sponge. Here it is as it should be, with a little twist. Mascarpone is spiked with the herbal Italian liqueur Strega​, and striped with slightly chewy layers of cake, marking a luxurious end to a very good meal.

As we scrape up the last bits of tiramisu, the next wave of eaters flow in. Sharply dressed security guys from next door are greeted as regulars and tuck straight in to the pork; shining 20-somethings sweep into the main room for air kissing and pizza.

Provini is part of a mini-groundswell of good, authentic Italian, at a range of prices, that is a godsend for Canberra. But it is also something more. It is part of a democratisation of Canberra eating, where good food and service is available at all hours to pretty much everyone. Long may it thrive.