With Covid border closures a thing of the past, chances are many of the well-heeled Mosman set are renewing their passports for a Euro summer. But for those of us who won’t be making it to the Mediterranean this year, there’s St Siandra.

The restaurant has a picture-perfect position, jutting out over the water. Depending on what the tide is doing, you could be dining right over Middle Harbour as you take in the view of the bobbing boats and cliffside houses built into the lush green hills of Clontarf.

It’s not quite Amalfi, but about as close as we’re going to get without hopping on a plane.

The room’s triangular shape, combined with the large glass windows, means just about every table gets a coveted window seat. On a sunny day, bring your sunglasses.

The interior is all sunny yellow walls, olive trees and an Amalfi vibe. You expect the menu to follow suit, and while it features Italian classics such as tuna crudo, burrata and pasta dishes, this isn’t an Italian restaurant.

Ingredients such as pomegranate, labneh and toum point to head chef Sam MacCallum’s time at Nomad. The Middle Eastern flavours are used as an accent to distinguish the mostly-seafood menu from similar waterside venues.

If you don’t like seafood or vegetables dishes, St Siandra isn’t for you. There are only three red-meat dishes on the menu, steak, lamb shoulder and short rib skewers.

The vegetarian dishes are a delight. Start with a charred, toothsome potato flatbread with smoked garlic that’s perfect for scooping up a plate of tangy tahina bright with fermented green chilli.

Casarecce with butternut, cime di rape and pecorino pangrattato is cucina povera done posh – sweet, creamy orange sauce flecked with bitter greens and the crunch of cheesy fried breadcrumbs.

There’s a reason seafood tends to be served simply, to let the produce shine. Here, the use of sauces and spices can overwhelm it.

Case in point are the scallops a la Rockefeller, the sweet meat nearly drowned out by the heavy-handed green herb sauce.  Although beautifully cooked, the charcoal notes of the grilled Clarence River baby octopus skewers are hidden by the pungent fermented tomato sauce and the texture of the seven-spice mix, including sesame seeds, interferes with the delicate slipper lobster.

Fish and chips by the water is a cliche, but for a good reason. Here it’s a winner. You get three fillets of snapper with a crunchy, glass-like batter reminiscent of fried chicken, and delicately coloured with harissa, that doesn’t overwhelm the fish plus good chips and an exemplary tartare sauce, fragrant with dill.

On a sunny, still-sticky autumn afternoon, a bowl of watermelon granita, coconut sorbet and mint jelly is just the ticket.

St Siandra also boasts a small, private beach adjoining Middle Harbour Yacht Club, complete with stripped deckchairs and beach umbrellas. It’s a perfect place to sip a takeaway St Dreux coffee and enjoy a pastry from Seaforth’s Staple Bakery. It’s not quite cappuccinos and cornetti in Positano, but come winter, when the sun hits your upturned face, it’s close enough.

Related review: Josh Niland’s newest restaurant is an absolute catch for the North Shore