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You don’t generally walk away from an Italian meal feeling light and lithe. But Ardiciocca (‘artichoke’ in the Genovese dialect) is completely free from gluten, so also the bloat. The decor is run-of-the-mill: generic furniture and the name spelled out on the wall using pots, pans and kitchen utensils. But the food is impressive: understated yet elegant. Both the sublimely al dente (and gluten-free, let’s not forget) pasta with beef ragù and a homemade gnocchi with a creamy cheese topping were unpretentious yet deeply textured and full of flavour. Be sure to order the addictively good courgette fries too.
Ardiciocca’s lighter-than-air pizzas are also not to be missed, and work well as a starter. Paper-thin and perfectly crisp, they’re sure to fire your appetite, especially if you get one smothered in pesto and stringy stracchino cheese. Now, let’s get into the dessert – because this was the highlight of an already flawless meal. Creamy gelato coupled with a rich, gooey chocolate brownie. No more details can be conveyed, as the whole helping was demolished in about two seconds flat. I’ll just have to return to take further notes.