Terra Nostra

Gutsy cooking with a Sardinian accent helps make this small Italian restaurant popular with City workers at lunchtime, when it's usually packed. The warm, rustic decor and smiling, friendly Italian staff proffering olives and pane carasau (the crisp Sardinian flatbread) create a holiday-like Mediterranean feel. Although several classic dishes - the likes of meat lasagne - have popped up on the menu, it's best to follow the lead of the many Italian regulars and opt for Sardinian dishes and wines, which are among the mainstays of Terra Nostra. The starter of calamari ripieni (baby squid filled with a dense sauce of squid meat, tomatoes and herbs) has been around since the restaurant's opening, and is deservedly popular. Another must-try is the traditional aromatic sausage, grilled over charcoal and presented in a coil. Malloreddus, the maggot-shaped Sardinian pasta, and spaghetti with bottarga (dried grey mullet roe) remain two of the best pasta options. The dessert list is less appealing, forsaking the numerous, delightful Sardinian pastries for a safer selection that includes the usual panna cotta, tiramisu and ice-cream.