Da Orazio Rushcutters Bay

The verdict

Da Orazio Trattoria has taken over the McLachlan Avenue site once home to Marta Osteria and Popolo, where D'Elia was first recognised for his approach to Italian cooking as head chef. Coming back, he says, feels like closing a loop rather than starting something new.

"The two venues share the same philosophy of honest Italian cooking, but they tell very different stories," D'Elia explains. Bondi, by his own description, is energetic, coastal and steeped in beach culture. Rushcutters Bay is something else entirely, a homecoming, and a menu that moves away from pizza altogether to make room for regional dishes, family recipes and the kind of trattoria you'd stumble on in a side street in Italy.

If you're eating here for the first time, D'Elia knows exactly where to point you. "My favourite would have to be the Tortelli Milanesi, it showcases what the trattoria is all about, classic dishes with a Da Orazio spin. If you like the classic osso buco alla Milanese, you won't be disappointed."

The rest of the menu follows the same instinct: plates pulled from childhood, from years spent travelling Italy as a young chef, and from more recent trips back. Ask D'Elia who's shaped his cooking most, and the answer runs deeper than any one mentor. "Being an Italian chef, you start by watching your mamma or nonna cook, and you want to replicate the dishes you grew up on," he says. These days, though, his biggest influence is the room in front of him. "My inspiration comes from the people I cook for. I listen to what they like, what they're interested in, and what makes them happy when they eat it. If you know me, I always want to make everyone around me happy."

Weekends bring an added layer, with Da Orazio Pasticceria pop-ups rotating through traditional Italian dolci alongside the regular menu.

Da Orazio Trattoria joins D'Elia's existing venues, Da Orazio in Bondi and Da Orazio Pasticceria in Alexandria, and is open seven days for dinner, with lunch running Thursday to Sunday.

Image credit: Da Orazio | Supplied