These downright delicious, salty, carby flavour bombs, or gnudi ($22), as they’re known in Tuscany, are mixed with wilted silverbeet, a fresh foil to the cheesy richness, and are speckled with a delicate web of melted, finely grated parmesan. So far, so buono.

However, getting to eat at the inner-Brisbane restaurant is not without its difficulties.

While the restaurant’s website gives an email address for booking, there is no phone number, no opening hours or menu, only the address.

Even the name of the place is ostentatiously basic and does nothing to reveal the style of food: is it a pizza joint, an all-you-can-eat pasta place, who knows?

We went anyway, as the Italian newcomer is on the original site of what was the terrific, buzzing, group-friendly Chinese share plate joint Happy Boy, which late last year relocated to a more spacious location in neighbouring Fortitude Valley.

The same owners decided to task one of their chefs, who had an Italian background, to turn the original Spring Hill premises into a traditional Italian family restaurant, also with an emphasis on share plates.

Apparently the inner-city location and the concept didn’t seem to jell and on the night we visited the menu had changed to offer more regular-sized dishes, although banquets are still available. Now the menu, a single sheet of A4 paper, is simply headed “plates”.

It resists many of Italy’s greatest hits and instead offers less commonly seen dishes – each has its place of origin listed – such as anguria (watermelon, buffalo curd, shallot, n’duja) from Calabria in the south; polpo (octopus, apple, olive, celery, pistachio) from Campania; and involtini di verza, cabbage rolls with pork, mortadella and parmesan from Piemonte, in the north.

On the back is the wine list, a selection of mainly Italian varietals from boutique Australian wineries.

The blackboard behind the bar brings five more wines into the mix, each available by the glass or bottle, such as pinot noir from the small Paradigm Hill winery on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

The decor is spare but not unattractive, the red brick walls and concrete floors as unadorned and utilitarian as you might expect of a former warehouse.

However, despite there being only two other occupied tables, we were pointed up the back where the ambience is somewhat less enticing, with an ATM against one wall near the entrance to the toilets and a storage room, and someone’s bicycle propped against a wall.

Service is friendly and informal, although one of the staff is quite vague, delivering dishes without serving spoons and failing to clear used crockery and glasses unless asked.

We also had to work hard to get someone’s attention to order a second glass of wine. Our other starter is risotto nero ($24), also a well put-together, robust dish, the squid ink risotto cooked just so and topped with fried calamari, dollops of salsa verde and sprigs of flat-leaf parsley.

The dishes are generously sized and we realised we’d over-ordered, with two more dishes, albeit in the smaller size, en route.

Charred spatchcock ($26/$38) is rustic in appearance and heartily flavoured, the poultry hidden beneath a brown riot of braised onion and accompanied by white polenta and silverbeet.

The pasta in the lasagne ($26/$36), is a bit stiff, as are, peculiarly, the mushrooms, although the intense flavours of a truffle-infused béchamel and provolone add gutsy appeal.

Two desserts are on offer and the tiramisu ($14) with marsala mascarpone, sponge fingers, cocoa and raspberries is a very decent version. The same can’t be said of the pesche ubriaco ($12), a peach and custard concoction.

As it was placed on the table the waiter said the kitchen had forgotten to make custard and we would not be charged for the dish.

The peaches were also too hard and the accompanying meringue and almonds weren’t enough to complete a successful rescue mission.

Since we’d inadvertently come on the first day of an overhauled menu, perhaps some of the unevenness in the cooking will be ironed out.

As it is, several of the dishes are already on the money and the wines are worth exploring. Plus they’ve got a phone number now.

This review originally appeared on couriermail.com.au.