You’d think that after all these years of visiting restaurants I’d have an open mind. But, if anything, it has become narrower, less forgiving.

So when I perused Risotrante la Famiglia’s website it was with a yawn and the promise of boredom. In front of me lay a collection of Italian dishes I’ve seen a thousand times; nothing new, nothing exciting. Classics perhaps, but like Fur Elise and Stairway to Heaven… dully familiar. But that, I reckon, is the whole point and I simply missed it.

There’s nothing staid about La Famiglia. It’s a bright, fresh, energetic place and even though its menu is a series of re-runs, they are in fact classic (who ever tires of Fur Elise?) and they are terrific renditions.

It’s on Stanley Street, just a moment’s walk from The Gabba, holding centre court in a new apartment block – Trafalgar Lane. It looks modern, but at the same time quite cosy with a main room plus bar and open kitchen, and an enclosed deck to the rear.

Service is obviously a big part of the La Famiglia creed. It’s not trying to be slick or incredibly urbane; it’s simply affable, helpful and filled with enthusiasm for the product. Good enough to evaporate my grouchy stance well before the food arrived. In fact the attitude and openness of the staff is the most compelling part of the La Famiglia puzzle.

As I said, there’s nothing unexpected on the menu, which means the likes of calamari fritti, focaccia, bruschetta, antipasti, involtini, lasagna, bistecca and their ilk. It’s kind of like hitting the local Thai and getting curries in green, red, yellow and Penang with spring rolls, curry puffs and fish cakes. But even before the food lands there’s a sense of something better.

Gamberoni picante ($16) kicks us off with a bang. The prawns, which are fresh, meaty and salty, arrive on a bed of salad, liberally surrounded by a killer sauce – capsicum, chillies, garlic, anchovies, capers, lemon and olive oil. It’s a classy dish.

Then polpette sfiziose ($16); meatballs – good ones – in Napoli sauce. There’s nothing terribly complicated here, but they are simply delicious.

Somewhere around this part of the meal a glass of Vermentino arrives and it’s looking a bit worn. I’m not in the habit of creating a fuss, but after a couple of attempts I knew I couldn’t get through it so… a small fuss – perfectly handled by the La Famiglia team. A new bottle is brought to the table and it’s fresh, crunchy and delicious.

The Vermentino is part of a fairly smart list divided between Australia and Italy, France and New Zealand. It’s all one-stop shopped from a single supplier: lazy perhaps, but in this case there’s enough variety to make things work.

Back to the food. There’s a fresh, zesty main of veal (thin fillets) with lemon, white wine, parsley and a salad of rocket and raddichio ($32), and a rich delicious lasagna ($26).

But the world-beater is porchetta ($32) stuffed with onion, sage, bacon and bread topped by a rich, homespun jus. Wow!

So La Famiglia came from behind to woo a disbeliever. I’d go back there in a flash.

Most of the allure lies with the personalities walking the floor, but the food is terrific and the other elements are done cleverly.

This review originally appeared on couriermail.com.au.