Edera

Hospitality is taken very seriously in this upmarket neighbourhood Italian, where a mix of smart Holland Park families, couples & suits appreciate the owners’ dedication to robust traditional cooking in unflashy modern surrounds. The management’s refusal to turn tables encourages lingering, yet locals are just as likely to pop in for a quick bowl of excellent home-made pasta (tagliolini with pecorino & black pepper, for example) & a glass of Verdicchio at one of the pavement tables. The longstanding menu sticks largely to trattoria staples, so dinner might start with bresaola or linguine alle vongole, before succulent veal milanese or char-grilled sea bass with spinach. There’s also a smattering of well-executed Sardinian hits such as earthy malloreddus pasta with sausage. Earnest waiting staff are capably drilled by a competent front-of-house team, who are on hand to guide diners through the extensive all-Italian wine list.