Italian cooking is having something of a moment in the Sydney sun of late. We’ve seen Bella Brutta, Alberto’s Lounge, Don Peppino’s, Totti’s and more arrive with a bang in the past few months.

Also waving the flag – if maybe a little more quietly – for all things Italiano is Jared Merlino’s Caffè Bartolo, which took up residence in the old Bills Surry Hills site late last year.

Merlino, co-owner of well-regarded Sydney bar-diners Kittyhawk, Lobo Plantation and Big Poppas’s, is no amateur when it comes to good-time offerings, and his knack for hospitality shines through in his first food-focused venue, which takes its direction from his Italian roots – grandmother Mary’s recipes inspire the menu’s traditional Italian fare.

Inside, the room is light, bright and homely, historical family photos dotting the walls and adding character (the greyhound motif running through the design is a nod to his great aunt, a greyhound breeder in Italy). Wicker chairs and marble-topped tables add to the all-day ristorante feel. Prime position is a seat by the windows opening onto Crown Street, either looking back at the in-house action or out to the non-stop parade of passers-by.

Teofilo Nobrega (formerly of Potts Point’s legendary Fratelli Paradiso) heads the kitchen, while Grazia Di Franco has upped sticks from Lobo Plantation to take care of the drinks menu. You’re in good hands with both.

We pull up on a sticky autumn afternoon and the speedy offer of water is happily taken up. The warm and intuitive service continues when my dining partner’s first wine pick turns out to be unavailable, our Italian waiter offering samples of two others as replacements. A gorgeous Umani Ronchi pecorino from Marche proves the winner. Her recommendations for reds – a Fabiana ‘Kalema’ negroamaro from Puglia and a Bricco Maiolica barbera d’alba from Piedmont hit the spot, too. And when our food order threatens to spill outside the confines of our original space, she’s quick off the mark to push two tables together. This is service both switched on and genuinely friendly.

As for our groaning tables, they’re home to a cracking heirloom tomato Caprese salad, more deconstructed than traditional and all the better for the inclusion of roasted stone fruit and pumpkin seeds. The beef, veal and pork polpette are proof that meatballs done right can be a light, tasty, textural triumph (the bright sugo they’re sitting in also proves the perfect foil for the accompanying bread rolls). A spaghetti vongole comes with a good amount of clams and a mighty smack of chilli – not something we’re complaining about. Taking top spot, though, is a mighty fine gnocchi alla Romana. Forget dainty little balls, these semolina gnocchi come as chunky chips smothered in luscious pork belly amatriciana, chilli oil, grated pecorino and marjoram. They’re simply heavenly.

Open for breakfast, lunch, aperitvo (of course!) and dinner from 7.00am to 11.00pm Monday to Saturday (7.00am to 10.00pm Sunday), Caffè Bartolo is a little slice of la dolce vita that could easily swallow a large chunk of your day. And we can’t imagine a single reason you’d complain about that.