And Il Lago Restaurant is one of the very few places in The Hills that can offer that: by the duck-inhabited lake in Norwest Business Park.

Meaning ``the lake'' in Italian, the contemporary Italian restaurant is a three-time winner of the Gourmet Traveller wine list of the year award for the variety and quality of wines on its list.

My recent visit was for lunch with News photographer Natalie Roberts.

I've never been a big fan of calamari and, admittedly, don't make a habit of ordering it.

But the calamari stuffed with scallops and prawns, served on a bed of farro (a grain) with a balsamic and anchovy sauce completely converted me.

It was tender and very flavoursome.

The agnolotti pasta filled with smoked eggplant and ricotta was absolutely delicious.

It was very light with subtle flavours and served with prawns, tomato and orange dust. And the blueberry and buttermilk panacotta was the perfect finish to a delicious meal.

It was creamy, with just the right amount of sweetness, unlike some bland panacottas I've tasted over the years.

While talking to head chef Steven Yeomans who joined the restaurant three months ago, I couldn't help but get excited about food.

The menu reflects his passion for produce and use of unconventional ingredients like Sicilian white anchovies, farro, his very own ``orange dust'' and cooking techniques such as sous-vide in which the meat is cooked in a vacuum-sealed bag to trap moisture.

``We have very strong Italian flavours on the menu, particularly from Northern Italy,'' he said.

``All the pastas are made daily in our kitchen, including the wholemeal pici which takes about seven minutes to prepare, since we have to roll each strand individually.''

Detail s: Il Lago, unit G01/8 Century Circuit, Norwest Business Park, 96342487.

Reporter Flora Cauchi and photographer Natalie Roberts dined courtesy of Il Lago.