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For a restaurant named Fauna, there isn’t much in the way of wildlife around. Unless you count the hordes of loyal Swans marching down Fitzroy Street bound for the night match at the SCG, I suppose, but they all look pretty well-behaved.

Fauna is the latest addition to the burgeoning restaurant scene along this neighbourly stretch, which includes the likes of Chez Crix, Lokal and Sang by Mabasa. If Surry Hills ever decides to secede from Sydney, the local populace probably wouldn’t even notice, because they don’t need to eat anywhere else.

It’s a small blink-and-miss-it terrace house, with just 16 diners seated downstairs, another 16 upstairs and 14 in the rear courtyard. This makes for a more personal experience, with everyone in the room happy to join in and sing happy birthday to a complete stranger.

Co-owner Geraint Coles of Bondi’s erstwhile Panama House is in tonight, subbing for manager Quentin Touitou, who is on leave. In the tiny kitchen is head chef Ace Espiritu, formerly of Icebergs Dining Room & Bar. But while the Italian-leaning menu is filled with things such as arancini, piadina and pasta arrabiata; it’s also filtered through Espiritu’s Filipino heritage, which adds a level of interest and curiosity.

That piadina ($23), for instance, is whipped away from its Italian roots and served on the side of a meaty, fatty chip-chop of charcoal-grilled pork jowl, in the style of Filipino sisig. It’s a dish of full-on flavours that doesn’t quite come together, because you want to spoon the stew on top of the piadina and eat it in the hand, but the bread won’t bend. An idea worth refining.

An entree of school prawns ($19) is great (isn’t it always?), coming as a pile-up of head-on, deep-fried pinkies ready to swipe though a mound of aioli flavoured with yuzu kosho. Arrosticini, or skewers of char-grilled lamb (two for $22), come warm rather than hot, with a good green herb sauce. A rocket salad ($12) has a low-impact dressing.

Co-owner Julia Quisumbing has made the most of the space, running a mirrored wall and cushy banquette around the dining area. Textures are marble, wood and glass, and the front room, particularly, is a nice place to be.

The wine list is still a work in progress, with small stocks of hand-picked wines. You might just get someone bringing a few bottles to the table as suggestions for you to try, which is how I found a 2021 Stargazer Rada ($88) a fruity, savoury mix of pinot noir and pinot meunier from Tasmanian winemaker, Samantha Connew.

The menu lists three pasta dishes and five main courses, built for sharing. Of these, a heavily brined barbecue Hornsby Shire spatchcock ($28) isn’t as straightforward as it might sound, with its Korean-style pickled slaw and salty soy-ponzu dipping sauce.

The kitchen is on surer ground with pasta, and a generous dish of spaghetti carbonara ($30) is pretty much what you want when you want carbonara. A well-emulsified sauce brings together guanciale, pecorino, parmesan, egg yolk and pepper, coating the strands of nicely al dente pasta with needy clinginess.

While the Italian-leaning menu is filled with things such as arancini, piadina and pasta arrabiata; it’s also filtered through Espiritu’s Filipino heritage.

To end, a kalamansi tart ($19) is a cute twist on lemon meringue pie, with a strong, pushy tartness that acts in self-defence against a sugary meringue topping and the jug of dulce de leche poured over the top at the table.

As I said, Fauna is still a work in progress, and a busy night might see a few yawning gaps in service, or a relaxed attitude to the temperature of dishes sent out. The Italian influence is the most promising, with the Asian flavours feeling a bit forced.

But we’re at an intriguing stage in Australia, where young chefs want to express who they are through their own cooking, not just that of others. Which makes Fauna, and other small restaurants like it, very promising.