Alba

Nestled into the City’s northern fringe close to the Barbican, Alba is now reaping the benefit of a gorgeous revamp that pitches vividly coloured seating against cool, slate-grey walls. But good looks aren’t the main reason why this urbane Italian draws a growing band of discerning supporters – including many Square Meal readers. They come for the generous, ‘faultlessly executed’ regional food & ‘intelligent, sensitive innovations’, as well as the impressive all-Italian wine list. The kitchen puts down a marker with, say, poached octopus carpaccio with three-bean salad, or San Daniele ham with figs, before applying its skills to sea bass fillets in Vernaccia wine with Taggiasche olives, or tagliolini with rabbit braised with olives & peppers. The excellent-value set menu is now available at lunch or dinner & to cap it all, there’s a large selection of grappa for that final alcoholic hit.

Wine List: Certainly not the capital’s largest Italian list, but consistently one of the best. Mark-ups are kind to the diner (particularly considering the City location) & the bins concentrate on classic Italy with a bias towards the north. Best Buy White 2006 Müller Thurgau, Tiefenbruner, Alto Adige, Italy, £29.50. Best Buy Red 2005 Nebbiolo Occhetti, Prunotto, Piedmont, Italy, £37.50.