Pontefino, Gunthorpe

Italian food is by far my favourite food - I grew up eating home-made gnocchi and pizza and could quite easily eat it everyday. It's also Tom's favourite and we're always on the lookout for a new Italian restaurant to try out.

Pontefino is out in Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire, in a quiet residential area next to the River Trent - a lovely change to the bustle of town on a Friday night.

We started off with garlic pizza bread and arancini (risotto balls filled with mozzarella and fried). The bread was the thinnest, crispiest base lightly topped with garlic and tomato so wasn't too heavy to start with, while the arancini were packed with flavour and beautifully served with a dash of a tomato sauce.

Our mains consisted of the calzone rustica, which had a perfect crust and was absolutely stuffed with prosciutto, cheeses, and spinach; and linguine alla Sofia Loren (I'll admit it was the name that initially caught my eye!). The linguine was coated in the type of sauce I almost always end up choosing - creamy tomato with just a hint of chilli and a sprinkling of chicken, pepperoni and olives.

We were both so full by this point but couldn't resist dessert (I'm pretty sure there's a special stomach just for dessert anyway so we couldn't leave it unsatisfied, could we?). Pannacotta arrived in a huge wine glass, smooth and creamy with a fruity berry coulis adding a tangy contrast.

Overall the food was some of the tastiest, most flavourful I've had out in a while and we agreed while still devouring pasta and calzone that we definitely needed to bring family and friends here. Service always makes a place for me and everyone was friendly and welcoming, so a winner all round!

Sorry for the lack of photos of the food; I don't really enjoy taking pictures while I'm eating out any more, apart from the odd one here and there.

Have you discovered any new restaurants recently?