Buffalo Dining Club

Buffalo Dining Club bears all the hallmarks of Michael Fantuz's (Table for 20) passion for high-quality dining without the price tag. For this project, he partnered with Marcelo Garrao and Peter Kypreos to go all-in on mozzarella.

Yes, this place is all about cheese – buffalo to be precise – and it’s the plates of imported mozzarella with matched sides that capture the imagination. The team airfreights the stuff in twice a week, and while that won’t ease your food mile conscience, the quality is enough to make it worthwhile.

A ball of the silky, sweet buffalo cheese with two sides (maybe chorizo with brussels sprouts, or pecorino-crusted eggplant) is an exercise in delight, with the creamy globe taking centre stage. The pastas are an art in themselves, especially the cacio e pepe - a simple combination of spaghetti, pecorino and pepper, served in a giant hollowed-out wheel of pecorino. Fantuz knows how to do theatre with his food.

Gelato are made in-house and if you’re lucky, the panna cotta flavour will be on, made with 50 per cent buffalo milk.

Service is exceptional - these guys are in hospitality for a reason. That said, space is limited. Even on a weeknight you might wait more than half an hour.

Once you've scored a spot at the communal table downstairs (with a great view to the kitchen) or upstairs looking down over the railing, order an Italian, Spanish or Argentinian wine from the selection of bottles cradled in hooks on the wall. Then, get down to the real business: cheese.