Centonove is Kew's tall, dark, handsome Italian. You're seated on leather and dining on linen at this established double-storey Deco fine diner, where service is relaxed but excellent, just maybe with an alluring Italian accent. Where were we? Oh, of course – the food. Expect modern Italian standards given special occasion status with top-notch ingredients. Zucchini flowers may be steamed with lemony lobster and herb stuffing and a satiny chive sauce; while artfully arranged antipasto (artichokes, soft veal, tender beef carpaccio) is almost Japanese in its dainty presentation. Mains, in contrast, tend to be tailored for hearty appetites, like the generous parmesan and lemon-crumbed veal cutlet, beautifully teamed with cabbage, apple and hazelnut salad. More delicate is blue swimmer crab, entwined in tagliolini and perky with chilli, garlic, capers and parsley. Room for more Italian beauty? Spoon up an affogato, maybe nibble a plate of pretty biscotti, or try the traditional tiramisu – it's gorgeous.

Open Tues–Sat 11am–3pm, 6–10pm
Typical prices E $21 M $35 D $14.50
Cards DC AE MC V Eftpos
Wine A substantial list with an impressive weighting of Italians plus special-occasion imports
Owners Kym & Jesse Davidson
Chef Patrick Fletcher
Seats 80; private room

And … The good-looking Art Deco building was formerly a bank.