Pure Italian

'THIS certainly wasn't here when I was growing up,'' my dining companion said, reminiscing about playing footy on the local oval and looking incredulously at Pure Italian's array of antipasto.

The Sciarpa family is the reason for Pure Italian's success. Carlo Sciarpa was head chef at Caffe e Cucina during its 1990s heyday and you will find some of the same signature dishes here, such as the calamari, a jumble of ultra-tender rings, lightly floured and shallow-fried in olive oil and splodged with rich balsamic mayo. Carlo used to cook about 250 kilograms of calamari each week at Caffe e Cucina and he has certainly mastered the art.

Son Rick, 24, is the barista, sending out consistently good coffee - a Caffe Romeo blend. Daughter Zegna, 20, runs the floor with efficiency and charm, and is also a chef. And wife Carmel oversees the lot. ''One day the kids will take over,'' Carmel says. ''That's the whole idea - to leave a legacy behind.''

It's a pretty cool inheritance, the rambling split-level, multi-storey building with a cute courtyard (and outdoor loo). Postcards and pictures are homely, matching the rustic look - plenty of warm timbers; shelves stocked with balsamic, oils and pastas; Noisette loaves for sale - all of it neat as a pin. It is obvious this place is well-loved - by the Sciarpas and by the locals, who beg them to open at night. ''It's too much,'' Carmel says, because Carlo would not be able to ''let go in the kitchen'' in case consistency suffered, so it is daytime only.

There is plenty of action in the counter cabinet, loaded with antipasto (creamy bocconcini, roasted red peppers, beetroot and feta salad, crumbed eggplant) and, for mornings, bombolone (custard, jam or chocolate) and almond croissants.

Breakfasts are rich and luscious - such as soft, buttery polenta baked in a terracotta dish with chorizo, spinach, feta and lemon juice; or eggs baked with house-made cannellini beans, asiago cheese and outstanding Umbrian salami.

Lunch offerings are handwritten on the butcher's-paper menu. Plate-sized osso buco pizza had juicy pieces of meat under a mop of rocket; its spongy, bready base is shallow-fried, so it is an oily affair.

Two desserts might be on, such as a bland fritter of ricotta with honey-drizzled ice-cream; or delicious, boozy chocolate profiteroles filled with marsala custard in a pool of thinner ganache.

In all ways, you will feel well looked after here - at home, even. The fridge is stocked with take-home fresh pastas (veal tortellini, fettuccine, ricotta ravioli) and house-made sauces.

Then, on Monday nights, Carlo and Silvana Iacobaccio (a former Caffe e Cucina apprentice, now at St Kilda's Pizza e Birra) run cooking classes. ''Carlo wants people to understand how easy it is to eat well,'' Carmel says.

The next generation of Balwyn locals can reminisce about playing footy - and eating at Pure Italian.

nrousseau@theage.com.au

Where 249b Belmore Road, Balwyn North, 9857 3961

Prices Breakfasts, entrees and mains, $11.50-$24; cakes, biscuits and desserts, $3-$8.50;

take-home meals: pastas, $5.50-$7.50; sauces, $9.95 for 300 grams

Cards MC V Eftpos

BYO (corkage $5 a bottle)

Open Tues-Fri, 7am-5pm; Sat-Sun, 7am-4pm

Cuisine Italian