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Cecconi’s Cantina

With its mood lighting, brocade-backed chairs and marble bar, this basement restaurant feels like the sort of place you might visit to woo a client or close a deal. But intelligent, sometimes endearing service saves Cecconi’s from seeming stitched up. From the open kitchen, chef Daniel Schelbert sends out dishes that range from rustic (bread and tomato soup) to poised (house-cured duck prosciutto draped over micro-herbs, hazelnuts, goat’s cheese and figs). There’s generosity in serving sizes and flavours of dishes such as sweet baby snapper fillets with smoky pancetta, mussels, red onion and potato. Some eschew sides in favour of desserts, perhaps the baked cheesecake and luscious white chocolate mousse that contrasts with tiny strawberries steeped in liquor and olive oil. A strong wine list divides its loyalties between Italy and Australia, with several Italo-Australians acting as emissaries.