A BITTER December wind ravished the cobbles outside as we settled ourselves in to La Stella for the night.
With its compact setting and intimate atmosphere, the restaurant looked set to be a promising bolt-hole while we sheltered from the elements.
And Christmas crackers on the tables set a festive mood as we deliberated over the set menus.
For £24.95 we could have two courses – or push the boat out and have three for £28.95.
We decided to take our time with a leisurely dinner, and see what room we had left later.
I started with a hot smoked salmon starter, served with a delicious assortment of salad leaves and crispy pancetta.
The combination of textures and flavours was a real treat – from the tasty vinaigrette lightly coating the leaves, to the delicate salmon flavour.
My partner fared less well with a tiger prawn and avocado combination in chilli sauce.
The avocado was curiously absent, and the fiery chilli overwhelmed any other more subtle flavours.
For a main course I had opted for one of the specials – oven-baked cod cooked with paprika and served with chorizo and black pudding.
Generous would be too insubstantial a word for the giant-sized portion that appeared before me.
Two-and-a-half big fillets of cod sat atop masses of juicy spicy sausage and black pudding.
But there was more – sauted potatoes and a big helping of seasonal veg on the side made my main course mountainous.
The fish was beautifully cooked and tender, casting a good contrast with the meaty and spicy chorizo. Although the boiled veg was a letdown.
In truth, the size of the portion was a little overwhelming, even for someone with a big appetite like me!
The vegetables could have been discarded and it still would have been a huge feast of food.
My partner tucked into a juicy fillet steak – slightly rarer than asked for – which came with a lovely sweet Madeira sauce. It was served with mashed tatties and more vegetables, sadly overcooked.
But would you believe it – even after that we ate more. A cheeseboard and a divine slice of chocolate truffle cake. And coffee.
Just to prolong our time indoors you understand. Honest.