After all these years, tables in every nook and cranny are packed with perky diners, even midweek. Most will order the eye-catching anchovy toast, but you might start with a delicate bite of brik pastry topped with a jumble of pearl mushroom and smear of potato aioli. Or a crunchy corn tostada carrying melt-in-your-mouth scallops with charred spring onion and zesty yuzu kosho.

A medley of pickled mushrooms add zing to creamy stracciatella submerged in viridescent chive oil; potato focaccia brings crunch to the party. Plate-sized butterflied rainbow trout in buttery grenobloise is even better with a bright and lively gamay – a strong case to leave your wine picks to tuned-in waitstaff who are likely to open an off-list stunner to pour by the glass. But it’s the king-sized rum baba, ceremoniously crowned with creme diplomat, that plays you out on a high.

Good to know: The upstairs dining room is all class, but the buzzy downstairs bar is where the party’s at.

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