One of the most respected restaurant names in Newcastle is Marco Polo, acquired by new owners towards the end of 2005, and now once again a brand leader for Italian cuisine in this thriving and vibrant part of the UK economy. The changes generally seem to be welcomed by the Geordie world, who for many years have regarded Marco Polo as a small but highly robust piece of Italy in their midst.

Gone is what one refreshingly candid fan described as the 'spit and sawdust' feel, to be replaced by that much abused phrase, an air of sophistication, with ample use made of strong colours, notably red, dark wood, and trendy lighting The overall effect is certainly more of the times in which we live, and the food is as good as ever, so who's going to be fussy about the décor?

Perhaps one of the charms about Italian cooking is its predictability. Not that everything is always the same, but there is a delightful consistency that is only broken by something completely different. The famed antipasti, a selection of Italian meats, cheese and vegetables is a sort of tone setter that reassures, and fires up the tastebuds. There can be few more Italian dishes than a Caesar salad, though sad to see anchovies are not included. Quite essential in my view, but then I felt the same about Bombay duck before it disappeared from the menus of most self respecting Indian restaurants.