Parsons Green isn't my part of town, but I'd heard word of a good neighbourhood Italian restaurant on New King's Road from an Italian friend, so there we went. A noble little place, with plenty of local custom, I was at ease as soon as I set foot in the light pastel room littered with families, couples and friends rapt in conversation.

There's an avuncular figure flitting between tables providing the service. In our experience, drinks and starter ordering was a bit slow but thereafter he was a hearty presence ready to make recommendations and divulge the identity of the Italian film and comedy stars whose photos peer down from each wall.

Kicking off with a Negroni, and then a Montepulciano generously priced at £14, the aperitif and wine were both good. My starter of chicken livers was well prepared, the sauce a tiny bit rich and strong on the balsamic vinegar, but I wasn't disappointed with it at all. My friend's clam linguini was short of garlic, chilli and salt, so he fared a little worse and wasn't afraid to say so out of waiter's earshot.

I had the most expensive item on the menu for my main, the £18 fillet steak with mushrooms and peppercorn sauce - quite a small steak, even for a not-outrageous price, and comfortably a full shade of brown beyond medium-rare as requested. The peppercorns were a bit bitter, and the zucchini I ordered as a side were slightly soggy; these are all observations which don't spoil a good meal outright but they are, taken in sum, a shame.

The digestif we were recommended was Amaro Lucano, a stiff and warming way to round things off.

An Italian meal is an event in itself, a conversation around food designed to spark social discourse. Nuovi Sapori gets so much of this right - but the food, on this particular night, was the only thing found a little wanting.