Avista - Mayfair

Upscale Italian regional cuisine is now the order of the day at Avista, the site formerly occupied by Brian Turner in the Millennium Hotel Mayfair. The restaurant is a good looker, swankily done out with marble floors, graphite and taupe leather banquettes, plus a chef's table for 12 people.

Chef Michele Granziera is a veteran of Zafferano and other big-name London kitchens, so he knows his way around the modern Italian repertoire and responds to seasonal ingredients with flair and imagination. The menu takes on board classic peasant-style specialities as well as more contemporary ideas: thus antipasti might range from aubergine parmigiana to steamed prawns with green apple salad or stewed baby octopus with soft polenta and chilli.

Pasta is is strong suit - expect anything from linguine with lobster to pumpkin tortellini with Amaretto and sage - while mains offer slow-cooked pork cheeks and smoked rack of lamb with tapenade and Swiss chard as well as a textbook interpretation of fritto misto. Desserts also show plenty of dash - witness milk ice cream with violets and pears. Stuzzichini snacks are served at the bar - think prawn dumplings with pepper chutney or courgettes with crispy pumpkin and pesto.