The dining room at Alberto’s Lounge Alberto’s Lounge. Image: Daniel Boud

Authenticity? Hmm. A precious but rare quality in humans. It’s certainly essential in wine. Is it necessary in food? I used to think so. But I grow old…I grow old… Now I reckon as long as it tastes good I’m down with it. Take Dan Pepperell’s trippa alla Romana at Albertos. To the protests and furious hand gestures of every Roman, it sails high over ideas like authenticity and tradition. Ma che fai?! He uses garam masala, fenugreek, butter and cream for the sauce! Indian spices in a dish that’s as vecchia as the Eternal City itself? Sei pazzo!

Yes I know, I know, Pepperell atones for his heresy, with mint and a shower of pecorino. And the honeycomb tripe is sweetly spiced, with the unique velvety mouthfeel braised tripe must have. But it’s too late now. We’ve all gone into shock. Because it’s a thrilling dish. The crab’s gonopods you might say. It’s a dish whose surprising elements speak of a modern church, but somehow connect with the past(a) and some of my deepest flavour instincts too.

I’ve followed Pepperell’s comet tail since he was on the pans at the tiny but perfectly-formed 10 William Street in Paddington. There he was sending out a ragù bolognese pimped with Red Boat fish sauce and an inspired whipped bottarga and hot pretzel invention that will probably never leave the menu at the pumping, squeezy Paddo bar.

Then a year later, in the wee small hours I joined the conga line snaking down the stairs at Hubert, on Bligh Street in the CBD, for Pepperell’s quirky but fabulous riff on oeufs en gelée (egg yolks set with ocean trout roe in a crystalline bonito jelly), for some dreamy escargots with XO sauce and for the huge sainted chook resplendent in beak and claw, served with bread sauce & green garlic

The team behind Hubert, Baxter’s Inn, Shady Pines and Frankies (aka The Swillhouse Group) has reimagined Hubert, this one in the guise of a friendly inner-city neighbourhood bar. Like Hubert, the lighting in Alberto’s Lounge flatters the jaded diner, the rustic bentwood chairs and padded banquettes add comfort and the walls are decorated with Art Deco posters, in this case of famous Italian aperitivi. And, as Jeeves would say, there are always cocktails.

Food being prepared at Alberto’s Lounge. Alberto’s Lounge. Image: Daniel Boud

Sit up at the bar with a bowl of housemade crisps (AUD $4) and a piercingly cold Gibson martini (AUD $24) while considering your menu options. Then let Alberto’s mischievous GM, Benjamin Brown (ex-Sepia) show you to your squishy table.

Tonight the polpo e ceci (chickpeas and octopus) (AUD $24) is a no-brainer to prep the tastebuds. Pepperell is after a quieter, more textural effect with this one: tender and tasty octopus consorting with nutty pulses that yield gradually to the bite, a handful of parsley, a grind of pepper, a splash of intense olive oil. After that, you might want a bouncy fillet of blue eye trevalla – beautifully cooked pearly white fish – draped on a pile of vongole moistened by a combination of their own juices, white wine and garlic (AUD $40). Finish on silken lemon gelato spooned onto cheesecake, a dessert that is, frankly, sell-your-grandma good (AUD $12).

It’s not easy to adequately capture the eclectic vibe at Albertos. It lives somewhere in the ‘70s, just about when Boz Scaggs was in his Silk Degrees period. That’s the Boz on the soundtrack tonight. Everyone’s lip syncing to Lido Shuffle. And it’s certainly squishy in here. We’re so close to the pregnant couple at the next table, they’re talking about making us godparents.

The wine list has been curated by the forever inquisitive, award-winning Andy Tyson, so you can find yourself hot air ballooning with him over traditional countryside such as Piedmont and the Loire Valley, then be gusted off course into more esoteric regions like the Jura, a place once known only to the wine wonk, now well and truly on the radar. As at Hubert, some of the prices on this list can make you feel like you’ve been spanked by matron, so ask sommelier Sean McManus for guidance. Tonight we’re very happy with the value proposition represented by the 2016 Maschitano Rosso, a subtle medium-weight aglianico del vulture from the vineyards of the Musto Carmelitano family in the obscure village of Maschito, Basilicata (AUD $78).

If you’re a chef there’s no middle road you can straddle when you’re cleaving away from authenticity towards an eccentric but inspired corollary of it. Adding Red Boat fish sauce to a ragù bolognese or pimping trippa alla Romana with sub-continental spices can produce powerful emotions in folks. When you’re at Alberto’s Lounge, the main one is “wow!”

Rating: 24.5/30

• How good was the food? 8/10
• How good was the wine list? 4/5
• What was the service like? 4.5/5
• Did the atmosphere work? 4/5
• Is there an X Factor about this place? 4/5

Alberto’s Lounge

• Address: 17-19 Alberta St, Sydney
• Email: pasta@albertoslounge.com
• Website: albertoslounge.com
• Open: Mon-Thu 5pm-late, Fri-Sat noon-late, Sun noon-10pm. Licensed
• Price: Entrees AUD $18-$28 ; pasta AUD $26; main courses AUD $36-$38; desserts AUD $8-$14