Chris Lucas, the man behind Flinders Lane juggernaut Chin Chin, opened Italian restaurant Baby on the site where the award-winning Pearl used to sit on Church Street in Richmond.

Drawing on the work of design studio Projects of Imagination, Lucas has created a space that is both contemporary and earthy. The walls, dressed with heavy canvas, create a rusticity balanced with a modern, minimal edge, bright red neons included.

The team has created a seasonal menu of around 15 pizzas, with an emphasis on quality ingredients such as homemade mozzarella. The potato and guanciale (cured pork jowl) is a stand out, as is the Funghi (a mix of buffalo taleggio, fior di latte, mushrooms and truffle cream).

There are meat dishes such as grilled half chicken with roasted red pepper, chilli and ligurian olives; and crumbed eggplant parmigiana. Pasta options are plentiful, too – including rigatoni with braised beef ragu, and orecchiette spun with broccoli and pork sausage.

A recipe from Baby is featured in The Broadsheet Italian Cookbook. Buy your copy at shop.broadsheet.com.au.