Bag a window seat

This small restaurant was part of the flood of openings just before Christmas 2004 and on the menu they translate A' Fenestella as 'small Neapolitan window'.

For once the blurb catches the intention of the owners perfectly. Mario Frescofiore imports Italian foods to Britain and he has got together with Neapolitan restaurateur Kinder Baldascino to open A' Fenestella as their own small window onto Naples.

This is not one of those Italian restaurants where the concept has been groomed and evaluated by market research and then put in the hands of a trendy designer. Frescofiore and Baldascino have turned to highly rated chef - highly rated in Naples that is - Francesco Gaudino to put together a genuine Neapolitan menu.

And that includes pizza, so they've brought in a huge wood-fired oven from Italy complete with 'vulcanic stones'. This squats in the middle of the restaurant and is decked out in cheery red tiles. Lots of tables are crammed in, the staff - and many of the customers - are Italian and even when the restaurant is just ticking over there is a manic intensity about everything.
It certainly feels Italian.

The menu is lengthy - a dozen starters lead on to a dozen pasta dishes, a dozen main courses, and 20 different pizzas before running out of steam and offering just one 'traditional Italian dessert'. The starters are impressive, with a bank of different antipasti laid out just inside the door. The pizzas are stunning, so cut to the chase and don't worry about the pasta or mains - unless penette Siciliana or pollo alla cacciatora are the kind of old-style dishes you yearn for.

Ordering antipasto misto brings three small platefuls for a reasonable £5.50: a plate of aubergines - rich in flavour and not too oily - a plate of baby octopi in a rich tomato sauce and a plate of simply cooked wild mushrooms. Other starters include a frittura di calamari e gamberi (three deep-fried prawns) and a good portion of perfect squid rings, tender inside, crisp out.

Or maybe a retro starter appeals? Ordering polpette al sugo brings four large and solid meatballs in tomato sauce. One small niggle - A' Fenestella charges for bread, not a large sum, but it is irritating and seems greedy.

The pizzas are terrific and the cheapest costs under £6. Good dough, with the bottom of each pizza crispy and smoky, while the top remains fresh and melty. Salsicca e funghi is a good choice (Italian sausage and mushrooms) and Capricciosa runs away with itself (tomatoes, mozzarella, cooked ham, Italian salami, mushrooms, artichokes and black olives).

With pizzas, less really is more, so consider the Fume (tomatoes, smoked scamorza and basil), or the Diavola (tomatoes, mozzarella and pepperoni). Good pizzas are marked out by the quality of the crust and the quality of the toppings and the pizzas at A' Fenestella pass with flying colours. The wine list has sound wines at low prices and some bargains, including the Salice Salentino reserva at £23.75.

The service is slick but has a slightly high-pressure feel to it. Otherwise there is something pleasantly old-fashioned about the place, and if the quality of the pizzas carries any weight A' Fenestella should do well.

A' Fenestella
196 Lavender Hill, SW11