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Restaurant Santino

Mood-lit haven for a big night out or relaxed pasta lunch.

The dining room.
1 / 6The dining room.Jennifer Soo
Pappardelle with beef shin ragu, parmesan foam and oregano.
2 / 6Pappardelle with beef shin ragu, parmesan foam and oregano.Jennifer Soo
Almond ricotta with asparagus, melon and parsley oil.
3 / 6Almond ricotta with asparagus, melon and parsley oil.Jennifer Soo
Vanilla panna cotta with rhubarb and olive oil.
4 / 6Vanilla panna cotta with rhubarb and olive oil.Jennifer Soo
Octopus with polenta, ’nduja and carrot.
5 / 6Octopus with polenta, ’nduja and carrot.Jennifer Soo
The bar.
6 / 6The bar. Supplied

Good Food hat15/20

Italian$$

There may not be any windows, but tabletop candles, warm light from an open kitchen and spotlit shelves of pickles set the tone at this trattoria, where a martini feels like the first order of business. Not bad for a place attached to a retail arcade.

Modern Italian comfort is the order, meaning lots of things to swipe bread through, a few pastas and meatier mains. Spatchcock, sticky with agrodolce, is pan-fried in garlic oil for skin with extra crunch and flavour; polenta bolstered with fennel stock is the bed for grilled octopus and pickled carrots drizzled with ’nduja oil.

A glass of gamay from the diverse wine list will travel easily between that octopus and a bowl of pappardelle with long-braised beef-shin ragu, and yes, you will want more sourdough with roasted garlic butter at this juncture. Come dessert, a syrup soaked orange cake may have you asking to see the one-page amaro and brandy list, too.

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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/link/follow-20170101-p5f4il