Fillets of hake in an almond sauce by Marc Fosh

Ilove Zucca in Bermondsey. Apologies, but I can’t keep my powder dry in this column, chuntering on about a ‘modern Italian culinary Renaissance’ or the ‘positive boon of Bermondsey gentrification’. No, instead, the primal urge takes over to bash ‘UM FOOD GOOD TAKE FRIENDS NOW’ into the keyboard, check the word count, then slink off back there in search of more fresh bucatini corti with ricotta. Or sticky citrus panettone pudding. Or grilled pork belly with artichokes. Or veal chops with spinach and lemon. Or squid nero with white polenta.

Tasty food, served with time for you to bed in. Linger even. Zucca is elegant: one room, open kitchen, mute yet warm décor. The staff are Mediterranean ‘magic touch’ masters who can spin the idea of you getting ratted on lunchtime Prosecco into not just a nice idea but a noble one, too.

Zucca’s crowd are that new Chelseaspillover Bermondsey set. This is more hooray than hipster. Admittedly, alarm bells did go off for me when I spotted one bumpy non-rendered cement wall, which in the past I usually find followed by some Herbert in a Camp BUNAC T-shirt telling me the concept is ‘ No plates, just kitchen roll’ or ‘ Here’s your soup ladle and rain bonnet, please select some Black Sabbath vinyl and begin Djing when you’re ready’.

But no fear, Zucca is a real restaurant, with a reservation system and dishes you can keep all to yourself if ‘sharing plates’ make you pinch-faced and blue. Sharing the aubergine norma at Zucca would make me very irate. I’m not sure how Zucca takes the humble, bulbous, loofah-flavoured aubergine, throws in a few herbs and produces a dish tastier than filet mignon. Nor could I put puntarelle, chilli, capers and anchovies into the same dish and make anything more useful than a rat deterrent, but at Zucca they know the winning formula.

I ate a comforting stew of ox cheek with borlotti beans and pancetta, with a side of baked sticky cauliflower littered with sweet breadcrumbs. On my return I’m on the hunt for taglierini with catalogna and gorgonzola, or the pappardelle with pork and fennel, leaving room for the panna cotta. That might sound carb-heavy, but they’re carbs eaten south of the river, which means they don’t impact on my bottom at all. I’m pretty sure that’s how it works. Serves 4 • 4 (300g) hake fillets • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed • 1 onion, chopped • 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped • 140ml fish stock • 50ml dry white wine • Pinch of saffron • 20g ground almonds • 2 tbsp breadcrumbs Method Heat a little olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Pan-fry the fillets for 30 seconds on each side and place in a casserole dish. Add the garlic, onion and tomatoes to the pan and cook gently for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock, wine and saffron. Bring to the boil, stir in the almonds and season. Pour the sauce over the hake, sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and bake in a hot oven for 5-6 minutes.