Just a stroll from the hubbub of Oxford Street, this new Italian on the site of kooky Soho Japan offers respite and sustenance for shoppers and local workers with its extensive line-up of cicchetti and reasonably priced Italian wines by the glass. Nibble on cheeses, charcuterie and small plates of smoked swordfish carpaccio, scallops with pea shoots and aromatic croûtons or courgette flowers stuffed with ricotta and mint in a chic, neutral-toned room pointed up with suspended wine racks on the walls. Otherwise, plump for a full meal in the restaurant – perhaps homemade tagliolini with fresh crab and bottagra (cured mullet roe), grilled cuttlefish and fennel salad with salmoriglio dressing, a 35-day aged rib-eye steak or one of the regularly changing seasonal specials. Monty’s also plans to stage regular wine and cheese tastings inspired by different regions of Italy.