Bar Prima is the newest spot from chefs Craig Harding and Julian D'Ippolito of La Palma fame. Inside this discreet maroon West Queen West building lies an intimate space designed to transport you elsewhere.

Taking cues from a vintage Italian eatery, the team tapped Future Studio to elevate the concept in a nod to old world nostalgia.

The recessed ceiling is covered in a gold leaf that creates a warm glow over the dining room as it bounces off mirror-lined walls. 

Artist Cy Twombly's Rome apartment was the inspiration behind the 1960s marble floor pattern- and velvet drapes, tweed curtains, and 70s light fixtures all add to the vintage mood. 

The front wall of the restaurant also doubles as a full floor-to-ceiling window made up of translucent blocks built from Italian Murano glass, bathing the space in a soft light that keeps the real world outside poetically blurry. 

Harding and D’Ippolito recruited chef de cuisine Nicholas Iaboni, a young talent previously at Buca Osteria & Enoteca, to join them in the kitchen and collaborate on a menu that would define the space.

"These are the culmination of the greatest hits, what we really love but with a twist. We tried to modernize these classic dishes and made them exciting," the trio explain playfully.

The menu features only a dish's name, with no additional description,
a deliberate choice made to spark the curiosity of diners and encourage a conversation with servers who bustle around donning crisp white jackets. 

Tomato Tramezzini ($10), a classic Italian sandwich, is the closest thing you'll find to pizza on the menu flavour profile-wise. It's simple in nature and intention, and disappears with a couple bites. 

Chicory Alla Romagna ($21) are bitter greens done in a classic Roman style, covered in a buttermilk dressing, but expect this to be rotated based on what's in season. 

36-month Berkshire Prosciutto ($25) takes your typical plate of aged meat a step further by serving it with savoury zeppoles, an Italian doughnut, and seasonal pickled vegetable.  

Bluefin Tuna Crudo ($32) is an item the chef trio worked on for over a year. It features a puttanesca sauce (consisting of yellow tomatoes, olives and anchovies), topped with fresh herbs on perfect bite size cubes of juicy fish.The Chicken Saltimbocca ($37) is a layered delight. Traditionally prepared with veal, tender chicken is wrapped in a sage prosciutto, marinated in wine and oil, and sliced in a pretty tri-colour strip. Bound to be a crowd favourite, the Lobster Fra Diavola ($45) is a callback to the classic Italian-American pasta. The shell is grilled for stock while the meat is barely cooked to keep the texture perfect. 

A slight touch of chili adds a pleasant heat and it's finished with a bit of masacarpone cream. 

The bar faces the dining room, allowing the gentle tinkering of metal to glass flow out like soft music to diner's ears. It's anchored by homey mid-century wood panelling and amber light. 

Here, drinks aren't afraid to indulge in a little bit of extravagance with branded ice cubes that float precariously. 

Royal Vine ($20) shakes Tomba Blanco tequila, basil liqueur, lime, grapefruit, angostura, and orange. 

Whereas Spice and Stone ($18) uses rum, apricot liqueur, cinnamon, all spice, and lime for a spicier sip.

Classics like the Vesper Martini ($22) come shaken extra cold and with a sidecar of extra vodka and a neat row of olives- on ice of course.

Bar Prima is a special space that takes patrons for a truly unique experience from the moment you're seated in bright blue dining chairs to when the bill arrives in antique cigarette cases.

It's not just fine dining, but "fun dining" the team tell blogTO.

"We want people to get comfortable, be messy, and forget what's going on in the world beyond the glass wall."

You can find Bar Prima at 1136 Queen St W.