A few steps from the hustle and bustle of the lunchtime rush in Pirie St, along a narrow passage past its impressive room-length bar, Oggi will transport you instantly to a sunny, vine-covered piazza in the village of your dreams.

The brilliant, award-winning design is guaranteed to lift the spirits, before you taste even a morsel.

A menu that changes most days sticks to a classic Italian structure: small plates, salumi, pasta and main courses with just three sides, or “contorni”.

Anchovy soldiers recall executive chef Andrew Davies’s earlier work in a restaurant groups that has also brought us, among others, Press, Proof wine bar, Nido and Melt. They make a fine start, alongside a luscious burrata served with segments of blood orange and a sprinkle of pistachios.

Campanelle pasta with smoked eel is oily and rich, its bell shape capturing the peas and chilli that add colour and heat. A main course of pork loin cooked over coals but served pink and succulent on a bed of pumpkin puree with crisp sage leaves is perfectly offset by a sharp witlof and frisee salad. And who could go past crisp potatoes with a vinegary hit of salsa verde?

Don’t stop there. Tiramisu affogato is a splendid riff on three iconic Italian desserts (the third being zabaglione).