7 Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, London, N4 3JP www.pastaremoli.co.uk

Founded by chef Simone Remoli, Stefano Anfussi and Francesca Tarquini, Pasta Remoli serves freshly prepared authentic Italian pasta and sauces, quickly.

Pasta Remoli has taught me you can’t judge a book by its cover – or a restaurant by its location. We visited the Finsbury Park branch but as they also have a restaurant in Westfield Stratford, I wasn’t expecting too much. However, I am pleased to say I was very, very wrong.

The menu concept is simple – pick your pasta, then your sauce, then your cheese, and enjoy. Or, alternatively, you can pick one of the’chefs suggestions’ or a range of authentic roman dishes.

The portions at Pasta Remoli are not for the faint hearted. However, I implore you to start with the antipasto Remoli to share between two people; a fantastic board covered in some of the most delicious cured meats, a creamy and soft burrata cheese, salty yet fresh bruschetta and crisp arancini with wonderfully soft middles oozing with melted cheese.

If that wasn’t enough, it also comes with fresh, fragrant breads and focaccia. An absolute feast and I think on an ordinary day this, served with a glass of crisp white wine would have been plenty.

I couldn’t leave Pasta Remoli without trying their pasta. Alongside an extensive’fixed’ pasta menu, Pasta Remoli also offers an intriguing selection of daily specials. As someone who can’t resist a good seafood dish, gnocchi topped with mussels and razor clams was an absolute must.

Cooked so each piece of gnocchi was soft but not mushy, and then coated in a wonderfully light butter and sage sauce and a few chunks of soft tomato, this dish sang of summer.

The oxtail agnolotti is a complete contrast but equally delicious. The pasta was soft and slippery and filled with indulgent oxtail. Coupled with the oxtail sauce, which can only be served with the agnolotti, it has a rich and deep flavour from the juices of the meat.

I will have to return for dessert, as I couldn’t quite manage it on the night despite how good the tiramisu or the Sicilian cannolo looked. However, in true Italian style, we finished off our meal with a tart and refreshing limoncello.

Pasta Remoli blew me away – I didn’t expect such complex and interesting flavours. Luckily for me, it is a local and I can’t wait to go back very soon.