Monday morning dragged me into work with all the enthusiasm of a dog who doesn’t want to go for a walk in the rain but whose master is determined to take him, dammit. Only the promise of a four-hour meeting full of fireworks managed to drag my skittering paws down the hardwood hall and into the car. Fortunately after the throw-down came lunch with a colleague over at Vanto in the QVB.

Now anyone who works in Sydney knows that lunch can be a hit or miss affair. The Westfield food hall on Pitt and Market has produced more hits than misses. In my end of town, the pubs are pretty blah food-wise. But there are gems, such as Vanto. Located down at the south end of the first floor, Vanto’s seating spills out and around the inside balcony. It does a healthy tourist business which means there aren’t too many locals – something that can be handy when you want to share industry gossip without worrying who’s listening. Oh, and both the food and the service are delightful. The place is not exactly cheap, but nor is it pricey, and it is very cheerful indeed.

Today I only had time for a quick pasta, a squid ink spaghetti with crab meat, calamari and tomato:

Annabel Crabb before make-up

OK, there wasn’t quite enough seafood in there, but the pasta was delicious and the sauce was creamy. The service was as always quick without a hint of the brusque. And the bill for two was under $60. A great way to brighten up a manic-depressive Monday.