You would expect any restaurant in the rather exclusive area of St James’s to be in a high price bracket, but Al Duca, off Jermyn Street, is quite the opposite: terrific food at a very reasonable price.

The Venue
Al Duca is small, compact, modern and very appealing. Even these days there are certain things you expect of an Italian restaurant, but this is no stereotypically traditional Italian. It is part of the Claudio Pulze empire and is a good showcase for the man who has in the past thirty or more years opened nearly forty restaurants in London. Al Duca must be one of the best.

The Atmosphere
Absolutely packed for dinners on evenings, even during the week Al Duca is bustling. At lunchtime it’s even busier (you would have to book), mainly with regulars from around the local area, so you can imagine that the general atmosphere is always one of diners enjoying themselves, of people having a really good time. Yes, it may be noisy, but bearably so, and it’s good to be in a busy restaurant. Well, who would want to dine in an empty one?

The Food
The menu is not just your average Italian specialities, although there are pasta dishes such as linguine with clams, garlic and chilli, ricotta and spinach ravioli and pappardelle with peas and bacon. A fine piece of octopus is served like a slice of terrine on a chicory salad and it is superb with a real taste of the sea. Another starter of warm poached egg and fried bacon is served on a hat made of crisp Parmesan. The strong flavour of the cheese goes so well with the runny egg and the crisp rasher and it’s all presented with roasted potatoes and shallot vinegar: an absolute heaven of a breakfast.

Main courses include lemon sole, char-grilled tuna, warm carpaccio of beef with mushrooms, roast pork fillet, calf’s liver and other dishes of the day. The poached wild sea bass with crushed roasted potatoes and black olive tapenade is a beautiful piece of fish, perfectly cooked and packed with flavour. And the pan-fried duck breast couldn’t be better, sliced and fanned out on the plate with sweet and sour shallots and a nicely piquant dressing of fig mulled wine. The duck is so tender and sweet, it’s quite unbeatable. For dessert the chocolate marquise is about as chocolatey as you can get and the semifreddo of pistachio and cherries is a winner: creamy, fruity and crunchy.

The Drink
There’s not just one or two house wines, but a whole roster priced from £16 to £30 or so. An excellent Sardinian Vernaccia Terresinis 2006 goes very well with many of the courses. The rest of the extensive list goes from the modestly priced (from £4.50 a glass) to £36 for a bottle of Chianti Classico, but then the stakes are raised with more wines up to £100 and then the really fine bottles at £400. Take your pick according to your pocket.

The Last Word
All this lovely food is at a very reasonable £23.50 for two courses, £26.50 for three, or £31.50 for four, plus a few items with supplements. It’s even cheaper at lunchtime (£20.50 - £27.50). No wonder Al Duca is always so busy. Don’t worry about beating a path to their door, because somebody else will be there before you. Just book in advance and enjoy.

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