Sotto Sopra is the fourth sibling in Alessandro Pavoni’s ever-growing Italian family, with the celebrated executive chef teaming up with his Ormeggio partners, Mattia Rossi, Victor Moya and Bill Drakopoulos.

It’s more of a boat shoes than brogues kind of place, with the glass-walled dining room revealing a laidback palette of honey timbers and washed blue furnishings, reminiscent of the coastal clifftop villages of the Italian Riviera.

The restaurant boasts more relaxed vibes than big sis Ormeggio at the Spit, with the packed dining space as effervescent as a just-popped bottle of Veneto prosecco.

At the heart of both the kitchen and the menu sits an Italian woodfired oven, but instead of the usual pizze, the glowing furnace is used to give crackle and crunch to seafood pies, whole baked fish, bubbling gratins and big joints of meat.

The menu sees plenty of twists and turns, from a soft and scoopable eggplant parmigiana covered in smoky strokes of cheddar béchamel to the venison carpaccio, the earthy discs paired wonderfully with a forest friend, a brown mushroom and chive crostino.

Nonna won’t recognise the house dessert, but she’ll probably want the recipe. A modern take on the crostata di frutta, the Sotto Sopra torta reveals a buttery casing of pastry, lined with sweet potato jam and torched rings of lime meringue kisses. It’s surprisingly well balanced with an injection of freshness delivered through a basil sorbet ball.

The wine list, curated by restaurant manager Gianmarco Giovi, trades heavily in Italian varietals. But first, try the limoncello spritz, it’s a sweet Sorrento sip that tastes of bottled sunshine.

Not your usual Italian trattoria, “upside-down” will have you coming back and forth for more.

Must-eat dish: Venison carpaccio, fontina, brown mushroom, chives, ciabatta crostino