SARDINIAN Antonio Cicu has transformed his former pizzeria into a beautiful and elegant restaurant serving fine, authentic Italian cuisine.

In fact, pizza has disappeared entirely from the menu, but delicious pasta, meat and a daily selection of extremely fresh fish are welcome replacements.

The restaurant, built in 1887, has been totally and sympathetically refurbished from its pizzeria days in a very effective classically modern style, with terracotta-coloured floor tiles, light walls and beamed ceiling.

Friendly Antonio's Sardinian background influences the style of cooking at La Fenice, making it stand out a little from the crowd of Italian restaurants.

Typical starters include deep fried calamari, king prawns, and Insalata Caprese - tomato, mozzarella, black olives, basil and olive oil.

The range of pastas includes spaghetti, linguini, penne and tagliatelle, served with a variety of sauces like chilli oil, garlic and basil, or king prawns, crabmeat, calamari, mussels, tomato, olive oil and garlic.

There is a selection of chicken, veal, lamb and beef dishes, while specials may include fresh mussels, fishcakes, or home-made salmon ravioli.

From the specials list my friend chose the mussels while I chose the fresh asparagus with mozzarella and a basil dressing to start with, followed by fresh grilled seabass for him.

I went for the linguini alla Sarda (with king prawns, crabmeat, tomato, olive oil and garlic) from the menu for my main course.

The meal was absolutely excellent. The mussels were fresh, the giant asparagus were juicy and worked well with the cheese and basil, the seabass was firm, and the pasta was perfectly cooked and delicious.

Our bill, including two soft drinks and coffee, came to £43.35. FG

Reservations: 023 8061 3180.