Acciuga (CLOSED)

Please note, Acciuga has now closed. Time Out Food editors, MARCH 2020. 

This restaurant was formerly known as Timo. With excellent-value set lunches and smooth, ingratiating service, it is popular with local office workers, yet come evening it also works as a date destination. The pale décor is airily elegant, the tables well spaced and the atmosphere serene.

The menu comprises a concentrated selection of classics along with more unusual alternatives, so wild mushroom flan with black truffle dressing and quail’s egg might precede char-grilled rib-eye with rosemary, roast potatoes, rocket and parmesan shavings.

The dessert list isn’t particularly inspiring (tiramisù, pear and almond tart, ice-cream and sorbet), but there’s an enjoyable selection of Italian cheese (served with own-made walnut bread) for £8.50. There’s also a £2 surcharge if you fancy having a main-sized portion of pasta, which means the tempting tortelloni stuffed with sheep's ricotta and radicchio and cooked with thyme and butter rises to £12.90.

The wine list runs to over 175 bottles, with a handful under £20 and a fairly extensive selection under £30 as well as costly offerings from some of Italy's greatest producers.