Steve and I have just returned from a lovely lunch at the new kid on the block, Mr. Ottorino. Named after chef Matt's grandfather it's Sicilian cuisine at the site of the former Commoner. Now The Commoner was always one of our favourite neighbourhood gems so big boots to fill.

The entrance is now the gated doorway and there's a narrow corridor adjacent to the dining room. I like this as in spite of the warm and ever prompt welcome at The Commoner I did feel it was a little intrusive at times hanging around the doorway and would try and rush to take our seats. There are definite hints that The Commoner was the predecessor but at the same time Mr. Ottorino has certainly settled in. The little bar tables have disappeared and instead there's one larger bar table next to the actual bar with a view into the kitchen. That looks like a fun place to sit so I'll be making a reservation there! 

The large square table that once sat in the front window that I loved and dreamed of holding a dinner party at has been moved upstairs and in its place a more streamlined, leaner table sits giving a little more room and space. The bees are still in residence in the courtyard - yay! And apparently they are well loved and doing great.

Like The Commoner, our welcome was warm and Matty provided us with congenial and personal service that was like dining with friends. His passion and enthusiasm was infectious. That magical charm of The Commoner that Jo worked so hard to offer is still there. That soul is ever present; reassuringly so. Perhaps it's in the walls of the building and rubs off an all who dine there!

Drinks are served quickly. The menu is explained to us and we are good to go. There's a chef's menu at $55 per person with specials that sound oh so tempting - home made tortellini in a pine nut and sage butter? Chicken pizzaiola? But we decide to go with the a la carte and make up our own feast.

We start off with sharing some of the smaller plates:

• Melanzane, sugo, pangrattato, oregano
• Baccala fritta, celeriac puree, pickled shallot
• Arancini, Wagyu chuck ragu, scamorza

The melanzane or eggplant or aubergine, depending on where you're from(!) arrives first and it has this appetising brown baked colour on the top and deep crimson tomato sauce. It's so soft and tender and melts in the mouth leaving flavours of sweet tomato, creamy eggplant and toasty cheesiness. It's like a big warm smacker of a kiss from Nonna. It's so homely and so Italian; a true Mamma Mia of a dish.

The salt cod are not the croquettes I was imagining. I got confused with fritta and fritter! Fritta being fried. So these were mini goujons of baccala with a thin crispy batter. The fish flakes and the saltiness is tempered by the celeriac puree and tang of the pickled shallot. So light and clean tasting this was a great contrast to the heartiness of the melanzane.

And then two domes of arancini arrived golden and robust in size. We could have shared one really. Inside reveals some oozy scamorza and a dab of ragu. It's back to hearty comfort food with traditional Italian flavours. We enjoyed the arancini but a bit of a sauce, maybe just some sugo to sit these golden domes on would just help cut through some of the density of the arancini.

And we rolled on quite quickly but not uncomfortably so to:

• Wood fired, rice stuffed, baby chicken, potatoes and salsa verde
• Risoni, pine mushroom, chicken skin, ricotta salata

Matty helped us decide what to have for mains. We had thoughts to go chicken and side dishes like the delicious sounding rice polenta, confit yolk and ricotta salata or the pine mushrooms, aceto, pecorino sardo. And have the risoni as an additional course! But we were informed the risoni is a rib sticker as delicious as it is so we'd have to choose sides or risoni. Matty's love for the risoni and suggestion to have it as a side was ingenious so that's what we did.

The baby chicken is boned out except for the legs so it's easy to split and share. And glory be to those chicken juices. We couldn't help but get fingerlickin' and skip the cutlery! The potatoes took on the lemony scent and were braised to the extent that they have that delicious flouriness to them.

And the risoni - this was one of the most appetisingly delicious dishes we' ve had recently. Creamy but not overly rich with earthy savoury flavour notes from the pine mushrooms. Interestingly the mushrooms were foraged by former owner of The Commoner, Matt Donnelly and I loved that nod to the previous occupants. The texture of the risoni is silky and decadent but there's also a crunch and a meaty flavour from the chicken skin. It does indeed go perfectly with the wood fired baby chicken and together it's a tour de force that restores the soul.

There was a bit of a lull after our chicken feed not necessarily through our choice but there were a few tables that Matty had to look after so we had to wait our turn. This wasn't so bad as we were up for a leisurely lunch but the wine soon came to an end and we were ready to progress.

In spite of the unanticipated break, after we ordered dessert, they arrived pretty quick smart it didn't drag on too much. Steve went with the fig and mascarpone tart which came with a scoop of ice cream and I had the rum baba. I did order a coffee that didn't arrive but I didn't miss it.

The rum baba was light and I was offered a top up of spiced rum if desired but I liked it as is. It just had enough booze to make it feel like a grown up's dessert. The cream helped lighten it and it quickly disappeared! Steve's tart also didn't last long. Two good desserts; not overly sweet but a great finish.

We're pleased to have Mr. Otterino in the neighbourhood - welcome Matty, Matt and team and we look forward to getting to know you better. In spite of the forgotten coffee and delay between the last course, the Matty's effervescent charm and the great food make up for it. Mr. Otterino provides the homely comfort of a grandparent but the fun, youthful vibe of a new generation and I'm a sucker for family style food and family love so that makes me a fan of Mr. Otterino.

Determined to dine there we sought refuge in the pub on the corner which must be the Hawker Hall holding pen and waited for the text to come through. And an hour and fifteen later it did!

We were shown to a table towards the back of the dining area and we had to wait a while before water and a drinks order taken. So I caught the eye of waiter who seemed a but confused when I said I wanted to order drinks. Maybe we weren't in his section or something. Not the most reassuring start. But not long after our actual waiter came along in braces and high waisted check trousers and a cheery smile and it was pretty plain sailing after that as we left it in his hands in terms of food. The menu is vast so it seemed easier for someone else to make the decisions but there was plenty we didn't get to try and should come back for.
​

SprOur smiley cheerful waiter advised that the food comes out pretty quickly and after an hour and fifteen wait, that is a good thing and very very welcome.

• PRAWN‭ & ‬GINGER DUMPLING W‭. ‬SOY‭ & ‬BLACK VINEGAR CARAMEL‭ (unpictured)

Dumplings came first; 4 snowy white plump parcels. Pretty traditional and classic and a happy start. I didn't get the caramel aspect and the dipping sauce was like what I usually make when I pour soy and black vinegar together to get the salty, tangy balance. Good balance but not as innovative as caramel would suggest. The dumplings were quickly followed up with the two pictured dishes:

• MALAY VEGETABLE SPRING ROLLS W‭. ‬GREEN CHILLI SOY‭    
• TOASTED COCONUT MEATBALLS W. LIME & SWEET SOY

​Spring rolls were spring rolls. I prefer Vietnamese style and the best are my grandma's so spring rolls have a hard job to impress me!

The little toasted meatballs did impress though and we were pleasantly surprised as we probably wouldn't have ordered these. The toasty coconut flavour really came through as did the fresh flavour of lemongrass. Delicious bite sized meaty morsels.

• MALAY SHREDDED CHICKEN SALAD W. TOASTED COCONUT SAMBAL
• STEAMED BARRAMUNDI W. RICE NOODLE (unpictured)
• GRILLED BEEF SHORT RIB, OYSTER SAUCE, RED CHILLI & CORIANDER

Between started and main came a few in between dishes and again they came out at a good pace. The chicken salad was zingy and fresh but with a depth of richness from the addition of coconut and coconut cream.

The steamed barramundi comes with about 3 little rolls of rice noodles so it's not quite the noodle dish I though but the fish is steamed perfectly - clean, fresh and light with soy sauce, spring onions, coriander. Again a very traditional and classic Chinese dish.

From the muted clean flavours of salad and steamed fish, in came the spice factor and a dish with more oomph and richness. The short rib came on rice and was rich and tender with a little stickiness. I thought the rice was a touch underdone and a little hard and brittle not helped by a lack of sauce. A touch more juiciness would have elevated this dish.

​We so could have stopped there with the food but where's the fun in that right? And our mains arrived sharing style.

• PENANG DUCK CURRY W. PEANUTS & EGGPLANT
• CAULIFLOWER ROASTED W. TUMERIC, COCONUT & RASINS
• GREEN BEANS, SWEET SOY & TOASTED COCONUT CASHEW

The duck curry was good enough. Super saucy unlike the short rib. Although it was meaty, it could have been any meat really as I think the duck had been mullered and smothered that the duckiness didn't really come through. Green beans were nicely charred and cut through the richness of the food. The dish that wasn't so great was the cauliflower. It was all mushy and tasted over boiled and smothered in cream rather than roasted and spiced which is the impression the description gives. It's creaminess didn't go well with everything else I felt and was a bit overwhelming. But one miss doesn't necessarily make a bad meal.

​We were given free reign over dessert and could choose one to share. There were quite a few that appealed but we went for the most popular:

• MILO DINOSAUR SUNDAE W. CHOCOLATE BISCUIT

Effectively a chocolate ice cream sundae with lots of crunchy biscuit crumb. It offers universal appeal and the cold creaminess of the ice cream went down a treat. It wasn't overly sweet which was good as it was a hefty serving size and it was very enjoyable.

I found the flavours and cooking style of Hawker Hall, although similar to big sister Chin Chin, were less complex and perhaps more authentic to the hawker hall style of Asian food. I loved the speed at which the food arrived and the vast choice of the menu. Understandably not every dish on there will float everyone's boat but feasting on some of them will certainly result in some treasures and I'd go treasure hunting there again for sure.