Pasta & Cuore is a restaurant and a pastificio, and a temple to the craft of pasta-making. Through the front window, under the glow of warm lights, you can watch as pasta is carefully rolled, sliced, filled and folded — it’s a mesmerising display of the skill that goes into seemingly simple dishes. 

Stepping away from the brooding décor typical of many Italian restaurants in this city, Pasta & Cuore is airy, brightly lit and even a bit cutesy. Right at the back of the restaurant is a covered courtyard fringed with vines and shaded by olive trees. If you’re seated outside, you’ll notice the absence of music, or any ambient sound really — but the food more than compensates for the potentially unnerving quiet.

Dishes here are wholly reliable, showcasing the food of the Emilia-Romagna region. And the wine list is appropriately heavy on Italian varietals. We think you could probably close your eyes, drop your finger on any part of the menu and be impressed by whatever bowl or plate you chose by chance, but we’re especially fond of beginning with the tigelle — gorgeous round flatbreads, embossed with the classic flower pattern. Another go-to is the passatelli in brodo, a rare find in this country but a signature dish in northern parts of Italy. Passatelli are a delicate ‘pasta’ made from breadcrumbs and grated cheese, bound with egg, and formed into short, wormy-looking strands, which are cooked and presented in chicken broth. Good, wholesome food at its best.