Certain restaurants make you feel like you’ve made the right decision as soon as you walk in the door – and manteca is one of them. It’s always busy, always full of life and always run with a calm confidence that allows everyone to relax. The best seats in the house are upstairs, where you can watch the chefs preparing Italian dishes that are designed for sharing and come with flavour turned up to the max, from the ’nduja steamed mussels to the whole wood-roasted John Dory. Be sure to check out their in-house pasta workshop and their salumeria.