Attenzione! There’s a hot new Italish-ish restaurant and wine bar to try in Redfern

Attenzione! There’s a new Italian-ish restaurant and wine bar in Redfern, and it’s commanding our attention with bowls of thick, oversized pici noodles twirled with scallion cream and buckwheat tea; golden sheets of crispy chicken skin sandwiched with smoked trout pate; and a pineapple, cookies and cream trifle straight out of a vintage Women’s Weekly magazine.

It’s the first joint venture from hospitality mates Felix Colman, Toby Stansfield, Toby Davis and Dexter Kim. They met working at restaurants like Ragazzi, Fabbrica, and Yellow, before conspiring to open the vibey restaurant and bar of their Euro-summer dreams.

The space is simple but eye-catching — dimly lit dark reds and mustard yellows, bistro-style seating, and a three-tier vintage Murano chandelier.

“It’s somewhere that’s fun and reflects our personalities and the type of dining experience we all enjoy most right now,” Colman says.

That means a 150-strong wine list with an emphasis on the full-bodied red Italian varietal Nebbiolo, 14 wines by the glass, and “the most fun drinking game”: a $20 mystery glass of wine on the house, should the drinker guess the grape and country correctly.

Head chef Stansfield (ex-Lola’s) has created an experimental, Italian-leaning menu, steering away from omnipresent (and well loved) dishes like heirloom tomatoes with burrata, or penne alla vodka, in favour of charcoal-shaved calamari with napa cabbage and finger lime, or beef tongue grilled with jicama (a Mexican root vegetable) and salted chilli.

“I like to go off script a bit, so you can expect some exciting flavours and combos coming out of our kitchen,” he says.

Attenzione! Is open 5pm to late Mon, Thu and Fri, and 12.30pm to late Sat - Sun.

180 Redfern Street, Redfern, attenzionefoodandwine.com