The bloke down the back wants to know if there’s a good shiraz he can drink. The waiter with a corkscrew hanging out of his back pocket sets him right. Not by steering him into a wine list that leaves him dizzy, but by offering a few alternatives in an easy, breezy way. At Bellota, the front of house team wear their knowledge lightly and this wine bar, abutting an independent wine store, is all the better for it.

The food is darned good as well. Chef Nicky Riemer (ex-Union Dining) sends out honest, beautifully executed dishes with a Euro slant. You might start with parmesan-dusted truffle toasts to start. Then move onto chilli-flecked spaghettini, slippery with smoked eel, or oriecchiette ornamented with saltbush lamb shoulder ragu. Best of all is Riemer’s confit duck. This dish, served with sauteed spaetzle and mushrooms, has a world of balance and flavour and goes wonderfully with any number of Bellota’s reds by the glass. Add top-shelf charcuterie and cheese from the bar and you can’t go wrong.

Must eat dish: Confit duck leg, sauteed spaetzle and mushrooms