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‘We will miss you,’ read a sign affixed to the restaurant door as lockdown threatened to kill one of the city’s best-loved institutions forever, but the restaurant survived and persists in the face of spiralling costs - and thank goodness.

Sandwiched between a cookie dough store and a Pret a Manger, Pasta Romagna is a little culinary haven amid one of the country’s busiest shopping districts.

Its vintage-looking signage promises nostalgia for a life in Northern Italy that you’ve probably never lived - but just a short stop in this welcoming eatery could almost convince you that you had.

The family-run business is homed in a modest space bursting with inviting Italian goods; the counter is stacked with torte and cannoli, while amaretto and limoncello compete for space on the shelves lined with tinned Mutti tomatoes which hail from the restaurant's eponymous region.

Of my Thursday afternoon visit, it is the subtle sweetness of the tomatoes which linger in the memory and distinguish the Pasta Romagna bolognese as a cut above the countless others served across the city. The freshness of the ingredients shines and the bite on the linguine is just right. After, the tiramisu also hits the mark - fluffy and light, with a delicate flavour that isn’t overwhelmed with booziness.

Watching the world go by on a leafy boulevard, eating authentic Italian food at Pasta Romagna can make you feel, for a time, as though you really are enjoying a mini-break on the continent - for a fraction of the price. The pasta and pizza dishes cost between eight and ten pounds, while the delicious desserts set you back four pounds and a crisp pint of draught Birra Moretti comes in at just over a fiver.

Though the atmosphere is laid back, food is served swiftly by wonderful staff, making Pasta Romagna as fine a destination for a mid-shopping bite as an extended afternoon dip into a foreign cuisine.