Joey Pav is a worker. He knows how to set up a professional kitchen, run it, hire, fire, iron out the problems and – of course – source excellent produce and cook it. But he's never done any of this for himself before. He's the chef behind the chef.

For over a decade, Joe Pavlovich was head chef of Luke Mangan's glamorous, 240-seat Glass Brasserie, opened in 2005 with a $6 million makeover from New York designer Tony Chi, a 30-metre wine wall and a theatrical stage of an open kitchen.

The last few years he has been opening restaurants for Mangan in the Maldives, Singapore, Jakarta and Tokyo, and on five P&O; cruise ships.

Now, he's made the leap into the unknown, together with fellow hospitality pro and Mangan stablemate Alasdair France, and I'm pleased to say it's not to a $6 million fit-out with a 30-metre wine wall.

Instead, it's an all-day, come-as-you-are Bondi Beach institution that generations of Bondi locals have been sailing in and out of since it opened in 1987.

By day, Bondi Trattoria's broad sweep of terrace balcony is a great spot to take in the beach. At night, it's cosier inside the terrazzo-floored dining room and split-level bar, with atmospheric black and white pics of Italy on the wall.

France is on the floor, resplendent in blue apron, opening doors, handing out menus, bringing cocktails, as if he's been cast in a long-running play as 'mine host'.  

There's pizza and pasta – all made in-house – and comfort food such as fish and chips as well as slow-cooked octopus with dried olives and pickled grapes, and rozata, Croatia's egg-enriched answer to creme caramel, here flavoured with honey and mandarin.

One dish to survive from the old menu is angel hair pasta with tuna ($31). "The previous owners said if we took it off there would be serious trouble," says Pavlovich.

Now the tuna is cubed and lightly seared, tossed with terrific, linguine-like, fresh pasta with loads of wilted-down rocket and zucchini and capers. Twirled like a curling Bondi wave, it's fresh, warm and light.

But my fave dish is a generous starter of creamy, tangy tarama dip dusted with fennel pollen and grated bottarga ($14) and served with smoky, grilled Greek pita bread: great beachside eating in any season.

Bevvies are very Bondi, from a Bondi negroni to Campos coffee and Ovvio tea, with a short wine list of Italian varietals that includes a dense, intense and thoroughly likeable Elvio Cogno Mandorlo dolcetto d'Alba ($79).

You can push the boat out with roasted Mooloolaba bug tails, wallowing in garlicky, buttery juices with clouds of fresh mozzarella ($30), or share a meaty pizza ($22) of pork sausage, prosciutto and eggplant. A tumble of grill-marked spatchcock ($36) with marinated fennel, yoghurt sauce and baby purple, white - and yes, even orange – carrots, is good to share.

Be aware that when people like Joe Pavlovich and Alasdair France suggest you share, it's not an idle threat. Even a gem lettuce salad with green beans, radish and chives ($13) will stop you in your tracks.

Portions are big, attitude is spot-on, owners are in the house. You can tell that this place is going to work for them, because they're going to work for it. And that works for us.

The lowdown

Best bit: The Bondi Beach views from the terrace balcony.

Worst bit: It's actually a bit cold out there at the moment.

Go-to dish: Angel hair pasta, barely touched tuna, zucchini, rocket, chilli, lemon, capers, $31.

Terry Durack is chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and senior reviewer for the Good Food Guide. This rating is based on the Good Food Guide scoring system.

http://www.bonditrattoria.com.au