Yet another lease of life for the old ‘George’, this restaurant is simply furnished with muted tones on the walls, comfortable furniture and is open, light and airy yet is cleverly arranged to give a feeling of intimacy. The large jars of preserved lemons, fat asparagus spears and other food stuffs intimate that you are going to enjoy eating here.

Ok, I have one major problem with this restaurant. The menu. Whilst not being like some that attempt to make you think that they are really good by having a forty page menu (admittedly based on Spaghetti carbonara, tagliettele carbonara, fusilli carbonara, penne carbonara, …), this menu is limited to a smaller number of ante-pasta, pasta, pizza, a few salads, al forno and grilled dishes. And here is the problem. WHICH DISH TO CHOOSE!!! The limited choice is packed with mouth watering choices, including a good selection of vegetarian dishes, that will have you sending the waiter/waitress away several times whilst you mutter to yourself ‘Yes, I’ll have the …, actually that looks good. No, I fancy…, oh hell, no I’ll have the pasta. No! Wait, the grilled chicken with wild mushrooms. Yeah. Hang on…’ Whilst depending fairly heavily on chicken, the food is all freshly prepared from GOOD quality ingredients, simply put together, no fancy ‘The food isn’t that great, but just look what I can do with a limp bit of lettuce and two pieces of pepper’ garnishing. Just excellent, well made food. In good portions. The garlic bread pizza is light, crisp, oozing in butter and not so strong that you reek for days after eating it. And the portion is typically Italian. Make sure you ARE hungry! The pasta comes with just the right amount of sauce, neither so dry that you need to ask for ketchup, nor so swimming that you need ask for a strainer. The piquancy is superb in the tomato sauces. The sauce has a delicate warmth that caresses the tongue and throat and doesn’t reach out and try to rip your tonsils off! The smoked salmon used in the salad was a real surprise! Delicately smoked, the smoke didn’t kill the flavour of the fish, merely enhance it (and not at all chemically like some restaurants use), it was moist and full of flavour.

The wine list again is limited, but the choices, ranging from very reasonably priced to reasonably priced are, again excellent. There are wines to suit both your budget and your meal. From delicate floral whites to robust reds. All packed with flavour. All from good Italian vineyards. The dessert list is again a little limited but the quality of these few delights more than makes up for this. The choice is exceptionally appealing and you would be perhaps forgiven for saying ‘Oh I can’t decide, I’ll just for the Tiramisu’. This however would be a mistake! The hazelnut, ice-cream and meringue bombe is magnificent. You break through the shell of nicely toasted hazelnut pieces to find a firm, rich, smooth vanilla ice-cream wrapped around a delicate, chewy ball of pure white meringue. Pure Italian indulgence! The trifle is also magnifico! Being used to the usual English sherry trifle stodge I was a bit reluctant to try it. The flavour of the sharp raspberry beautifully counterpoises the rich smoothness of the mascarpone to delight the tongue and evoke images of warm summer days in the country eating wild raspberries. The only real complaint I have is the liqueurs list. Tia Maria or Sambucca. That’s it. Whilst it is a good sambuca, I was a little disappointed that the list did not extend to say, sambuca negra, strega, or other proper Italian spirits. The staff are friendly and ensure that your needs are met in a friendly, relaxed and yet very competent way that is neither obsequious nor overbearing. All in all, for a very pleasant meal, at outstandingly good prices, in a relaxing setting, you would well to direct your feet thru this door. If you like simply Italian food cooked well, this is a great place to eat. The Gourmet Stomach