Cosi has plenty of regulars, who even chat the whole day away from early afternoon till dinnertime. We weren’t planning on staying quite that long, but we did drop by for a long lunch.

We start with the Quail Ravioli. I loved the fine texture of the quail filling and its buttery sauce, the parmesan adding just the right amount of sharpness to the bites of pasta. The Seared Scallops come with the succulent and glistening pork belly. The corn puree is smooth and not too sweet, and the pork has delectable crackling.

The Saffron and Spanner Crab Risotto is a vibrant yellow, the rice grains cooked to al dente. We’re enamoured by the Wagyu Rump, with a marble score of 7+. There’s a charred flavour in the sauce, and the stinging nettle puree is a wonderful accompaniment. The texture of the wagyu is luxuriously smooth and cooked perfectly. It’s a melt-in-your-mouth experience I would gladly repeat.

Perhaps the only let down in our meal was the overcooked Self-saucing Chocolate Pudding, though it did make for a good chocolate muffin of sorts. Much better was the Fromage Frais Cheesecake with strawberries and balsamic.

I don’t often head out for fine dining Italian, but if I need to, Cosi will be one I’ll be keeping in mind.