Marameo

Marameo is a fun, easy-going Italian restaurant by co-owners Michael Badr and Marco Tenuta. The name Marameo comes from what the Italians call “thumbing your nose”, and it’s usually associated with a hand gesture.

Inside, colourful prints play off against blond timber flooring, a large marble communal table and white-tiled walls. The all-seasons rooftop courtyard has a brick facade on one side and rows of windows from the neighbouring apartments on the other. There’s also a 24-seat private dining room toward the back of the restaurant.

To eat, start with some Italian salumi (prosciutto di Parma, chilli salami or mortadella), cheeses and antipasti, or a savoury cannoli filled with Wagyu tartare, topped with vinegar and caper powder. The crowd-favourite fried quail is marinated in butter milk and coated in Italian spices. Pasta is all made in-house. The popular Sarti dish of jet-black squid-ink spaghetti with blue swimmer crab, fresh tomato and fish roe has been a mainstay, but there’s also a 10 cheese lasagne with layers of wild mushrooms, as well as fresh conchiglie with prawns and bottarga.

If you want to go big, grilled proteins include a pork chop cotoletta with fresh fennel and cabbage or an O’Connor porterhouse steak drizzled in salsa verde. For something sweet, order the crowd-favourite lamington tiramisu with coffee-soaked sponge, mascarpone and coconut-studded chocolate.

A dedicated cocktail and spritz section welcomes cheeky afternoon aperitivos. Forgo the typical Aperol version – try limoncello or mio amaro (a refreshing blend of Montenegro, prosecco, soda and orange). Australian and Italian wines feature heavily, but there are also popular red and white varieties from France and Slovenia, including chenin blanc, ribolla gialla, gamay and cabernet blends.