Another Top 100 placing for chef and owner Andrew Cibej (see also Berta), Vini has long been a quiet achiever on the Sydney food landscape and is packed on any given night. Ditto for Friday lunch.

The reason? An imaginative, contemporary Italian menu, scrawled on the walls, which changes day to day and includes all sorts of wonderful Italian things like tagliatelle with vongole, zucchini flowers, basil and lemon or cuttlefish with cannelini and herbs.

A slow-cooked secondi is, coincidentally, a regular menu fixture in the form of things like roast sirloin with marrow, lentils and sage.

A 100 per cent Italian wine list, as well as a fantastic grappa and amaro selection, caps a truly sensational experience.

Must eat: The ricotta pannacotta