Attimi by Dario Manca — Restaurant in Brisbane City

Attimi by Dario Manca — A Journey Across Italy, One Moment at a Time

Some restaurants feed you. Others take you somewhere. attimi by Dario Manca does the latter. This isn’t dinner, it’s an itinerary — a rail journey across Italy where each stop delivers a fleeting attimo that blurs memory and imagination.

The space itself carries history. Once home to Montrachet, where French chef Thierry presided over countless wine-soaked lunches, it now belongs to Italy. I had dozens of fine meals here under Thierry, but I suspect even he would concede Dario has taken things further. French food has its charms, but steak frites only go so far. In Dario’s hands, Italy becomes endless.

The experience borrows from Michelin service: the chef decides, you surrender. Sardegna begins with carasau, delicate as parchment. Lombardia follows with saffron risotto, prosciutto and caviar — grand yet restrained. Emilia Romagna offers a skeletal Fish Crisp, an edible fossil that crunches with seaside joy. Tuscany surprises with a Cecina waffle topped with Wagyu tongue, where comfort and invention share the same bite.

Sicily shines golden in a feather-light arancino laced with truffle and lemon thyme. Rome arrives in agnolotti stuffed with oxtail ragu, softened by gorgonzola. Coral trout confit and squid ink tagliolini glimmer like postcards from the sea. Each plate is a stop, each stop a story.

And then comes the finale. A colossal Ferrero Rocher descends with the drama of a moon rock. Shiny, weighty, absurdly decadent. Breaking its shell reveals perhaps the richest mouthful I’ve ever eaten — nostalgia rewritten as outrageous luxury. The kind of dish that makes you laugh mid-bite because words can’t keep pace.

Wines flow like old companions. Chianti Classico anchors the meal, limoncello interrupts twice — first sharp as sorbet, later smooth as digestivo — while service is warm, playful, and quietly assured.

You don’t leave heavy. You leave altered. You’ve travelled Sardegna to Sicilia, Liguria to Piemonte, but more than geography, you’ve crossed into memory, invention, and something profoundly Italian yet strikingly modern.

Verdict: attimi isn’t just dinner. It’s theatre, nostalgia and artistry bound into edible moments. Thierry may once have ruled this room, but this is a new...

The best new (and perhaps just best?) restaurant in Queensland: 9.2/10

My partner and I couldn't have chosen a better place to celebrate our anniversary this evening. Dario Manca is creating something really special here - and I say "creating" in the present tense, because we had the honour of meeting the chef for a creative discussion after we had finished our meal.

It is rare, in my experience at least, for chefs/owners to take this much interest in their diners - let alone to actively seek their feedback on a menu that is apparently (incredibly) only a week old. Chatting with Dario and getting to be a part of his process of refining what are already exquisite meals was a final exclamation point on an evening that had already landed several before that.

Decor? 10/10. Service? 10/10. Our main meals? Consistently ranging from great, to undeniable 10/10s.

And the dessert? Best tiramasu of our lives, best dessert my partner had ever had - so good, in fact, that we were virtually squabbling with each other over who was eating more of it than the other. And when we both finished, and I was left wanting more (not because it wasn't filling, purely due to the taste), I'd barely had time to express this aloud before our waiter showed up with a special extra surprise snack for me to enjoy (also, a 10).

All this - 12 courses and then some, was ~$130 per person between us thanks to a Firsttable offer. I feel like we just celebrated our anniversary by committing a robbery.

Would we have felt differently about the night had we paid the usual ~$260 per person... Perhaps. But we'll never know.

What I do know is that Attimi delivered above and beyond our expectations, and fingers crossed for them that they win the award for Australia's Best New Restaurant next week. They deserve it.

Highlights: Sardegna Rosemary Carasau Piemonte Chickpea Waffle Sardegna Handmade Culurgiones Toscana Duck Breast Veneto...

Where to start- what a fabulous meal!

My sister came home with raving reviews of this restaurant and was keen to come back with us despite having just gone a month ago, if that doesn’t speak for itself. It has easily become one of our favourite restaurants in Brisbane and one I will eagerly come back to.

Dario Manca was fantastic at Rosmarino, and he continues to impress. We loved the entire menu, the creativity behind each dish, the flavours and the wonderful story telling. We loved the carefully curated wine list as well, every recommendation was chefs kiss 🍷🙌🏻 The service, humour and also nice touch of the chef himself coming out to introduce the mains was also what we appreciated about this dining experience. The table bobble pieces are so cute too.

We genuinely enjoyed every dish and there were so many highlights that I can’t wait to bring my friends to try and also so I can experience those dishes again. The confit garlic filo tart for example, was just absolutely divine. We loved LOVED all the entrees and found each dish to be so creative and fun- truly an experience that took our tastebuds across Italy.

Florence, the 9 year old sour dough was DELICIOUS.

On another note, I have rarely come across a fish main dish this good, but wow that cured coral trout with the prosciutto and cardamom sauce was really something special. I savoured every single bite and between it and the filo pastry, I couldn’t pick a favourite.

We loved the steak dish as well as the agnolotti- the flavours paired so well together.

Do yourself a favour and visit because this is truly one of Brisbane’s finest, and each dish on the menu has been curated by people with impeccable tastebuds (legit). I can’t wait to come back and also do the wine pairing as their...