It started with a spritz – and boy is it good to be back!

and Sicilian caponata’, the richness of the meat presumably balanced by the sweet and sour combination of aubergine, celery, salty capers and more.

In the end we chose starters that came from the deep-fried end of the spectrum: ‘Scamorza and mushroom arancini, pickled mushrooms, red pepper’ (€9) and ‘Pork crocheta, apple, celery, hazelnuts’ (€11).

The arancini balls of properly savoury mushroom risotto, crisply coated but moist and melted inside, were centred on smoky scamorza cheese, a pleasing combination. Whether or not some pickled enoki mushrooms and a large dollop of red pepper purée brought much to the party, is a matter of taste. I thought they over-complicated a very pleasant dish. The crocetta – crocetti, I suppose, as there were two – was a more satisfyingly composed starter. Pulled pork had been shaped into spheres, bread-crumbed and deep-fried.

They were served with very thin slices of crisp, tart green apple and a scattering of toasted hazelnuts, a little aïoli on the side. It was a kind of symphony of crunches: meaty crunch, fruit crunch, nutty crunch. Simple and effective.

Main courses contrasted similarly. ‘Frito misto [of] cod, line caught squid & prawns, garlic aïoli, fra diavolo, fries’ (€19) was a generous dish, marred only by some of the elements being a little overcooked. The garlic aïoli (is there any other kind?) was appropriately garlicky,

RIBA’S wine list is excellent, full of interest, eclectic, covers all the bases without being predictable and fairly priced. So much so, it’s hard to choose my highlights. We much enjoyed the Pecorino (not always a cheese!) from Saladini Pilastri at €35, and would have been equally happy with the crisp Spanish Gabo do Xil Godello (€39.50, right), or the Colombo Bianco Grillo from Sicily (€29.50). It’s good to see the crisp, dry minerally Falanghina del Sannio (€33) alongside a Verdicchio from the Marche (€38). House wines are the red and white Madregale from Abruzzo, excellent value at €24. My picks among the reds would have to include the house Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (€24), a great pasta partner, Antinori’s Peppoli Chianti (€39), Château Turcaud Bordeaux in the mature 2016 vintage (€35), the cracking Austrian ‘Ink’ Zweigelt from Judith Beck (€39) and the deep Mandarossa Etna Rossa (€58). The superstar Tignanello 2015 is a bargain at €140 (it will be at least €130 if you can find it in a shop).