This is a first in terms of reviews because up until now we’ve played safe and taken a visit to some of our favourite places around the city.  This month we took the chance to try somewhere we’d never been, although I’d heard quite a lot about it.  So we booked our babysitters and ordered a cab to take a ride over the River Taff.

Stefano’s is a relatively small restaurant  on Romilly Crescent  with a very clean Mediterranean feel; white washed stone interior with plenty of artwork along the walls, immaculately white tablecloths and sparklingly pristine cutlery.  This is a family-run restaurant, so everyone involved in the service is more than keen to ensure your evening goes brilliantly.  After all, they have a vested interest in making you-the-customer comfortable and happy.  All through the evening we were given the kind of attention that says they really care about what they do.  Attentiveness is great, especially when it is not overbearing and there is just enough involvement to help you along with the menu or wine-list without making you feel uncomfortable.

So the menu, which is beautifully balanced and genuinely left me spoilt for choice on all three courses.  Indecision is the thief of time so I opted to try a few things I’d not had in a while.

The Pate D’Antra (duck) was simply exquisite, a lovely crumbly texture, served with a blend of crunchy salad leaves, sweet onion and orange relish and toasted focaccia bread.  Sue opted for the Tortini de Pesce (fish cake) which was equally superb, served with fresh salad and lemon butter and helped down with a smooth bottle of Gavi di Gavi.  At the risk of sounding like the ‘SWIG’ reviewers I will say that the wine-list here is very good and  whilst it would have been easy to opt for a Rioja (my personal favourite being a Faustino V), it seemed appropriate to try a crisp and light Italian wine with just a hint of apple.

Because of the interesting selection the menu offered, it seemed appropriate for me to try the Vitello di Parma, veal escallops covered in a blanket of Parma ham and mozzarella.  The presentation of the food here is excellent, so it is almost a shame to spoil it by tucking in, but then this is a restaurant, not an art gallery.   The vegetables are served separately from the plate and there is so much attention to detail; olive oil infused with Basil for instance, a variety of breads for dipping (that would be the Pane Misto), mashed carrots and how do I even begin to describe the courgettes which had been sliced thinly and mixed with herbs before crisping them into a melt-in-the-mouth explosion.

Sue ordered the Antra con Frutta di Bosco  which was stunningly presented in a rich dark berry sauce, the meat was a perfect pink in the middle and tasted every bit as good as it looked.

It was a hard thing to leave anything on the plate in view of the knowledge that we still had another course to sample.

So onward to dessert, this for Sue was the very stylish fruits cheesecake, which was not a sample size I can assure you!   There was graceful surrender to a very satisfied appetite from Sue, whilst I had opted for a very nice selection of cheeses to explore.  Again very well presented and a small but definitely sufficient selection to conclude a truly excellent meal.

I can’t resist a small Sambuca to follow up any Italian meal and that night was no exception.  After all when in Rome, or something like that...

There is a genuinely natural and honest feel about this place which I warmed to straight away.  The staff are very friendly, the atmosphere is great, the food superb and the overall experience here is very good, so without hesitation I recommend you pay a visit.  So sort out your babysitter, reach for the phone and order the cab!

DK