A simple Italian trattoria eyeballing the Bondi surf - what could make better sense? The open design embraces the sand and sea, and ringside seats are in scorchingly hot demand. And while it's easy to conclude the staff of international backpackers would rather be surfing, the sunny vibe extends to the menu. Rob Marchetti's own brand of smallgoods is a worthy place to start. maybe with warmed mortadella, soft and sweetly porky. The placemat menu diverges down many paths. from antipasti - golden baccala fritters with garlic aioli; from pasta - penne in a gutsy lamb ragu finished with pecorino; to crudo - blue-eye carpaccio, slightly overwhelmed by whole fennel seeds. The food might not deliver everything promised by steep prices - stuffed zucchini flowers lost the tang of asiago to the bitterness of overzealous frying - but a nicely tart lemon curd pie on toasty brown butter shortbread is pure dolce vita.