There’s a lot to be said for using the best quality ingredients and treating them simply and with respect. That’s what’s on offer at this Italian flavoured, deafeningly buzzy bar/restaurant in the heart of Noosa.

Harnessing produce like beef, citrus, honey, macadamias and vegetables from their Noosa Hinterland farm Maravista – and in turn transforming the restaurant’s food scraps into compost for the property – the kitchen team, led by chef Andy Davies, delivers dishes big on flavour but humble in nature.

Take Mooloolaba king prawns – their sweet, pink flesh matched by Pernod butter-soaked fregola, a powder of pistachios and slow-roasted cherry tomatoes; or the creamiest of risottos, speckled with a profusion of Fraser Island spanner crab, while sea urchin butter adds intense richness, and bottarga a salty hit.

Perhaps nothing is as beautifully handled as free-range, grass-fed veal, the rosy-hued meat achingly tender and unadulterated in flavour, with just a simple lemon butter for enhancement.

Service is faultless, with waitstaff almost psychic in their ability to read guests’ needs; while an eclectic, Italian-centric drinks list covers everything from killer cocktails to global-reaching wines and even grappa.

Though the venue’s lively atmosphere and thunderous acoustics make it better suited to groups rather than those after an intimate, romantic dinner, there’s little to dislike about this modern Italian hotspot.

Must-eat dish: Crab risotto
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