There were other things to like that night: a crisp salad of artichokes, endive and arugula with a subtle lemon dressing, and a rich, fragrant seafood risotto.
Freshly made pappardelle comes in a fine meat sauce with freshly made ricotta ($24), while fragrant saffron risotto is melded with Gulf shrimp and asparagus, both a tad overcooked that evening, rendering the shrimp without flavor ($28).
Drizzled with a subtle raspberry sauce, two pieces of moist, roast duckling topped a cake of fragrant, wild mushroom risotto.
But as we sat at a patio table at Miky, marveling at the fillet of Monterossan red mullet with eggplant and walnut caviar, we were not troubled by the happy families who sat near us, cracking delicate pizza crust over their fragrant bowls of risotto, or the honeymoon couples who leaned across their tables gazing moonily at each other.
Rosie Birkett, alotonherplate.com A fragrant, earthy twist on risotto with lentils in place of rice.
On a recent evening, the menu pitted a fragrant spinach, pear and Gorgonzola risotto against a creamy version with celeriac, bottarga and Montasio cheese (9 euros each).
Pappardelle with "Sunday" sauce — a fragrant beef short-rib ragù — and risotto with spinach and wild mushrooms made for nice, seasonal supper dishes.
While the soup and the salad are nondescript, the sides hold a remarkable level of interest, especially a creamy basil risotto and a ratatouille fragrant with thyme.
After supper at the Penny Farthing Inn in Timberland (01526 378359, pennyfarthingtimberland.co.uk) of great twice-baked cheese soufflé, grilled chicken with leek mash, and bland risotto, I take a lavender-fragrant soak beneath the twinkly fibre optic stars which gradually change colour.
Both would go well with an order of French fries, better still with the apple risotto or a wad of soft and fragrant wild mushrooms.
