The days of shopping centre dining consisting of downing a doner kebab on the run – lettuce dropping on your shoes, sauce dribbling down your shirt – are well and truly over.

Now the major centres are pumping millions of dollars into creating dedicated foodie precincts with everything from casual family offerings to fine dining fare.

As part of Pacific Fair’s recent $670 million redevelopment, a glamorous resort area starring turquoise pools, an abundance of greenery, as well as overhead bridges was created centred around two signature restaurants: Aquitaine ­Pacific and Rivea Italian Dining.

The latter is the more simple of the two – serving antipasto, pizza, pasta and risotto, plus mains cooked on the grill or wood fire in a ­relaxed, open-air venue with timber tables and chairs encircling a glass-enclosed kitchen.

It’s an approachable menu that’s clearly ­appealing to shoppers, with the restaurant ­almost packed during our lunchtime visit.

The most excitement lies in the antipasto list, where lightly battered zucchini flowers filled with ricotta and basil accompanied by a tomato relish sit, alongside wagyu bresaola with rocket and parmesan.

We decided on the bruschetta of pea, mint and parmesan ($9) and the beef carpaccio ($17). Freshness and quality ingredients are the key to these Italian classics and both dishes had each in spades.

The carpaccio with roasted baby beets, bursting capers, parmesan shavings, a mild horseradish cream and sweet balsamic alone would be worth returning for, especially paired with a glass of wine from the basic, but well-priced and easy-drinking list.

Pizza walks a predominantly classic route of margarita, prosciutto and rocket, and mushroom. Our four cheese example ($22) with buffalo mozzarella, gorgonzola, parmesan and feta was more bountifully topped than a child’s ice cream sundae at Sizzler. The only complaint was the base – though thin, it could have done with more char for added crispness.

Another serving more generous than Bill Gates at a charity function was the Moreton Bay bugs ($32) featuring two whole bugs hot off the grill, split in half and crowned with an intense roasted garlic butter that melted into the sweet, fresh flesh. They came with complimentary sides of a gorgonzola-dressed salad and oregano-salted kipfler potatoes with golden edges so crisp they almost shattered. It’s simple food, for the most part done well.

What needs lifting, however, is the service. Our waitress was about as enthusiastic as a death metal fan at a Katy Perry concert. That said, Rivea will beat a messy doner kebab.

This review was originally appeared on couriermail.com.au.