Albert’s is a destination for slow sipping and gentle grazing.

Naturally, there’s a cracking wine list, full of small Australian producers and well-priced European expressions, and the restrained menu by new chef Tom Ferne leaves no room for sub-par ingredients.

Take a seat under the wide on-street verandah or slide into an olive-green leather banquette for wildly decadent crab toast encrusted with sesame seeds, or creamy Spanish beans studded with chorizo in a subtle mandarin dressing.

A beautiful casarecce pairs with mellow, meaty duck ragu. Puffy ricotta doughnuts with chocolate anglaise are warm and satisfying, as is the inclusion of free, good bread: a rare and welcome treat.

With its traditional fitout – linen curtains, whitewashed walls and hand-drawn illustrations – it’s the type of place you walk past and immediately wish you were inside, with someone you love, sipping something delicious.