The relaxed vibe has evidently rubbed off on the impeccable waitstaff, who delve knowledgeably into ingredient provenance and an extensive wine list. The flavours are both complex and familiar.

Culurgiones are a Sardinian pasta of paper-thin pillows filled with soft goat’s milk ricotta with a spoonful each of vincotto and foamy Fiore Sardo cheese on top that balance sweet and acid, and quartered chestnuts scattered over.

Three-hour slow-roasted, salt-crusted Melanda Park suckling pig is still on the menu, having secured its place among the city’s most famous dishes. A piece of soft meat wears a crisp crackling and is dressed in pork jus and pickled walnut pesto, roasted carrots playing around further with the boundaries of sweetness and earthiness.

It’s been 18 years since Giovanni Pilu and his wife Marilyn Annecchini opened their eponymous fine-diner. In that time, Pilu has never wavered from focusing on the food of his native Sardinia. Long may it continue as the pinnacle of dining perfection.

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