Professore

Professore is a restaurant that tries hard to please, and succeeds. From the moment you step through the door, you’ll be struck by the classy décor, all soft lighting and Neapolitan dining tables. The same goes for Gocce, the bookshop-cum-bar in the back, whose sofas and thick carpets positively invite you to take a post-prandial cocktail.

Luckily, the food boasts as much taste as the surroundings. We started the meal with a pair of devilishly delicious mille-feuilles, based around aubergine gratin and Sardinian bread and mozzarella respectively (€9-10 apiece). Main courses (around €20) are traditional Italian affairs: we’d recommend the clam and cuttlefish rice dish, or the raw sea bream with roe. The Sicilian house wine, at €32 for a bottle, is the logical choice as a complement to all this freshness.

By the time you’re polishing off your chocolate biscuit topped with fresh cream, you’ll have changed your mind about the country’s cuisine. Scrap the pizzas and spag-bol – with its perfect fusion of the traditional and the tasteful, Professore will redefine your idea of what constitutes good Italian food.