Low prices, high standards

You get high-quality, sophisticated food, an agreeable setting, slick service, and all at modest prices - what you get here seems to be far more than you pay for.

Such regularly changing menus are commonplace in Italy and you can only speculate as to why they are not more widely available in London.

The entire menu changes regularly and has a seasonal bias to it.

There are six or more starters at Al Duca: dishes such as chargrilled marinated mixed vegetables with balsamic vinegar, or pan-fried wild mushrooms with chicken livers, bacon and crisp polenta.

Then there is a raft of dishes under the heading pasta: home-made fettuccine with rabbit ragù and black olives; linguine with clams and garlic; or reginette with peas and bacon.

This is followed by an array of main courses: pan-fried salmon with poached potatoes in butter and spinach with balsamic; sea bass; chicken.

Finally, six desserts, ranging from a stracchino cheesecake with acacia honey to a classic almond and pear tart.

Or you could try the dessert called seadas, 'puff pastry ravioli with ricotta and honey'.

The standard of cooking is high, with dishes bringing off that difficult trick of being both deceptively simple and satisfyingly rich.

Overall there is much to praise here, and the slick service and stylish ambience live up to the efforts in the kitchen; best of all, you get an opportunity to have a multi-course meal.

This is the place to try four courses Italian-style.

Al Duca
Duke Of York Street, London, SW1Y 6LA