Tucked away below street level, just off Grenfell Plaza, this Italian eatery has a convivial, warm atmosphere. There’s no music – just the hum of enthusiastic chatter between family and close friends enjoying a plate of some of the CBD’s best pasta.

The menu is dominated by the Italian staple with 14 different options, either fresh or dry. It can be hard to find a proper carbonara this side of Rome, but Borsa’s traditional version is perfectly done: al dente, seasoned nicely with pepper, and a healthy allocation of guanciale and pecorino. The venue’s specialty, tagliatelle con salsicce in bianco, brings together house-made pork sausage, basil and enough chilli to light up the night. Bravo.

For those with a larger appetite, there’s the usual antipasto favourites, along with a couple of customary Italian meat dishes – veal saltimbocca and cotoletta alla Milanese – which you can enjoy with a wide range of local or Italian wines. There’s nothing too trendy or overly fancy about Borsa but its authentic, handmade fare is a big step up from the regular corner trattoria.

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