Il Solito Posto

There's more than meets the eye to this top-end-of-town stayer. It presents a plain face to the street but turn the corner into a lane and you'll find a buzzing ground-level bar-bistro. Beyond the lunch crowd or evening theatre-goers propped at the bar are stairs down to the restaurant proper - a candlelit cave of timber tables, wine bottles lining the walls and woven wicker chairs. It's as charming as the waiters who weave around the room buttering up diners and delivering classically Italian dishes: perhaps salumi (cured meats); or insalata caprese using local buffalo mozzarella; or fried school prawns. House-made pasta is a speciality, from ravioli of braised quail, porcini and leek dotted with fresh grapes, to silky ribbons of pappardelle with spicy sausage and red peppers. Spatchcock may come wrapped in pancetta and sage; lamb is slow-cooked, with herbs and fresh peas. Sweets might include a lovely, fudgy chocolate pudding with dense salted-caramel sauce and strawberry icecream.