There’s Italian cooking – and then there’s cucina Romana, founded on hearty, humble foods and a richness born of frugality: offcuts from tongue to tail slow-cooked to succulence or cured as salumi, all savoured, nothing wasted.

When in Rome, recreated in Norcino’s Pyrmont nook, these cured meats age gracefully in cabinets, gaining flavour from spice and time alone, surrounded by shelves stacked with wines, oils and pasta.

Perennials on a seasonally shifting menu include suppli, Rome’s smaller, gooier (and tastier) version of arancini oozing with stretchy mozzarella; trippa alla Romana of tripe slow braised in an earthy tomato sauce, and carbonara the purists’ way – egg yolks, pecorino Romano and Norcino’s famed guanciale rendered into knobbly crunches.

The deli does brisk all-day trade in Roman pizza sandwiches and maritozzo (cream-filled brioche buns), plus handmade pasta and the entire array of meats and cheeses, so you can do Rome at home.

Good to know: Norcino’s online shop has the deli’s full selection of meats, cheeses and baked goods available for pick-up or delivery in central Sydney.

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