Chef-owner Alessandro Pavoni and his team continue to deliver at this enduring but refreshingly relevant marina-side diner. Seafood is the fitting star here, which sits well among the moored boats and the coastal-chic surroundings – all stucco walls, curves for days and a gelato bar. Smoked scampi gets tossed through toothsome tagliolini in an intense roasted capsicum sauce, while thick-cut and dry-aged swordfish does a star turn in a staggeringly good cotoletta. There’s also a piadina with stracciatella and coal-grilled octopus, decidedly meaty yet forgiving in its bite, which gets finished at the table atop burning herbs for gentle smokiness. Touches like these – also seen in the à la minute torching of the unmissable delizia al limone dessert – amp things up on the service front while remaining unfussy. Italian cooking is so often defined by the classics; and while tradition is good, using the hallmarks and well-sourced seafood to evolve the genre is even better. Bravo.
