IF I’M ever in the bad books with the missus, I’ve discovered there’s one thing that is almost guaranteed to bail me out every time – a trip to an Italian restaurant.
Watched football instead of watching a romcom? Phone an Italian.
“Forgot” to do the dishes? Get that table booked.
A plate of pasta and a nice bottle of wine covers over a multitude of sins.
And after our trip to Poldinos, there isn’t much I couldn’t get away with.
Mind you, I was helped greatly in the collection of Brownie points by the smiling staff, who ushered us to a window table as we stepped into this cosy yet classy eatery.
They were warm and friendly throughout, and made our whole evening even more enjoyable.
To be fair, the quality of the food on offer was enough to turn my head.
After poring over the menu, my eye was drawn to the Antipasto Italiano (£7.90), one of my favourites.
I’ve had some good platters in the past, but not many have beaten this one – a dazzling array of cured meats, olives, salad and seafood which could have almost done as a main course.
The selection was an outstanding riot of colours and flavours, with prosciutto, salami, garlic sausage, pate and breadsticks all competing for space on my plate.
Being of a more vegetarian mind, my girlfriend went for the meat-free alternative (£6.50).
She was delighted with the combination of egg, artichoke, olives, salad, melon and mozzarella.
With our appetites suitably stoked, we moved on to the main courses.
The huge range of meat, fish and pasta dishes made the decision tricky, but in the end I plumped for the Sogliola Cerosina (£15.90) – pan-fried lemon sole in a wonderfully-rich white wine and tomato sauce.
The fish melted in the mouth, with the subtle flavours of garlic and wine lingering below the surface before bursting out.
Sticking to the fishy theme, my girlfriend went for the Frutti di Mare Provinciale (£16.60).
This medley of seafood included chunks of monkfish, scampi, salmon and squid, mingled with pasta and a tomato and garlic sauce.
The portion was so big that she had to enlist my help to finish it – and I was happy to take one for the team.
We left with stuffed stomachs, and best of all I was in the good books once again... right, off to the pub!