Life isn’t fair and that includes the restaurant business. Here is a more than competent Italian on one of central London’s most pleasant thoroughfares charging prices which, if not a bargain, are perfectly fair. Yet, on a perfect summer Saturday night when less capable venues are packed to the rafters, Getti is barely a quarter full.

The Venue
Getti is at the Lower Regent Street end of Jermyn Street, the civilised, parallel alternative to tourist-choked Piccadilly. Long the home of numerous bespoke gentlemen’s tailoring establishments, it also boasts a highly-rated fringe theatre (next door to Getti) and a sprinkling of relaxed, attractive restaurants.

Getti consists of one ground- and one first-floor room totalling 90 covers. It is decorated in that unremarkable, inoffensive, modern style of white paintwork, tiled floors, wooden bucket chairs, white tablecloths and ceiling spotlights. There’s just room for three small pavement tables, delightful for al fresco summer dining. Sitting inside but at the front windows would be equally pleasant were it not for the extraordinary decision to frost the glass at eye level, thus entirely blocking out the street scene.

The Atmosphere
Ambience is limited thanks to the dearth of custom. On a balmy Saturday night, service peaks with a half-full ground floor whilst the upstairs room is left undisturbed. The clientele is a mix of mature Mayfair couples, tourists and families. Ambient muzak plays for a while, then gives up. Service is accurate, attentive and impeccably paced.

The Food
Four bread options, none complimentary, include slices of three varieties (not all at the peak of freshness), a bowl of grassy olive oil and some yummy mixed olives. At £3.50, there’s plenty for two to nibble on. Seven starters range from vegetable soup (£5.95) to sautéed scallops with grilled courgettes (£12.50) and include both classics like tricolore and the less predictable, like smoked duck breast with rocket and parmesan. A meat platter for two (£13.50) is attractively arranged and features quality Parma ham and salami, unusually creamy mozzarella, and salad including artichoke heart and lovely crunchy fennel amid the more expected leaves, cucumber and tomato.

For mains, choose from 10 pizzas (£8.50 - £12.75), nine pastas and risottos (£10.50 to £19.50 for one featuring lobster), four fish dishes, five meat, four salads, and main-sized meat or cheese collations, plus half a dozen sides. The budget-conscious will appreciate the set menu with a choice of three starters, three mains and two puds at £14.75 for two courses, £17.75 for three. A vast tuna steak (£18.50) arrives rare, as requested, and well seasoned, and is meltingly divine. Its olive sauce – more of an olive puree – works well. The accompanying steamed vegetables turn out to be slivers of still al dente aubergine, pepper and courgette. Sadly, the advertised roast potatoes fail to materialise.

Fried calamari, prawns and whitebait (£15.50) instantly transports you back to Mediterranean holidays. The squid and whitebait are crisp and flavoursome but is there any point in coating then deep-frying large prawns when they are still in their shells? There’s a good blob of decent tartare sauce, and the accompanying frisée, lollo rosso and cucumber salad is a useful, palate-cleansing foil. A side of skinny fries (£4) is crisp and hot but slightly oversalted for some tastes.

From a list of nine desserts, tiramisu (£6) is a decent example of the genre; a big bowl of firm, creamy booziness. Chocolate tart (£5.50) surprises. Forget thoughts of cold chocolate gunge in a crisp pastry case. This is a warm, squidgy, brownie-esque square. It possesses deep chocolate flavour, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream sets it off well.

The Drink
The wholly Italian (apart from Champagne) wine list features 13 whites, a brace of rosés and 23 reds, from £16.25 to just shy of the £100 mark. As is the modern, unsnobbish way, they are grouped according to style with helpful headings like ‘lightly aged, rounded and fresh’ or ‘simple, unpretentious, fruity and fresh’. A reasonable selection – five whites, both rosés and six reds – is available by the 175ml glass.

Tormaresca Chardonnay I.G.T. Puglia 2008 (£6.45/£26.25) has, delightfully, both buttery and citrussy notes. Cipresseto Rosato I.G.T. Marchesi Antinori Toscana 2008 (£6.10/£25.65) is a lovely summer rosé, dry and astringent yet still with some fruit and perfume. Pinot Grigio Blush Rosé Via Nova Veneto 2008 (£5.10 £20.15) is clean and delicate, and the palest imaginable shade of pink. There are two dessert wines (one by the glass), five Champagnes and proseccos (one of each by the glass) and a modest but perfectly serviceable list of aperitifs, digestifs and liqueurs.

The Last Word
There are Italian restaurants in London which serve deeply unremarkable food at stratospheric prices. Nevertheless, they mystifyingly become the haunt of the glitterati and ordinary punters are queuing round the block. Then there are places like Getti where competent cooking, good service and a civilised atmosphere comes at a fair price – yet the hordes steer clear. Maybe its owners should entice in some A-lister lookalikes to convince the hoi polloi to discover the treat they’re missing.

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