You’ll find South End on a soft pink corner on the quiet end of King Street. Head in and find yourself a bar seat. Or maybe a spot at the jumble of naked and white-clothed tables. Up the narrow hallway, past a private dining room, is a teeny kitchen where you’ll see the chefs at work.

The menu is seasonal and broadly Mediterranean. That might mean potato rosti topped with herby broad beans and locally made Gold Street curds; delicately fried zucchini; and a fresh little bowl of ajo blanco, a chilled Spanish soup. Or the lolly-shaped pasta caramelle, stuffed with spring greens and slick with marjoram butter.

Owners Paul Guiney, Hussein Sarhan and Alex Tong are old hands in the hospitality scene. Sarhan brings Michelin cred from the UK, Tong brings it from Hong Kong. And the team jokes that Guiney – who’s worked just about everywhere – is 750 years old. That’s how much Sydney hospo lore he brings.

For drinks, wine – by the glass and bottle – spans boutique Euro numbers and outstanding ones made closer to home. Plus, a few cocktails served straight from the freezer.