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The best meals at this family-run stalwart tend to begin with a negroni, end with sweet malvasia and feature a good dose of Canberra District shiraz and Piedmont nebbiolo in between.

That is to say, you can drink very well. But it’s not just a cosy hangout for Clonakilla and Barolo, and rehearsed staff can run you through the double-digit bottles, too.

Easy-going friulano to ride alongside crunchy spindles and hoops of calamari fritti? You bet. This is a kitchen that knows its way around a cold-weather pasta, and prettily folded pumpkin, ricotta and leek tortellini – fragrant with burnt-sage butter and aged reggiano – deserve a place on your hit list, plus slappy paccheri with chilli and juicy, savoury crumbles of pork sausage.

Check the daily specials for chargrilled rib-eye to go with that shiraz, and finish with a spiced rum and ricotta cannoli that tastes like Christmas.