I drove to Sorrento on a sunny autumn day just as owners Nika, Stefano and Valentino were moving things from their original venue, Bardo a few doors down to their recently opened Sardo. I immediately felt like one of the family as Nika made me espresso and I sat down to chat with her and Valentino. Sardo is the nickname given to people from Sardinia, the same way we might call an Australian an Aussie. Valentino Mela is originally from Sardinia and grew up cooking with his grandmother and mother. The food he and Nika Perc cook is inspired by the dishes of his home country: seafood, slow-cooked meat and housemade pasta. For Nika, Stefano and Valentino, being part of the Sorrento community is important and they offer pasta nights, cooking classes and BYO no corkage nights. Over summer, the laneway leading to the restaurant from the main street and the outside area are festooned with fairy lights so that you could almost think you were in a piazza dining al fresco in Italy. The team, themselves, all go back to Italy for two years over our Australian winter when the restaurant is closed and immerse themselves in Sardinian food, family and life so they can bring that vibe back to us in September.