It was a grey wintry day, and most of the In Business team was in east Oxford, looking for a cheery lunch spot. The ever-reliable Fishers was closed (it was a Monday), and as it was one o'clock we went next-door, to a modern-looking bistro-style place called La Cucina, which looked as if it had plenty of spare space, but was at least open.

We were greeted by not one, but two staff. The waitress ushered us past a group of young smokers at the bar, taking us round to the back, where more vacant tables appeared, with just one lone diner. It was certainly warm, but why was it so empty? However, it was welcoming, with colourful vegetables piled high around the kitchen area, and we were assured that this area was non-smoking, so we stayed.

It was a wise decision, as we were soon to discover. My colleague Chris Koenig, who spent much of his aimless youth in Italy, was charmed to hear the unmistakable sound of Italian chefs at work, with plenty of molto bene's and gesticulation - they even said "buongiorno" as we caught their eye.

I was interested to see how the designers had transformed the former Electric Aids shop, which had been such a vital part of East Oxford life in the days when we all mended electrical appliances instead of throwing them away.

St Clements seems to have gradually moved upmarket since Electric Aids moved to Windmill Road, where presumably premises are cheaper.

Residents are currently protesting about a new Subway sandwich shop, on the grounds that another American chain will sound the death-knell for the independent retailers who bring local character to the area - but there is no doubt that the arrival of big chains is a sign of economic prosperity, and also attracts more punters to the other shops.

Is this a vicious circle, or part of the rich pattern of life in the multi-cultural end of Oxford?

As we were musing about this, the waitress brought the menu, and we ordered focaccia and sparkling mineral water - this was to be a serious working lunch, so we resisted the very reasonable (by English standards) wine list, starting at £11.25 for the house white and red.

As well as a good range of pizzas and pasta, there was steak (£11.95) and salmon (£10.95) on offer.

Specials included halibut, green beans and potatoes at £13.95, red snapper with swiss chard, roasted tomatoes and ginger salsa (£10.95) - and seafood linguine.

I was interested in the pizze bianche (white pizzas) and was told that they came without tomato sauce, which sounded interesting, so I ordered pizza verdure, the roasted vegetable variety. Despite learning that the calamari (squid) was frozen, Chris plumped for the seafood linguine.

When our food arrived, we were relieved that we had been restrained about starters and had ordered just a side salad. The portions were huge.

As I expected, Chris was slightly disappointed with his linguine, since the seafood was indeed cooked from frozen, which he said spoilt the texture.

I wondered what he had expected for £6.95. I couldn't fault the pizza, which had a typically Italian crust and beautifully arranged vegetables, cooked to perfection, with interesting herbs and dried tomatoes as well as courgette, aubergine and peppers. Instead of tomato sauce there was a pesto spread made with fresh basil.

By the time we were ready to leave at 2pm, seven tables were full and the place had come to life - particularly since one of the late arrivals was Mario de Pinto, former owner of Mario's Italian trattoria in Cowley Road.

Now in retirement, he seemed to be a welcome regular, and was soon engaged in rapid Italian negotiations with the kitchen staff. His custom is surely a sign La Cucina offers the authentic taste of Italy.

When we asked who owned the place, it turned out to be the "waitress", Yola, who had teamed-up with chef Alberto Benetti after leaving her job as general manager of the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge.

Mr Benetti formerly worked at Portabello in South Parade, and the pair had met while working at the famous Cipriani Hotel in Venice - which prompted a long series of reminiscences from Chris, who knew a friend of its owner.

We left feeling we had enjoyed a welcome break in a sunnier place. La Cucina is clearly not an anonymous chain, and the attention to detail and good customer service surely deserves to meet with success.

Contact: La Cucina 01865 793811