ATTENZIONE! Redfern's new modern Italian wine bar is an ode to the good life

Some of Sydney’s most reliable hospitality stars have come together to open a new modern Italian restaurant and wine bar in Redfern.

ATTENZIONE! Food & Wine is the latest venture from Felix Colman, Toby Stansfield, Toby Davis and Dexter Kim, pitched as a European-style wine bar, reflecting the world-building swagger of the Mediterranean’s finest enotecas.

Although it’s positioned in the heart of Redfern, the vibe of this new Sydney wine bar is very much tied to the romanticism of a classic European summer with its elegant dining room and kitschy good-time back bar.

Stansfield, whose most recent work includes Fabbrica and The Old Fitz, has put together an “Italian-ish” menu that leans lightly on vibrant Asian flavours and will switch out regularly to keep things exciting. All the while Colman and Davis have cobbled together a healthy wine list with 150 bottles showcasing the local and international growers doing interesting stuff with Italian varietals such as Nebbiolo and Barbaresco.

“It’s also somewhere that’s fun and reflects our personalities and the type of dining experience we all enjoy most right now,” explains Colman, who opens ATTENZIONE! to the public tonight.

The crew is keen on making ATTENZIONE! a seamless part of the neighbourhood, being that it’s smack bang in the heart of Redfern. Approachability is key, so think of it more like a walk-in venue than somewhere you’d need to reserve in advance.

“It’s also important for us to establish ourselves in the neighbourhood as approachable and the kind of place you can just stop by without a booking. We think our offering and pricing reflects this too.”

Given Sydney’s multitude of modern Italian restaurants like Pellegrino 2000 and Ragazzi, it looks like Stanfield has done plenty to help ATTENZIONE! stand out as a unique offering.

The opening menu sounds delicious, with dishes like an oversized pici pasta served with scallion crema and a crunchy buckwheat tea, a starter of chicken skin with locally smoked trout pate, and a cheese pie with grain mustard and pickled greens. Given his excellent work heading up Fabbrica King St, we expect some rich, buttery pasta like mandilli de seta with saffron and bottarga, and a sightly duck and prune agnolotti with walnut butter.

ATTENZIONE! Food & Wine

Address: 180 Redfern St, Redfern NSW 2016
Opening Hours: Monday (5pm—late); Thursday—Friday (5pm—late); Saturday—Sunday (12:30pm—late)

attenzionefoodandwine.com

This Darlinghurst wine bar has launched a new regional Italian dining series
One of Sydney’s best steakhouses has introduced its first new menu in five years
Chinatown now has Sydney’s largest Korean BBQ buffet