Rosa's Kitchen

The return of Rosa Mitchell is cause for joy, going by the buzz at this humble city laneway trattoria. Now in its third iteration, Rosa's Kitchen has deservedly built a cult following for home-style Italian food that's as warm as a nonna's hug. Not to oversell the simplicity. these Sicilian-leaning dishes are the product of intuitive cooking and quality ingredients. Many come from Mitchell's farm and comprise the backbone of the magnificent antipasti of olives, red onion frittata, cauliflower fritters, eggplant, fennel salami and barley salad. Blistered green peppers come stuffed with a zesty caponata, and play support to whole pan-fried red mullet. Pasta - fat pillows of ricotta ravioli with delicate almond pesto - is worth the price of admission alone, while sliced ox tongue packs a flavour punch with salsa verde potatoes. Cannoli to finish? Of course. The Italophile wine list is better than ever, and service is pitch-perfect. Welcome back, indeed.