Our punter says...

Reggae music made our shoulders shimmy and smells from the kitchen made our bellies rumble as our server greeted us with a smile. Knowledgeable and enthusiastic, she explained the menu to us and helped us decide how much to order from the savoury courses on offer.

We arrived at 6pm on a Tuesday, and it took a while for the place to liven up. Our first three courses were cleared within 50 minutes, so we felt our evening was over before it had really begun.

My carpaccio antipasti created a citrus explosion in my mouth as tangy nuggets of capers burst against firm slices of raw brill, doused with an emulsion of sharp lemon juice and olive oil.

Bianchis takes pride in its homemade pasta and rightly so. The stand-out dish of silky pappardelle ribbons tossed through robust, chianti-stewed beef shin, seasoned by salty parmesan and peppery olive oil, slipped down effortlessly.

Confit duck crespelle – fluffy egg pancake – was rich with creamy taleggio but lacked any real taste of the duck which was in the form of a paste running through the mixture. Sweet, balsamic-roasted figs, bitter radicchio and green beans were a welcome contrast that broke up what resembled a cheesy omelette.

My favourite flavour combination of dark chocolate and amaretto was whipped up into a velvety mousse and sweetened with a soft, marshmallowy Italian meringue and juicy poached pears. A contrasting texture of a crumbled amaretto biscuit or two would have been a nice touch.