Visited this new restaurant (opened June 2006) last night without high expectations given the conversations we have had about Italian restaurants recently. Based in Burnett Road in Streetly you would be forgiven for not knowing it existed being squashed between a boutique and at least 3 tanning/beauty salons!

The entrance is shop front like – dark wood and a large bay window with a very small waiting area in front of a functional bar skilfully squashed under the stairs, they have made good use of space and created the illusion of more by using cream colours, lighting and mirrors. The design is difficult to explain but they have gone for a theme bordering on rustic – tiled floors – baroque – chandeliers and faux French upholstered chairs and modern – mirrors etched with the names of Italian foods and framed prints of somewhere that could be Italy, plus a mural on one wall and a life sized feature of their logo on another, a roman centurion with his adoring wench.

Anyhow we had booked and were seated promptly in the window (which was a little cold) and left with the menus, the restaurant was full downstairs and partly occupied up, they also have an open hatch through to the kitchen alongside the tables at the back, I’m not sure whether I would have liked to be seated there with the waiters in such close proximity collecting food etc, but as I wasn’t seated there I didn’t worry. The upstairs is a fair size and is decorated as down, however there is only one toilet for each of the sexes which means you may have to wait a little while.

The menu introduces the restaurant as new but says the staff have over 30 years experience of Italian food and are happy to create anything that isn’t on the menu or receive suggestions for additional dishes, they say they go to the markets in Birmingham 5 days a week to source fresh produce and also use other local businesses. Some dishes (mainly fish) are marked MP for Market price. The owners sign off the welcome at the front of the menu with the name Bartlett which makes me think they may be English, though I could be wrong. (One thing – if they go to the market every day could they not buy some real flowers? The silk ones are nice but real is best IMO)

Anyway back to the food, the menu looked fine to me a selection of starters/meat dishes/fish and pasta though it could have been expanded on slightly, as the beef and veal dishes were 2 each – sometimes its nice to have a little more choice, however I did request my veal accompanied differently to the menu and this wasn’t a problem at all.

It did strike me that perhaps £27.95 - £32.95 was a bit much for a Dover Sole when it has been listed at a lesser price in other restaurants in the area and beyond or am I mistaken?
The menu was priced as I would expect for the area they are in, £6.00 - £8.00 starters £14.00 - £18.00 for main courses.

I chose the scallops in a brandy cream sauce finished under a grill with cheese, the scallops (4) were perfectly cooked and the sauce was well balanced, the garnish was a little lettuce with grated carrot – which irked me as I hate carrots but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment. He had scampi in a sauce I forget the name of – they were beautiful, I actually could have eaten both dishes and been happy!

For the main he had Chicken Sorrento, which came wrapped in bacon and drizzled with a Masala type sauce – the chicken was well cooked and tasted very good, I would have eaten it all if he hadn’t stopped me! I had asked for my Veal to be cooked as I prefer in a white wine and cream mushroom sauce, which was fine, the veal however was slightly overcooked, though not inedible and I wasn’t in the mood to complain, we had a side order of spinach and all meals except the pasta come with a choice of sauteed/new potatoes or seasonal vegetables. We chose the sautéed which was fine. It was all washed down with a bottle of Gavi di Gavi. The dessert option was sparse and didn’t inspire me at all so I had a liqueur coffee, he a cappuccino.

The staff were professional and attentive though not overtly so as to get on your nerves.

I marked the decor 6/10 - its new and different - you can tell they have spent money - but I didnt really like it.

All in all an enjoyable experience and I would return, sorry if I have rambled but I hadn’t been there before so have tried to be descriptive – sue me if you got bored!