The Villa Fiore has always looked warm, inviting and classy from the outside and this was a chance to see if it lived up to its promise on the inside.

We entered into the bar, which is separated from the main dining area by stairs and disguised as some sort of Tuscan villa, complete with its own terracotta tiled roof and rustic white-washed walls.

It even has its own gladiatorial stuffed lion perched atop the bar's roof. Presumably to remind diners of Rome's glory days.

Surprisingly the restaurant was fairly empty and we shared the whole dining floor with just one other group. But as the waiter explained, the restaurant had been open all day serving Christmas office parties so we had missed most of the excitement.

Despite the long day, the service was friendly and chatty, but never hurried or obtrusive, which made us both feel at ease as we ordered a bottle of house red and awaited our starters.

I, as always, decided on the spare ribs while Edward plumped for the prawn cocktail.

The ribs were excellent with plenty of meat and covered with a rich tangy sauce while Edward said that the prawns were tasty and fresh and the salad crisp. And at £3.40 and £3.90 respectively, both were reasonably priced.

For the main course I went for the Italian staple, a Villa Fiore pizza special, and Edward took the chance, while someone else was paying, to try veal for the first time.

The pizza was given a fair sprinkling of pepperoni, olives, and pepper, on a thin crispy base, which hit the spot nicely and accompanied the house red well.

Under the watchful gaze of the lion, Edward gave veal the thumbs-up like an emperor presiding over gladiatorial combat.

He said the meat was tender and the side-salad and the crispy chunks of potato that accompanied it were well prepared and came in plentiful supply.

Although the restaurant was quiet, the atmosphere was ambient enough and you could imagine that on a packed night the place would be buzzing with chat and laughter.

And with the final bill coming to a reasonable £29.65, including £8.45 for a bottle of red, you don't have to break the bank to enjoy your evening.

Ian Midgley

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.