The team behind Australia’s best bar Maybe Sammy has teamed up with Stefano di Blasi and Edoardo Perlo of Eterna and Salt Meats Cheese to open La Costa – a bar and restaurant inspired by Italy’s sun-soaked coastline and riviera. Located in Brunswick Street-facing space formerly occupied by modern-Australian eatery Foresters, La Costa pays homage to the luxurious splendour of Italy’s coastline. The restaurant evokes the feeling of sitting and snacking seaside, with a menu that encompasses seafood (whole baby barramundi, Moreton Bay bug spaghetti and gin-and-beetroot-cured salmon bruschetta) and familiar Italian eats (pizzas, pappardelle bathed in truffle cream and pumpkin-and-sage ravioli). The bar opens early for brunch, and also boasts an evening menu featuring an array of tapas-style dishes like crispy devilled whitebait, Blue Swimmer crab bruschetta, spicy ‘nduja risotto, and cheese and charcuterie boards. The destination is amply stocked with top-shelf spirits, plenty of champagne and a large array of Italian wines. Cocktails are a focus, of course, with guests encouraged to sip on the likes of the Portofino (an ambrosial mixture of vodka, fino sherry, watermelon, lemon and agave), the Mango Coffee Margarita (Calle 23 Blanco tequila, Mr Black Coffee Liqueur, mango and lime) and the Señorita Sour (pisco, jalapeno, pineapple, orange, Montenegro and fino sherry).