Cibo

In a parade of shops on a small side street off busy Holland Road, Cibo is a small and unpretentious restaurant, a destination for lovers of Italian food. A bar dominates the room, decoration is provided by nude reliefs, ornaments and ceramic pots, and Italian staff are knowledgeable and helpful. Bread - focaccia, carta di musica - and nibbles like olives are promising openers before starters along the lines of smooth polenta topped with a tomato-based ragù of fennel-infused luganega sausage, or crudo di tonno with capers. Pasta is the real thing - perhaps ravioli, cooked al dente, stuffed with smooth minced pheasant in wild mushroom sauce, a well-balanced dish - and the kitchen's care with quality ingredients, some imported, shines throughout, from whole sea bass plainly grilled with lemon and herbs, to pan-fried venison fillet served with agnolotti pasta filled with apple in venison sauce. Puddings are convincing renditions of the classics, from tiramisù to zabaglione.