Ashley-Maree Kent, a bright young chef whose resume boasts stints at Quay, Biota, Paper Daisy and Tartine in San Francisco, brought her formidable talents to Brisbane in 2022 with Ramona Trattoria – a 48-seat restaurant in Coorparoo specialising in hand-shaped pasta and hand-stretched pizza and pizzette. The eatery offer a polished form of casual dining, encouraging locals to visit several times a week without overspending. Ashley-Maree and her team are kneading, cutting and shaping dough to create the likes of ragu di cinghiale (wild boar ragu) with hand-cut pappardelle, triangoli (triangle-shaped ravioli) stuffed with butternut pumpkin in brown butter and sage sauce, pizzette topped with mortadella, pistachio and stracciatella, and Campanian fried mozzarella sandwiches. The restaurant’s cocktail list has been crafted with the assistance of HOTA’s Tom Angel, with concoctions including Averna and grapefruit highballs, Marionette bitter curacao spritzes and pineapple garibaldis available alongside a 21-strong wine list (boasting a 50-50-mix of new age and old-world wines, most of which are available by the glass) and Menabrea Bionda off tap.