Cecconi's

Achingly fashionable in the noughties, this all-day Italian brasserie has mellowed into a sleekly self-assured Mayfair stalwart - and remains hugely popular. On a Monday evening, our squeezed-in two-hour slot wasn't mere maître d' posturing: come 8pm, every table in the place was occupied.

Designed by Ilse Crawford, the dining room's monochrome marble floor, apple-green upholstery and velvet banquettes have stood the test of time; perhaps the best perches in the house are along the low-lit central bar, with its elegant art deco lamps and suave, white-suited barmen.

The menu favours luxurious simplicity over culinary innovation: a generous plate of lobster spaghetti, say, or a truffle-laced smoked duck salad. The quality of ingredients shone through a succession of bite-sized cicchetti, from plump Umbrian sausages to dainty crostini, topped with creamy goat's cheese and baked aubergine, salty anchovies and rich chicken liver pâté. Lamb cutlets with caponata were faultlessly cooked, if a little underseasoned, but the best dish was the simplest: a tangle of fresh, own-made basil tagliatelle, studded with prawns, peas, garlic, basil and chilli.

Unobtrusive but attentive service and a surprisingly wallet-friendly wine list add to Cecconi's easy going appeal; we may not have spotted an A-lister, but we left feeling very content.