Jetty restaurant at the river end of Bulimba’s bustling Oxford St wasn’t broken. On any given day of the week, the breezy eatery overlooking the river could be found at capacity with corporates schmoozing clients over lunch and locals looking for a night off dinner duties. The menu was simple and unchallenging – think fish of the day, chicken burgers, and steak and chips – but it worked. So why change?

“The days when you could sit back and not do anything (renovate) for five or six years are gone. You’ve really got to reinvent yourself every three years or so,” owner Jason Coats, who’s also behind hit Fortitude Valley rooftop bar Eleven, said.

With this in mind, Coats revamped the interiors, overhauled the menu and earlier this month revealed Italian joint Il Molo.

I visited the open and airy black and white venue twice for this review.

The first was for lunch and the service was the type TripAdvisor one-star reviews are based on.

Our Italian waiter was clearly hired for his charming accent and not his ability to wait tables or understand English as he came back to my guest three times asking for his drink order – before my guest eventually gave up and just asked for a beer.

Meanwhile, another diner had a tray of beers dropped in his lap, as other punters sat waiting for far too long to have their dirty plates collected, and food was continually taken to the wrong tables by the seemingly clueless staff. Meals came out at snails pace and our pizza arrived almost stone cold.

With the place only new, I gave it a shot at redemption a few days later for dinner.

The experiences were chalk and cheese. The waitstaff was friendly and efficient, taking our order promptly, while food arrived at an acceptable pace and, thankfully this time, hot.

So was it teething problems or did they just have their “B squad” on for lunch? I can only hope it was the former.

As for the food, is it the best Italian you’ll ever eat? No. But it’s far from the worst. The classic insalata caprese is packed with a bright mix of tomatoes, the grape variety exploding with honey-like sweetness, though the four tiny slices of buffalo mozzarella seems stingy. The melted bocconcini-topped meatballs bathing in a punchy tomato sauce are on par with most around town. The crisp crust makes the margherita pizza the standout, especially when it’s loaded with sugo.

The location is enough to guarantee regular trade, but if Il Molo can ensure service is on point and the food is above average, it could become a destination venue.

This review originally appeared on couriermail.com.au.