Vivace

Always an Italian restaurant, Vivace has become even more so with the addition of head chef Davide Ferraro direct from Turin, a staunch believer in house-made pasta. Changes have been subtle. The room remains a welcoming space with ostrich-skin banquettes and large paintings. The compact menu mixes up crowd-pleasers - pork belly, excellent salt-and-pepper calamari, scallops with apple salad, veal cutlet, perhaps with salsa verde - with more adventurous fare, such as risotto with spanner crab and saffron. Passatelli, a nicely chewy breadcrumb-based pasta, complements a robust braise of lamb shoulder with peas and confit tomato; and home-made gnocchi is served confidently and simply with tomato and mozzarella. Serves are generous. the entree antipasto with house-made grissini could feed two or three, and expect a large pour if you order wine by the glass. Should you make it past mains, desserts include fruit torta and a lemon bombe. Service is confident and relaxed.