It’s rare for a tomato pasta to be the standout dish on a menu. But at Osteria – a Sicilian restaurant within three-in-one dining destination Stef & Co, it is.

Technically, it’s a pici aglione: thick, rope-like strands made by co-owner Vito Di Grusa’s small-batch pasta label, The Art of Flour, are tossed through a bright sauce of San Marzano tomatoes and sweet, gently cooked elephant garlic.

It’s the kind of self-assured cooking you’d expect from chef-co-owner Stefano Mazzina, the “Stef”, who spent 16 years running local Italian favourite, Fiasco, before opening his own mini Italian precinct at the Jetty.

The crisp, pear-shaped arancino, filled with fluffy saffron-infused carnaroli, is no exception. Nor are the cannoli shells - honey-brown and snappy – baked fresh in the Stef & Co bakery and filled to order with either sweet ricotta or savoury tuna tartare.

If you’re into simple pleasures, request a table on the outdoor terrace which overlooks the mangrove-lined Coffs Creek.

Good to know: After dinner, head downstairs for live music on the water at Stef & Co’s cocktail bar.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.