Vasko

WHERE AND WHAT

It doesn't take much sleuthing to figure Vasko's for a family-run restaurant. If the resemblance between five members of the Dzanovski family doesn't do it, ''Mum, are there any beef cheeks left?'' called from waiter to waitress is a dead giveaway. Two generations of the family work in the smart yet relaxed Ivanhoe restaurant, which relocated after an eight-year stint in Macleod in 2008. Namesake Vasko and son Daniel are in the kitchen, and matriarch Maria and offspring David and Vanessa are on the floor. It's family-run but not a family restaurant per se; still, it covers a lot of ground, from the three-course dinner to the casual quick-bite drop-in.

WHERE TO SIT

The automatic glass sliding door is an unexpected bit of fancy; so is the little alfresco area out the front, sectioned off from the street with plant life. Tables stretch back along the gently tiered narrow room whose glamour lies in white bucket seats, high ceilings and well-designed lighting. Out back, there's a large bar and functions space.

WHEN TO GO

Monday to Friday, 11am-3pm; Monday to Thursday, 6pm-10pm; Friday and Saturday, 6pm-11pm.

DRINK

The short wine list doesn't take the menu's lead: it's all-Australian and New Zealand, and priced to please (quite a few are in the $30 bracket and a couple below that).

EAT

The menu is billed as Mediterranean - technically correct, but with Dzanovski family heritage in Yugoslav Macedonia as well as Italy (''we're a minestrone'', Maria says) the menu veers from saltimbocca and risotto to lesser-known Balkan dishes. They're a meat-centric bunch in those parts. The almost kebab-like cevapcici are a nicely spiced skinless sausage with thick charry stripes from the grill, arriving as an entree with roasted red peppers and a mint, red onion and feta salad. Also from the grill, ''the Balkan'' is a mighty pork and veal pljeskavica (hamburger) with seared vegetables. Prices are decent but housebaked bread (with vincotto and dukkah) will set you back $9.50. Six entries under the pasta-risotto heading include a simple but classic penne with sopressa salami and black olives in a good sugo with just a touch of chilli. Dessert? Loukoumades (Greek doughnuts) and the somewhat less classic but no less crowd-pleasing Toblerone tiramisu.

WHO'S THERE

Middle-aged dining menage a trois; late-evening soy latte drop-ins.

WHY BOTHER?

A nostalgic reminder of when the family-run restaurant was king.