Trattoria da Aldo, Soho

I don't know why Italian food seems to hit the spot so often. It could be the comforting carbs of pizza and pasta, the associations of sunshine and good living, or the bold punchy flavours like olives and garlic. Whatever it is, when in doubt, or when you're just not feeling adventurous enough for an Eritrean or a Vietnamese meal, an Italian restaurant often seems like a good choice.

Trattoria da Aldo was one such recent choice. It's a homely place, slightly old-fashioned and in a part of Soho heaving with tourists, a fair few of whom were coming in the door by mid-evening. Quirky decor helps to distract from the fact that some of the tables are really very close together. It's not a place to go if you're plotting something.

For such a central location prices are remarkably reasonable - even more so if you take advantage of the Tastecard discount and various other deals available. Haute cuisine it aint, but that's fine. A tomato, mozzarella and avocado salad is hardly rocket science, but I've had quite a few dodgy versions in the past - everything from rock-hard avocado to tasteless tomato. This avoided most of the pitfalls, though it was perhaps a touch cold and I would have liked to see fresh basil leaves rather than just a basil-flavoured dressing. The other half had snails, served in their shells, though we cynically wondered whether they had been put back in the shells for presentational purposes. He admits to being no expert in snails, and they tasted pretty good, though even tyre rubber tastes pretty good when served in enough garlic butter.

Next there was a seafood dish which turned out to be a big bowl of mussels, plus prawns and a crayfish. It was mussels with a seafood garnish really, but they tasted nice, and the prices were low enough that it was hard to care too much.

A dish of crespoline fiorentina (doesn't it sound so much more glamorous than spinach and ricotta pancakes) was pleasant. The pancakes had a nice texture and made a change from the cannelloni you more often find in this context. It wasn't an enormous portion, but I didn't really expect that from this sort of dish. We rounded off with an Italian-style sort of lemon tart, which was not bad. House wine was perfectly drinkable.

The toilets could have done with a bit of a spruce up, but otherwise it was a pleasant evening at more than reasonable prices. I wouldn't cross London to go there, but if in the area I'll be very happy to go back.

Trattoria da Aldo
51 Greek Street,
London W1V 5LQ
0207 437 3985
www.trattoria-da-aldo.com