Treviso

To be an Italian restaurant in Richmond is to have a hell of a lot of competition. So if, despite all that, you’re a restaurant that’s not just busy, but packed out in the middle of the week, you’re doing something right. To say that Treviso is popular would be an understatement. ‘We’re not busy tonight’ says the convivial owner, with not a seat to spare, but pointing to the empty outside terrace (it’s chilly and raining) says, ‘order off menu, any pasta dish, our chef will do it’. He visits each table, sitting with regulars and cracking jokes, or initiating débutantes to the minimal menu with his personal recommendations.

It’s all good and, better yet, very reasonably priced. For primi, chunky king prawns in garlic and white wine just about outshone the polpette floating in a mouth-wateringly tart tomato sauce and topped with crispy pancetta. Pasta comes fresh and steaming from the pan: we would return for the tagliatelle with flaky salmon in a cream sauce alone. Our fresh fillet of sea bass, sitting over a pile of green beans and potatoes, was simple and faultless. Being a short walk out of town, on the ‘other side’ of the roundabout, some diners might think it’s too much effort to get there, especially with other Italians on offer a lot closer. They’d be advised to think again.