GENIAL host Ciro Molinaro presides over this cheerfully informal neighbourhood establishment with its eponymous open-plan kitchen, chirpy, well-informed waiters (of both sexes) and ever-changing menu.

Frequented by such "schlebs" as Gwen Gill (who coined the term) and literary foodie Jenny Crwys-Williams, La Cucina has a devoted regular clientele and rarely disappoints, which is probably why, along with Assaggi and Deluxe, it is one of three Johannesburg establishments to appear in the Dine 100 list of Top 10 Restaurants: Everyday Eating, sponsored by Wine magazine and Diners Club International.

Lunch and dinner menus differ, ingredients are seasonal and Ciro specialises in combining unlikely sounding elements that marry happily to create wonderful, unexpected taste treats.

Lunch choices range from soup of the day through sandwiches with fillings you would never have dreamed of combining, to exotic salads, unusual pastas, melt-in-the-mouth flavoursome risotto to grilled fillet or roasted fish. Prices range from R28 for the soup to R79 for fillet or fish. There are plenty of choices for dessert lovers and for those with only a small sweet tooth, one of Ciro's biscotti is a perfect addition to excellent coffee.

The dinner menu, changed monthly, offers a range of exotic starters, signature pastas and main dishes, including fresh linefish, T-bone steak, chicken breast and roast Karoo lamb. Prices range from R27,50 for the soup of the day to R82 for the steak.

A newish addition to the repertoire is a range of innovative breakfasts, served every day from Monday to Saturday, and newest of all is Ciro's gourmet delicatessen, at 43 Seventh Avenue, Parktown North, where you can buy the dinner, take it home and pretend you did it yourself.

17 Fourth Avenue, Parktown North
Telephone: 011 442 5346
Hours: Breakfast Monday-Saturday 8.30-11am; lunch Monday-Saturday 12-2.30pm; dinner Monday-Saturday 6.30-9.30pm