How it rated

Quality of service efficient and friendly

Value for money good

Ambience bright and tasteful decoration

Speed of service very good

Quality of food excellent

I HAVE to confess, going for an Italian meal is not my first choice of dining out experiences. Indian, Spanish, Chinese or modern European food always seem to get my vote.

But that could all change following my visit to the family-run Giulio's in Northwich High Street.

My companion and I had booked to eat quite early on a Saturday night and when we arrived, I thought my worst fears were about to be realised.

Despite the warm and welcoming greeting from the eponymous Giulio, there was hardly anyone else in the restaurant.

I felt we were in for a long and lonely night, devoid of atmosphere.

How wrong could I be? Within quarter of an hour, another two parties had arrived and by the time we left, the dining room was all warmth and bustle with an eclectic mix of family groups in casual clothes and smartly dressed bright young things in their city shorts and sparkly tops all set for a night on the town.

And from the way a lot of the diners were greeted as old friends, the restaurant has obviously built up a loyal following among the mid Cheshire cognoscenti.

And so to the meal itself. Ordering starters was a simple task.

I like my food nice and savoury and having been tempted by the hot and cold starters, which range in price from £4.20 to £5.50, we quickly settled on the antipasto misto, a tapas-like selection of the cold starters - more than enough for two people at a cost of £10.90.

The platter was heaving with seafood, cured ham, smoked salmon and stuffed peppers.

To be honest, with a couple of focaccia rolls, it could almost have been a light meal in itself.

I was determined to eat Italian' with my main course and went for the home-made Lasagne (£7.50) while my companion decided to try one of the specials, king prawns grilled in their shells in a light chilli and garlic sauce which proved to be excellent value at £13.

When the plate arrived, it was literally covered in prawns and the only room left was for a little salad.

Both meals were top class. If I had one criticism I would have liked a larger portion although as my partner was quick to point out, I always want larger portions of everything I eat.

And so to pudding. I went for the over-the-top profiterole-style, creme anglaise-filled concoction while my companion chose the panna cotta, vanilla-flavoured set cream blancmange. Both deserts cost £4.20 each.

It's hard to fault Giulio's. The dining room is bright, tasteful and simply decorated; the staff were warm, friendly and helpful and service was prompt and attentive. There were a number of children dining while I was there and they were made more than welcome.

I somehow think that Giulio's will be seeing me again in the near future.