For a complete antithesis of the stark modern restaurants in the area, try the barrel-shaped Osteria Antica Bologna on Battersea's Northcote Road. It's cosy, quaint and not unlike eating in a treehouse.

The Venue
Tucked away on the busy Northcote Road, this little Italian restaurant has been nesting in the area since the early Noughties. The dark, wooden exterior with its cosy, covered terrace is vaguely reminiscent of the old family-run osterias you find in the back streets of Milan, although unfortunately not quite as cheap. Peeking through the window on this cold, frosty night, the dozens of candles flickering on dinky wooden tables couldn't look more inviting. The barrel-esque theme runs right through the restaurant from the 3D wooden signage to the barrelled bay window, where all the best tables are positioned.

The Atmosphere
As cute as it looks from the outside, sadly on chilly evenings the place can be almost empty. The staff are keen and very polite, although worryingly on a recent visit they got the order wrong on the only table in the restaurant. A little music wouldn’t go amiss as well to enhance the atmosphere. The lunch-time menu offers better value for money, which may bring in the local Battersea punters.

The Food
The menu here at OAB is seasonal. The autumn menu’s starters are interesting but at £7.20 for cheese mousse with toasted bread, a little on the pricey side. The home-made potato soup is quite bland and again not worth the excessive price tag. The bruschetta comes as a thick doorstop of crunchy bread, very lightly drizzled with garlic oil, tossed rocket but plenty of ripe and tasty pomodorini tomatoes. Nice, but by no means the best example of this traditional Italian dish.

For the main offerings there is a good selection of home-made pastas, some of which have interesting additions such as almond spaghetti and chickpea linguine. The chestnut tagliolini with wild mushrooms and truffle butter is rich and delicious with the earthy taste of the truffles really infusing the dish. The spaghetto di mandorle with bean sprouts and langoustines has a real mix of flavours. The almonds and bean sprouts gives the dish a delicious Asian-style crunch which when combined with the silky fresh pasta works surprisingly well. Other mains include a loin of bison with a wine and goat’s cheese sauce, is at £17.30 a little steep for such a venue. Desserts are of the standard Italian variety with the only surprise being the very un-Italian apple strudel.

The Drink
The wine list is represented by every region of Italy and ranges from £13 a bottle to just over £50, with a couple of lesser known examples thrown in to tease the wine buffs. The house Prosecco is crisp and a treat for times when only something sparkly will do. The house wine is served in litre and half litre carafes, with the red being rich, smooth and an excellent example of an Italian table wine.

The Last Word
Battersea's Osteria Antica Bologna is slightly overpriced, but for a completely different take on your standard pizza / pasta joint, why not dine in a treehouse?

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