The Italian Bowl

The lime-green walls and fluorescent lighting of this bolthole eatery are much like the joint itself: loud and bright. It's a predominantly younger crowd here, although you'll also find middle-aged Italian women squeezing onto stools to watch the drama of the open kitchen. It's all about comfort food and carbo-loading on a shoestring. Orders are curtly taken at the counter and delivered speedily; choose your pasta type and preferred sauce from among 17 classics: perhaps amatriciana or bolognese? Non-pasta options include chicken parmigiana, veal with mushroom sauce and seafood risotto. Dessert is homemade tiramisu with generous lashings of cream.