My first impression is positive, based on a warm reception and the dining room’s intricate Moorish decor and cosily busy atmosphere. Our server leads us to a table at the back where my only complaint is the number of mirrored walls. Other than that, my partner and I are pleased to be at a roomy corner table decked in all-white linens, while soft rock music sets the tone for what is to be a really enjoyable evening. Here’s the catch with a non-touristy place, though: The menu is half in French, half in Arabic.

Now of course, the venerable institution that is Le Greenwich has undergone a much-publicised makeover, and not everyone is enamoured with the new set-up, least of all chess obsessives;who had been playing in the Greenwich for decades and who, since the revamp, have found themselves relegated to a back room.