Trattoria Rustica

Formerly the Old Princes Inn and re-opened in 1995 by Mario and Raffaella as the Trattoria Rustica, the restaurant combines some of the best of English architecture with Italian cuisine, hitherto relatively little known in this ancient Cathedral city where it seems at times that every other building is either a pub or a church. One of the joys of eating Italian is the breadth of choices, and Rustica is no exception.

Try starting with the antipasta Rustica, a bringing together of Parma ham, mixed Italian salami, mortadella ham, sun dried tomatoes, cheese, salad and garlic bread. The penne Marco Pollo with sultanas, rum, curry, cream, tomatoes, mixed peppers, olive oil, hot chillies and parsley caught my eye as well as my palate, though it was a difficult choice with spaghettii carbonara looking so attractive - crispy bacon, butter, egg yolks, cream, parmesan cheese and black pepper all combining to make such a typical Italian dish. With the Crespelle al Grand Marnier to finish there is little more to say beyond noting the excellent value for money at this well-run restaurant.

Whilst we have given a figure of £23 for the Av Cost per Head, a simple meal of pasta or pizza would clearly come to much less.