Fusion is a term that crops up frequently in talk about Australian restaurants, but it’s not one that much interests Italian-born chef Alessandro Pavoni, who established Ormeggio at The Spit, in Mosman, a couple of years ago in partnership with maitre d’ Fraser Guthrie.

For Pavoni, it’s all about the cuisine of his birthplace — Brescia, nestled among the lakes in Italy’s northern region of Lombardy. And it’s about bringing modern Lombardian cuisine to Sydney.

“I keep in contact with the chefs there and make sure that what I’m doing really is contemporary, not a version of contemporary as it was twenty years ago,” he says.

“I haven’t lost touch with the dishes my grandmother prepared, especially as we move into winter and comfort food is required, but what we’re serving in Mosman also takes a lot of cues from today’s Milan.”

I recently had the enormous pleasure of experiencing the restaurant’s new winter menu, via Pavoni’s ‘Tastes of Ormeggio’ degustation offering, on a brilliant Sydney autumn Sunday when the sun warmed your back and brightly reflected from the bobbing craft and paddlers on Middle Harbour.

Six courses, each matched with appropriate wines, turned into nine, which sounds over the top, but really wasn’t. I’ve felt fuller — and certainly gastronomically much less sated — after just a single course on some occasions.

These are deliciously concocted morsels, beautifully presented and accompanied by a fascinating array of wines selected by sommelier Scott Benvau, who has travelled extensively throughout Europe’s great wine regions and met Pavoni while both were working at Sydney’s Park Hyatt.

Benvau's winelist should be required reading for any budding sommelier, not just because of the thought that has gone into selection of wines, but also because of its presentation and richness of commentary.

So, in sequence:

§ A shot glass of warm fennel foam, topped with fennel seeds, tiny pieces of anchovy and croutons — so light and so delicately flavoured that the foam seems almost to evaporate before caressing the palate.

§ Petuna ocean trout crudo, trout caviar, squid-ink mayonnaise, crispy mandarin, dried sea lettuce — served with 2008 Kanta Balhannah Riesling from the Adelaide Hills. Crispy mandarin? Absolutely. It’s been freeze-dried and provides the perfect foil, both flavour-wise and texturally, to the sashimi-style fish. The challenge is to ensure that every one of the bright orange roe bursts in your mouth, delivering their absolutely decadent flavours. Quite possibly the stand-out dish in an ocean of excellence. The off-dry riesling, with just a tad of bottle development, sits perfectly.

§ Beef battuta, crispy amaranth, mustard figs, juniper berry — served with 2010 Farr Rising Saignee Pinot Noir Rosé from Geelong. The slightly oily softness of the raw beef is beautifully counter-pointed by the roasted amaranth seeds. Pavoni says his dishes are about ensuring the palate is satisfied then cleansed in preparation for the next course. I’m beginning to think that they’re just as much about balancing textures and maximising the impact of mouthfeel. The light, completely dry rosé works well.

§ Risotto, blue swimmer crab meat, red bell pepper, mascarpone, lemon — served with 2009 Ca’ Dei Frati Trebbiano from Lugana DOC, Lombardia. I would never have ordered a trebbiano because of the variety’s abysmal reputation in Australia, but a sip of this is an absolute eye-opener — full, flavoursome, slightly oily texture balanced by clean, long acidity. Great match with the risotto, made from rice aged for seven years. Yes, seven years, nearly three times as old as the wine. Incredibly rich stock, then the trademark balancing act by the lemon mascarpone.

§ Pan-fried Spanish mackerel, king brown mushroom, prawn broth, chickpea purée — served with 2008 Ashton Hills Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills. Firm fish from the Tasman Sea, just slightly cooked. Incredibly powerful broth made by baking school prawns till desiccated, then steeping them to produce a “prawn tea”. The mushrooms add a distinct earthiness to the flavours. A big but modern chardonnay is exactly the requirement.

§ Venison civet, rye-bread-and-dried-fruit purée, chicory — served with 2007 La Salette ‘I Progni’ Valpolicella Classico Ripasso DOC, from Veneto. The wine smells of dried fruit and well hung meat, the perfect introduction to a dish that’s essentially composed of two layers of venison — on top a rare-grilled steak, beneath that meat baked to falling apart then shredded in its own juices. The purée adds more complexity and richness, the freeze-dried chicory leaf an element of crisp texture. Absolutely precise food-and-wine matching.

§ Spiedo alla Bresciana. This traditional spit roast of pork ribs, pork neck, duck and quail was served as an extra. The barbecued flavours — gained through five hours in the only grill of its type in Australia — were delightfully smoky and gentle. Not on the menu, so no wine with this one, but would have gone a treat with a top-class pinot noir.

§ Raspberry sorbet with mango coulis. Another interloper — quite a welcome one — not on the listed menu. Tangy, refreshing and absolutely palate-reviving.

§ Red-wine poached pear, soft mascarpone, short bread, pink pepper berry — served with 2009 Mount Horrocks Cordon Cut Riesling from the Clare Valley. The trick to combining real baked-pear flavour with firmness of texture is apparently an hour at 60ºC. An absolute treat to finish with, and well matched with the luscious, non-botrytis flavours of the wine.

Pavoni and Guthrie have put together an exceptional Sydney waterfront restaurant serving delicious, sometimes challenging food. They already have one hat from the SMH Guide. I think they’re in with a good chance of another.

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NOTE: All restaurant reviews published by Oz Baby Boomers are based purely on quality of the food and the experience, and on the value offered. Our first task is always to work out what the restaurant aspires to ... to determine what it is trying to achieve. The second task is to assess how it lives up to those aspirations. In this context, the humblest, cheapest bistro can be as successful and praiseworthy as the most elegant, five-star, silver-service dining room.