"At 27 Old Compton Street, tables of one or two have an informally allotted 45 minutes to scarf their pasta before the next round of Soho revellers come in to do the same. An endearingly shoulder-knocking space, this Italian spot makes all of its chewy pastas by hand. The mafaldi is nice, if a little too chewy, the rustici is a little cloying, and the sauces do the job. That said, every bowl is close to £10 and comes out within minutes. It’s also open until 1am at weekends which feels useful for daydreamers of the old days and, with the help of a drum and bass remix of ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac, you’ll leave feeling like you’ve eaten in a proper Soho Italian restaurant. photo credit: Jake Missing Food Rundown Mafalda Beef Ragu These long ribbons could have done with five more seconds in the pot, but it’s still good pasta. The sauce is rich and pleasingly slick but the beef needed a little more love. Where these chunks should be flaking apart, they’re instead a little chewy. photo credit: Jake Missing Rustici Pesto The cavolo nero pesto in this sauce is nicely emulsified with pasta water and the handful of crushed pistachio on top is a nice touch. The pasta is sadly inconsistent. Stuck together and cloying in parts, perfect bites in others. photo credit: Jake Missing" - Jake Missing