Vini

The blackboard walls in this snug Sydney-Italian trattoria - a forerunner in the city’s string of wine-focused diners - tell you everything you need to know. One explains the Italian wines on offer, mostly Vini’s own imports, while another reveals alternatives: beers, aperitivi, liquori and grappas. A third informs you of the day’s house-made, seasonal specials, which might include charmingly presented zucchini flowers filled with ricotta and pinenuts, each attached to a bubba zucchini, or a rich, satiny baked vanilla custard with figs. Pasta is a strong point, such as a lovely rough-and-tumble of cavatelli with prawns, spinach and goat’s curd. It’s also much lighter than a curious baked ‘pie’ of tortellini in pastry. Main courses such as crusty, pink-hearted, slow-roasted lamb with sweet corn, roast cauliflower and fried sage leaves will send you straight back to the blackboard for a meat-friendly nebbiolo from Piedmont.

And … Special regional dinners every Tuesday night.

THE LOW-DOWN
Vibe Busy Roman enoteca.
Best bit The constantly changing all-Italian wine list.
Worst bit The snug dining room can get claustrophobic when full.