IT was boding well for our evening out at Alghero. The taxi driver delivering us to the restaurant had waxed lyrical about the place, explaining how popular it was with his clientele.

So we were filled with anticipation when we arrived at the cosy Italian, which was packed with diners on what was a busy Saturday night.

Thankfully one of our party had had the foresight to book ahead – there’s no way we’d have got a table otherwise.

Although you don’t need an excuse to eat out, on this occasion we had one. It was my girlfriend’s mum’s birthday and she wanted to celebrate it at this Italian restaurant, having been impressed with the food before.

However, Theresa and her partner, James, had recently returned from Italy, where they were wowed by the country’s gastronomy – would they be as easily pleased this time round?

Having escorted us to our table, the friendly waitress took our coats and swapped them for a wine list. It was a celebration, so we ordered some Prosecco, which arrived pronto.

The intimate restaurant had a real buzz about it. There was another birthday party in, which was adding to the clunking of cutlery and the sound of people having a good time.

After perusing the extensive menu we ordered starters. Birthday girl opted for the squid ink tagliatelle in a sauce of langoustine, mussels, baby prawns, fresh tomatoes and herbs. I had the same.

Meanwhile James ordered homemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese with mixed mushrooms in a creamy sauce. My partner, Liz, chose the carpaccio reale – a beef carpaccio salad with rocket and Parmesan shavings.

For mains we had fish and tomato soup with shellfish and crostini bread (Theresa), seabream in a white wine and cherry tomato sauce (James) and two steaks, one with a mushroom, garlic and red wine sauce (Liz) and the other with a black pepper, cream and cognac sauce (me).

Our food was spot on from start to finish. The magic of the restaurant hadn’t been spoilt by Theresa and James’ gastro tour of Italy – they praised their food for its authenticity.

Liz and I were also impressed. My squid ink tagliatelle was divine, the rich seafood flavours had real depth and the pasta was cooked perfectly... as was my medium rare steak, which was smothered in a delicious thick sauce.

Liz and I managed to share a homemade tiramisu, which left a sweet taste in our mouths.

Excluding drinks out authentic Italian fare came to £92.60. Bravo.