»A decade is a long time in the restaurant game, particularly on the unforgiving streets of Noho, so it is no mean feat for Italian eaterie Latium to celebrate its tenth birthday.

It’s just north of Oxford Street in what’s not a bad location for the theatre crowd and the office contingent – the place certainly had a few suits in attendance during our Friday lunch visit.

But I doubt it’s convenience that has kept the punters coming back – this is a place that takes pride and care in their food.

And it shows – nowhere more so than the ravioli. There is a separate, dedicated menu featuring nothing but these pasta parcels; starters, mains and deserts. The fish ravioli appetiser was a good example – four pieces, the pasta flavoured and coloured with ingredients like squid ink and spinach and stuffed with seafood, including monkfish, brill and salmon.

Strength

Eaten from right to left, increasing in strength, and smothered in a sea bass bottarga, they were pretty much immaculate.

Away from the ravioli, the swordfish carpaccio was also excellent; firm and smoky flesh creating a lovely medley with the lemon zest and sweet tomatoes.

As a main, the pork belly with chilli was nice enough, though a tiny bit fatty and a touch on the dry side.

Meanwhile, the garlic and infused hake was a triumph served with strong, muscular artichokes and lashing of buttery sauce.

Latium also gave me my first chance to enjoy ravioli for pudding; in a similar format to the starter, the three parcels came in apple and vanilla, mint and pineapple and chocolate with orange. All very good indeed.

Don’t expect to be stuffed to the gills after leaving Latium; the portions are on the delicate side and at almost £30 for two courses at dinner time it is not cheap.

But what you do get tends to be very good, and if you take advantage of the pre-theatre menu (before 6.45pm) it’s very reasonable.

It’s definitely reassuring to know of a nice place like Latium that won’t break the bank amid the tourist maelstrom of the West End.