It's a Wednesday night when we show up at Bella Italia, and the MK1 eatery is doing a brisk business. There is no mid-week lull here.
There is a new menu to tempt diners though, which is why we've been called in to sample.
And the starter decision is an easy one for this pair of veggies – a Chilli Pizza Bread to share, and – new to the menu – an Arancini Peperonata.
The bread, with added chilli butter, cherry toms and garlic is thin-based and perhaps sparsely topped so far as the chilli's go.
Having taken a decent mouthful though, our tastebuds beg to differ.
Luckily we have a tall glass of iced Belvoir Sparkling Cordial (Cox Apple & Blackcurrant) to chill us out.
There's a nice amount for two to share, not too much, not too light, just right.
The Arancini Peperonata is a real treat – crispy breadcrumbed coating giving way to risotto, red pepper and melting mozzarella.
The perfect little packages keep us fully engaged until the basket is empty...and only then do we realise we've not made use of the pomodoro dip.
Whoops. Still, there is some of that pizza bread lurking, so we pop that in for taste.
The sweetness of the tomatoes in this cold dip works well with pizza bread, and probably would have done just as well with the Arancini Peperonata it was meant for!
We'll let you know next time.
A new Queen Margherita Pizza follows, from the Pizza Roma menu.
Hand stretched for a thinner, crispier base, ours is dressed up with Buffalo Bocconcini mozzarella, Marzanini tomatoes, pesto and basil.
It's good pizza, with a decent amount of pesto to liven up the classic arrangement, but we don't make a clean plate of it - we've also engaged with a traditional pasta, rustici covered in a rich tomato sauce with more of those Marzanini tomatoes which are proving quite the dining partner tonight.
It's a classic dish, done well.
But we leave space enough for Bella Italia to tease and tempt with their desert menu, which is a sweet-toothed visitors dream.
From cheesecakes and meringue pie to a Cookie Dough Lava Cake, pannacotta, ice cream (a trip to the Gelato Cart is a naughty but very nice treat) and even Godfather Sundaes – choose from Big Tony and Mean Joe, packed tight with nutty fudge brownies, vanilla and chocolate gelato, chocolate sauce, fresh cream, popping candy, dark chocolate tagliatelle and a wafer curl...and that's only Tony!
But we abstain, instead getting our sweet sensations from the Shot Glass Desert range – we both indulge in Salted Caramel Chocolate Pots and Banoffee Pie, with Strawberry Cheesecake and a Limeoncello Tart as cheeky extras.
But don't be fooled into thinking that shot sized deserts don't tick the box when it comes to satisfying the diner.
These mini pots of temptation are maximum on flavour.
Rich and strong on taste, they'll sate you and possibly even beat you!
Our favourite? Banoffee Pie with its biscuit crumb, banana mousse and gooey caramel, complete with cream on top is just too darn good!
After the savoury, this fruity, sweet taster is the perfect way to finish up.
Italian fare, and Italian flair is done well at Bella Italia. Grazie for your pizza perfetta!
