If you have never dined at Bella Italia then you must.   Housed in Briggate in the main shopping area in Leeds this establishment serves some of the best   Italian dishes in town.

It was a rainy mid-week evening when we visited but the welcome we got from the staff certainly made us feel cheery.  The restaurant has a warm and lively atmosphere and boasts some ingeniously planned seating areas. The back of the restaurant has comfortable banquette seating and is quite cosy to say the least.

The menu at Bella Italia is bursting with Italian cuisine and whilst we perused the menu we ordered an Australian Chardonnay that was fresh and citrusy with a crisp finish and perfectly chilled and what’s more was very reasonably priced for its quality.

There was a plethora of starters on the menu to chose from for every taste. I decided on the Mushroom AL Forno and was not disappointed.

It was a very large portion of Chestnut mushrooms cooked in a creamy porcini sauce which was just right – not too rich, not too thick and not too thin. It was served with a very tasty Italian cheese which added a great flavour to the already flavoursome dish. It was served with a wedge of toasted garlic ciabatta with was ideal for mopping up the sauce.

My colleague opted for the oven baked King Prawns. The portion was generous and they were served lovely and hot and as she said ‘they must have come straight out of the oven’. They were juicy and succulent and came with a garlic and chilli butter which was certainly not for the faint hearted. The toasted garlic ciabatta slice that accompanied them was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Perfect!

For my main I chose the Ultimate Calzone – and ultimate it really was. This folded pizza was stuffed to bursting point with chicken, pork meat balls, spicey nduja sausage, pulled beef brisket and roasted red onions. Never have I experienced such a feast of a filling. I loved the way it was  perfectly cooked and also the tomato and mozzarella topping.

It was the pasta part of the menu my colleague chose her main from. Her Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni was a really generous portion and arrived  piping hot.

The fresh pasta was  generously filled with spinach and ricotta and baked to perfection in a rich tomato sauce with bechamel and mozzarella that was smooth and tasty. She  was glad she had ordered a side of Garlic Ciabatta to mop up every last morsel of the delicious sauce.

Could we manage a dessert? Well we did and we were not rushed into making our choice as we swopped girlie gossip over our wine.

My colleague chose the Lemon Cheesecake. It was a baked Lemon Cheesecake which was very smooth and creamy with a great lemon taste. It had a light biscuit base and was served with a portion of tangy  blueberry compote.

I went for the Chocolate Brownie Sundae but did ask for only a small portion of whipped cream on my dessert.  I was gobsmacked when it arrived it looked so delicious and would have done justice in the finest ice cream parlour.

The chocolate and vanilla gelato  was in abundance and the chocolate had a real chocolatey taste to it.  I am no lover of chocolate brownies. My friends know I often describe them as like sweet oxo cubs – but these brownies were totally amazing. They were warm and soft and bursting with flavour and paired well with the Oreo cooked. The grand finale of my heaven on a plate was a Belgian chocolate sauce that was poured over the dish  and as requested a paired down portion of cream.

Bella Italia is a great place for every occasion – whether it’s a family or kids treat, a quick lunch before hitting the shops or a pre-theatre meal – The Grand Theatre and City Varieties are less than a 5 minute walk away. It’s also great for couples and to catch up with friends.

One of the restaurants high points is its staff. They are knowledgeable about the menu and really do want to make your dining experience one of the best.

Bella Italia, 145 Briggate, Leeds LS1 6BR.

Tel: 01135 187085