Strong start for new kid on the (Sydney Building) block Bada Bing

But there is a certain extra element to it when that restaurant is taking over one of the most well-known corners in the city. Something the Rabble Group knows all too well, since announcing last year that it would be opening three new foodie destinations on the corner of the Sydney Building. The largest and most prominent is Bada Bing Dining Club - a home for nostalgic yet cheeky Italian cuisine, rooted in simplicity.

But with great buzz comes great pressure - and the question will always be: did it rise to the challenge?

Walking into the space on a warm January evening, the vibe is nothing but welcoming, even from the first greeting. It has done a beautiful job at restoring the heritage location, the copper window panes around the doorway are a favourite detail, and inside the combination of warm timber and wallpaper, as well as the black and white photographs, give a modern touch to a style that feels like it has a nonna at its heart. That is until you get the hint of the Sistine Chapel on the ceiling of the private room. That's just a little bit of fun that the Rabble Group has always promised.

With a large wine list featuring Australian and Italian drops, we opt for two glasses of a Tuscan rosé - when in Rome, as they say.

But it pairs nicely with the two entrees that land on our table - tuna and scallop crudo with burnt mandarin and eschalot ($25) and stracciatella with heirloom ox heart tomato and vincotto ($22).

The scallop and tuna crudo has a brightness that I associate with summer - mandarin (or any citrus, really) with fennel is the perfect combination. Paired here with some olive oil and a sprinkling of chives over the fish, there is great flavour. It's not super fishy - the flavour of the scallops and tuna is a little lost in its accompaniments - but still a lovely light start to what we know will be a carb-heavy main meal.

The stracciatella goes hand-in-hand with this approach, as well. The chunky, juicy tomatoes speak well to the restaurant's aim to use high-quality ingredients. It's like they were picked from someone's thriving veggie garden - and perhaps they were. But there is also an earthiness to the cheese, almost as if there is a hint of cinnamon, that mixes well with the sweetness of the tomatoes.

On to the mains and we decide to share the salsiccia pizza ($30) and the lamb ragu ($36) - why choose between the two when you can have both? The lamb ragu - with pappardelle and pecorino - is smaller in serving size than I would have liked. It's not too bad since we're sharing, and the pizza more than makes up for it. But if you are eating solo, a side salad might be the ticket.

I love how they've completely mixed the ragu through the dish - you keep finding chunks of this beautifully rich and sweet sauce, with a hint of pepper, throughout the dish. The pasta itself is obviously handmade - not because the restaurant's Instagram account told me, but because you can taste the difference. It was a little under-seasoned - I would have liked a touch more salt - but it was well cooked.

The pizza, however, is the dish I'm still thinking of, post review. With pork and fennel sausage, roast potato, fior di latte, gorgonzola, pecorino and rosemary, it was the type of pizza you know you'll finish. The dough was light and slightly chewy and, honestly, could be eaten without any toppings - it was that good.

And the experience just built up from there. The sausage - taken from its casing and spread in big chunks on the pizza - made me vow to always have sausage on my pizza from that moment on. Its slight kick and the taste of fennel are key to what made this pizza a winner. The only slight thing is that I would have loved more gorgonzola - but then I always find myself wanting more blue cheese on things anyway.

Ending the night, we decided to share a lemon and ricotta cannoli ($12). Partly because my dining companion has next to no sweet teeth so it's really just a dessert for me, and partly because who doesn't love a cannoli? The crisp exterior cracks beautifully under the spoon and the inner ricotta filling is super smooth with a hint of lemon. I would have loved a little more pistachio - only one end was covered in the crushed nuts - but otherwise, it was a great way to end the meal.

There's a lot to like about Bada Bing - not in the least because it's brought some life into what was, for a while, an abandoned part of the Sydney Building.

While there were a few niggles about this evening's meal, it's only been open for a couple of months. With a solid beginning to what I believe is going to be a long-time stay in the city centre, it can only go up from here.

Address: 1/122 Alinga Street, City

Phone: 6247 3139

Website: badabingdining.com.au

Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, noon-2.30pm and 5pm-late

Chef: Brian Kelly

Noise: Not a problem

Dietary: Plenty of options