Italian, Cardiff

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This wonderfully atmospheric Italian eatery is located in a prime position in the upmarket Cardiff suburb of Penarth.

Perhaps best known for the part it plays as a principal location in the hugely popular TV comedy "Gavin and Stacy", this home of great food deserves a place in the stars for so many reasons.

From the moment you walk through the doors you feel you have been transported straight to Naples. The furnishings are very non-posh, wooden, and lots of red check tablecloths abound. Waiters are Italian and greet you with a smiling "Buongiorno".

Specials of the day are displayed on blacbboards around the premises and on slates on the walls. I knew I was going to love the place as soon as I started reading the specials and saw lots of fishy delights.

We were first shown to a table for drinks and there we examined the vast menu of starters, pastas, pizzas, and main courses. Drinks arrived quickly and our food orders were taken. It wasn't lomg before we were shown to our table. It's very atmospheric here, complete with candles and dim lighting. The music was a selection of '70's and '80's hits, which suited me perfectly. I could have sat here for hours.

Favorite Dish: I started with one of the blackboard specials - prawns, smoked salmon, and crayfish with avocado and a marie rose sauce. It was very nice but I found the crayfish a little tasteless. In spite of that, the portions were generous and the platter was beautifully presented. I rather wished I had tried one of the many alternatives from the specials board. I'm sure I had crayfish before, but I never recall it being so bland.

I followed this with a very delicious dish consisting of mussels and prawns in a cream and wine sauce, served with rice.

I had no room for dessert although I did take a peek at the menu. The one thing I found was that while the menu for starters and mains was really vast, the dessert choice was miniscule.

Be sure to read the menu through - parts of it are very humorous.

The restaurant is very very busy and I wouldn't dream of showing up without a reservation.

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Bella Italia is situated within the Red Dragon Complex at Cardiff Bay. It is one of the UK wide chain of restaurants which serve wholesome Italian Food.

You have the choice of an outside seating area, which is ideal for watching passers by as they mull around the complex. Alternatively you can sit inside the cosy restaurant which has been lavishly decorated with mediterranean colours, velour drapes and rustic shelves to make your Italian experience more real.

The food is great and the service is excellent. I have been here several times and have not been disappointed once. There is a friendly atmosphere here and the staff do their utmost to make sure you are satified with your meal. They also have a Childrens menu available so a meal here can be combined with a trip to the cinema or bowling.

Favorite Dish: The Penne Marco Polo was very nice, it's Sliced Duck with spring onions in a delicious plum sauce served with Penne pasta.

I went there recently and the food was extremely bad. They like trays-I am talking about trays that go in the microwave. The "roasted" potatoes and vegetables with every main meal are done in this way and they are soggy and have no flavour. The scallops with broad beans and bacon were also done in the microwave(!), in the same tray. The scallops tasted like rubber. The king prawns were very bad-tasteless and very small, with no flavour at all. This place leaves a lot to be desired, it is massively overpriced for the quality of food. If you want fresh fish, go to Bayside Brasserie and if you want proper italian food with fresh ingredients and flavour, without the microwave trays, go somewhere else.

I had eaten here three years ago and so delighted was I with it at the time that I insisted on dragging my little group there for Saturday lunch.

We arrived shortly after 12.30pm and the place was already crowded, forcing us to queue at the door to get in. We were second in the fast moving queue so we didn't mind.

However, one of our group was in a wheelchair and we quickly discovered that this rendered us invisible to some of the staff. There were four in our little group and as we stood there queueing one of the waiters beckoned to a group standing behind us and asked how many were in their group. "Four", they answered, and were beckoned ahead. I objected and the offending waiter looked at me as if seeing me for the first time, asking how many were in my group. I responded "Four" and was tempted to add "unless you are counting the wheelchair as an extra person" but I didn't. Quickly he passed on the responsibility for us to a colleague of his and we were seated.

The service was almost intolerably slow - probably something to do with the new cut price menu. I saw people get up and leave without ordering.

I imagine it would be far nicer at night as the food is indeed good - see below.

Favorite Dish: There is a special menu on offer at about 7 pounds for a main course and just under 10 for starter and main. There's a pretty good choice for this.

I order from another menu, a fish menu, which was more expensive but was good being hake served with a tarragon sauce. However the carrots on my vegetable side dish were withered and dried up.

My companions all ordered the chicken with mushroom sauce and this was pronounced enjoyable but nothing special.

Overall I was satisfied, but not even nearly as happy as I was three years ago. Next time I'm in Cardiff I'll be looking for a new lunch venu. There are two other Italian restaurants almost directly across the road and both offer special lunch menus at lower prices! Positano would want to watch its back I think. It's easy to lose a great clientele by trying to compete at the lower end of the market!

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We had dinner at ASK on a very snowy visit to Cardiff in december.
I had a lovely meal, Brouchetta to start followed by a lovely Pasta dish (the name of which i can't remember) and then Profeteroles.
The food was lovely and i would love to go again.

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Zizzi's is a great Italian restaurant which forms part of a UK wide chain of restaurants. Zizzi's in Cardiff is is situated smack bang in the City Centre, very close to the Castle. It occupies the former Cardiff Guildhall evident by the great stonework on the exterior and very, very high ceilings inside.

I have eaten here a few times and have not been disappointed once. The food and service are great and the restaurant has a lovely spacious feel to it.

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Ask is a lovely Italian Restaurant which is part of a wider chain of Restauants located throughout the UK. Ask in Cardiff is ideally situated on Mill Lane right in the Centre of the City. The restaurant has a light and airy feel to it with picture windows looking out onto Mill Lane and the adjacent Wyndham Arcade. We were seated downstairs near to the open plan kitchen so could keep an eye on the chef!! The service here was impeccable and the food really delicious. We shared a bruschtta to start, I had a seafood ravioli dish for my main course and tiramisu for desert. Gareth had a spicy meatball dish for main course and profiteroles for desert. We were both really satisfied with our meals and will definitely be eating at Ask again. The best thing about eating here is that i got a big discount off the bill by using my Sainsbury's Nectar card points.

Favorite Dish: All of them!!

Rarely, very rarely I will pay top dollar for a unique dining experience, this is such an occasion, it is more expensive than some other choices in the bay, but you really get what you pay for,, usually, they will pay on live music and have a waiter singing.
The decor inside the restaurant is truly lovely, and a great quality of service..
I ordered lamb shank with roast potatoes, a dish I personally enjoy and has to be cooked to a certain standard otherwise I am in a bad mood.. Suffice to say, this was a pleasure to eat and a good portion size, so unfortunately no dessert for me, but very satisfied by the whole experience..

Favorite Dish: Lamb Shank, the only dish i've tried..