Uccello

Installed at a table overlooking the decadent swimming pool with its brightly coloured umbrellas, you could well be poolside aboard an er, Italian cruise-liner. Fortunately, the esteemed Eugenio Riva is at the helm here, and the warmly professional crew members are always on watch. And is it just us, or is the food getting even better? First courses such as ricotta gnocchi with Moreton Bay bugs, pencil leeks, peas, zucchini flowers and saffron sauce, and tagliatelle with veal ragu, prosciutto and peas are so deftly handled they seem light rather than heavy. It's the same with pan-fried mulloway, presented with grilled scallop, asparagus salad and caper salmoriglio (a sauce of olive oil, lemon, garlic, and oregano), or a masterfully tender roasted spatchcock with a corn and basil risotto and marsala reduction. A stunning sour cream ice-cream with peach sorbet, raspberries and pistachio crumbs sensibly and confidently continues Uccello's Italian theme.