Battersea Power Station is one of the biggest transformations currently taking place in London. While the building work finishes, some of London’s best loved restaurants and chefs are setting up shop, and I predict it will soon be a atmospheric dining destination.

One of the first chefs to take a leap of faith was Italian maestro Chef Francesco Mazzei, with his upmarket bistro Fiume. The stylish eatery offers rustic Southern Italian recipes presented with flair and charm. I visited last week to check out the extensive menu.

Fiume is the ideal summertime dinner date location, with wonderful views of the Thames and a civilised but buzzing vibe. The menu was explained to us in great detail by our patient waiter. He couldn’t help but let us know when there was a dish he really liked!

After much deliberation we decided on a few starters to share, followed by a couple of bowls of homemade pasta. Of the small plates I urge you to try the Umbrian truffle Grana Panama doughnut, this utterly indulgent creation was sweet and cheesy with a hint of woods truffle. So delicious but not suitable for any kind of dieter! The Zucchini Fritti were also wonderful, the thinnest and lightest morsels of battered vegetable I have ever had the pleasure of eating.

From the list of pasta dishes I recommend the Burrata tortelli with hazelnuts, sage and black truffle. It was a rich and comforting bowl of food. Perfect parcels of pasta filled with creamy cheese and coated in a buttery herb sauce. Though rich the portions are relatively small, and I was surprised by the expensive price list, perhaps a little ambitious for this trendy new part of town.

Full from the savoury dishes we didn’t try puddings on this occasion, but the restaurant has all the Italian classics you might expect, from Tiramisu to Panna cotta.

When we left Fiume at 8.30pm every table was full, and I expect this reliable Italian eatery to get more and more popular as Battersea Power Station continues to evolve.

More information and book a table at Fiume here.