Fratini La Trattoria

Ask the returning Gabriel Fratini, back in town after a decade-long hiatus to re-open his eponymous restaurant, to name his specialty dishes and you’ll get a gentle, friendly rebuke: ‘my signature is for you to try a bit of everything’. Indeed, the bald-headed chef is no traditionalist – instead of a lengthy menu, either stick to a concise six-item selection or cough up $70 for the assaggini (small plates) menu: a constant flow of 12 Italian-style tapas done with a modern twist, including baked scampi wrapped in thin noodles with mussels, roasted eggplant with thinly sliced raw scallops in a sun-dried tomato sauce and a zesty prawn risotto with lemon.