At Massi, an Italian bistro in the heart of legal land, you feel his warm Sicilian embrace the moment you step inside. A water pitcher is on the table in seconds, crusty bread not far behind. Then, before you can say ‘prego’, Vargetto’s deft floor staff are ferrying out irresistible starters, including fried zucchini flowers filled with lemon ricotta, scallops on the half shell with bone marrow, and classic baked meatballs with chilli sugo.

“Modern yet fiercely traditional” is the Massi motto and Vargetto, often in the kitchen here when he’s not minding sibling Mister Bianco in Kew, delivers every time.

Spiced and fried calamari is served with a piquant squid ink aioli, while ‘truffled’ cavatelli – a little pasta popular in southern Italy – is enriched with speck, radicchio and sage. Swordfish comes hot off the grill with good chips, and crumbed Flinders Island lamb cutlets are buddies with roasted Jerusalem artichoke.

Is there a Sicilian red to go with all that? Of course. Ciao.

Must eat dish: Truffled cavatelli