The Red Hen

63 Hardgrave Road, West End

(07) 3846 2233, www.theredhen.com.au

The West End area is renowned for its diverse range of great ethnic eateries, from Greek to Vietnamese, and even Peruvian. Going out for Italian is probably as conventional as steaks at a pub these days, but traditional Italian cooking is still relatively uncommon in Brisbane’s suburban eateries. Hardgrave Road’s Red Hen, however, plays by the traditional rules: seasonal menu using minimal ingredients, and an emphasis on freshness, no-fuss preparation and big flavours. Oh, and many of the pasta dishes are house-made. I think Nonna would approve!

We settled on antipasto misto to share, although most of the starters are tempting in their own right. Prices are reasonable, with most mains under $25. Strozzapreti con vitello al vino bianco is short-twist pasta woven through bits of unbelievably moist pieces of veal and mushrooms stewed in white wine. As luck would have it, risotto of the day is a gorgeous concoction of shredded chicken, mushrooms and black truffle paste woven through thick, wavy-textured rice.  Vegetarian options include ricotta and spinach agnolotti, and ravioli filled with roast pumpkin in sage butter sauce, both dishes being hot favourites with regulars we’re told.

The classic range of dolce like semifreddo, pannacotta and tiramisu are all available. The brownies at the front counter caught our eye the moment we entered the restaurant; sadly we were too full to fit in anything else.  Despite the loving poster tributes to Campari adorned on the restaurant’s walls, The Red Hen is BYO only with corkage at $5 per bottle. Gluten-free bread and pasta are available for an extra $2.