Spezia

Every day, thousands of people walk past the Department of Lands, a grand administrative building that occupies an entire block between Martin Place and Circular Quay. Unless you’ve had an active land dispute recently, you probably haven’t noticed that it’s quietly transformed into The Lands by Capella, an up-and-coming retail and dining destination.

One of the first venues to open inside is Spezia, an open-air piazza restaurant by hospitality group Florence Guild. Executive chef Jae Bang, formerly of Norway’s Re-naa, is behind the menu, which blends Italian classics with the ‘forgotten flavours of the Silk Road’. Expect prawn spaghetti alla chittara laced with star anise, burrata flecked sumac and cumin, and a frangipane tart infused with sansho pepper. The wine list includes over 500 bottles from Italy and beyond, or stay on the spice trail with a limoncello spritz spiked with lemongrass and ginger.