Nuova Vita’s dim blue lights suggest another, more comforting world on this thin stretch of Fuxing Lu. Lately we’ve heard both raves and complaints about the restaurant, and so we had to check it out. But our dinner at Nuova Vita didn’t inspire much of a reaction at all. A few glasses of house wine, a simple pasta, a soupy eggplant parmesan. This is predictable, prosaic Italian food. But it’s affordable, and the restaurant does hold certain quotidian charms.

You’ll like Nuova Vita if you prefer size over substance, and comfort over chic. On the first floor is a case selling pre-made sauces, salamis and cheeses. On the second floor, a small, homespun dining room was half-full on a rainy Monday night with a diverse clientele. People sucked on strands of spaghetti Bolognaise (a bit dry for our taste) and ate forkfuls of their perfectly al dente pesto, which, at least to our tongues, tasted of garlic, basil and parmesan, without the muted balance of pinenuts. It was sharp, not smooth – a very rustic version of the dish. It didn’t benefit from the cheap cheese they serve tableside.

Eggplant parmesan was a greasy, soupy version of the standard – rich and satisfying. A pizza was beautiful on top and disappointing underneath; crowned with great salami, mushrooms and a firm mozzarella, but its crust was a little spongy. Nuova Vita is a solid neighborhood Italian restaurant, a sure bet for inexpensive pastas or decent pizzas. But its food fails to rise above the neighborhood niche – perhaps that is the point.