Italian poolside restaurant Uccello will be splashing back onto the Sydney dining scene this spring with ex-Sagra and Fratelli Paradiso chef Nigel Ward at the helm.

The inner city ristorante will continue to recreate the food and mood of Italy’s Amalfi Coast with the azure waters of the Ivy Pool Club standing in for the sparkling Mediterranean sea.

Naturally, Nigel has given the food menu a lift, with a new spread of regional dishes designed for grazing by the water.  It’s not hard to pretend you’re in Portofino with plates like the crostini with Fraser Island spanner crab or the zucchini flowers with truffle pecorino and honey. If you want to dial up the luxe, they also offer caviar service by the pool.

The woodfire oven will remain a central fixture in the kitchen. Expect large format cuts like the 1kg Gundooee Wagyu Bistecca Fiorentina and the Melanda Park suckling pig, which are designed to be shared down the middle of the table. 

“We want people to eat, drink and be merry. Break bread over the table, laugh with friends until sundown and suck the marrow out of life,” Ward said. “We’ve all missed that Meditterenean feeling – that moment when the world seems to stop and your worries disappear into the sea breeze. Let’s escape to the rooftop and forget about our woes for the afternoon.”

Once you’ve finished your mandatory spritz, move on to the Italian-leaning wine list which runs from light and fresh Catarratto and Grillo through to Brunello and Barolo. There’s also 6-litre bottles of Provence Rosé if you plan on lingering for a while.

Uccello will reopen late October at Ivy, level 4, 320 George Street, Sydney. For more details or make a booking, head to merivale.com/uccello.