All the pasta at Cotto is handmade: rolled out, cut up and shaped into maltagliati and tortelloni and whatever else is on that month’s menu. It’s labour intensive, so there’s only ever two or three types on at once, with a gnocchi and risotto thrown into the mix, and plenty of other options to start with. We don’t think we’ve ever written about Cotto without mentioning its spinach dumplings with goat’s cheese and sage (or, actually, ever gone to Cotto without ordering them), and its fermented fries or focaccia are other yum options to tide you over before getting into the pasta. Oh, and how could we forget Cotto’s Brussels? They must be responsible for converting one or two sprout-haters in their time.

Make sure to get there just as it opens at 5pm for happy-hour drink specials (till 6pm) and to nab a table before the rush (note, the restaurant takes bookings only for eight or more people). Inside, the restaurant unfolds out into the kitchen at the back, with plenty of seating in between, including a couple of semi-circle booths. Cotto is also the last restaurant before you hit the Karangahape Rd overbridge, so if you’re on a solo or couples’ outing, the intimate bench seating to the left side of the restaurant looks down on to the Light Path Te Ara i Whiti and the busy city traffic.