I was recommended by a friend to Azzuri, having asked for advice on where to take my parents for a nice Italian meal in the city centre. On arrival we were escorted to a small table in what we quickly gathered was a sort of waiting area, where we were promptly - if not slightly abruptly - greeted by a waitress and asked for our drinks orders. It was a Saturday night and VERY busy, even the bar area was absolutely chock full of people and very noisy, but we took it as a good sign of a popular restaurant. We had a short wait (10-15 minutes) before we were taken into the dining area, a disconcertingly high-ceilinged room which at the time was full of hen parties, the music they played, although pleasant, was completely obscured by squawking women and I couldn't tell what was being played most of the night which was a shame and slightly ruined the relaxed ambience it seemed they were aiming for. The restaurant seems to be caught on the edge of almost pretentious London-style trendy wannabe chic but tI was pleased to discover this didn't extend to arty food - the hearty portion sizes and great tastes and ingredients did not fit with this ethos and tasted like good Italian home-cooking, whcih was a relief.

The selection on the menu is extremely impressive, with pizza, pasta, meat and fish dishes and salads, there really is something for everyone at Azzuri and if you can't find a dish to suit your palate I would be surprised! My Quattro Formaggio pizza was huge, not made with any particular panache but tasty nonetheless and very filling. My Mum and boyfriend both had a simple chicken risotto, I think it was a bit too simple for their liking, with nothing but chicken, rice, onions and saffron colouring - there were no mushrooms or any other distinguishing flavours and although pleasant, they did not find it particularly memorable. My Dad on the other hand ordered a fillet steak. His meal came simply served with a selection of vegetables, one of which was unidentifiable and this led to a highly amusing exchange between my Dad and one of the waiters who was very good-humoured and had us all giggling (it turned out to be a radish - for which the Italian was 'ravanello' - well, you probably had to be there!) Anyway, the steak absolutely huge and simply served, and my Dad said it was one of the best steaks he had ever had - and he has eaten a lot of steaks in his time, including a few in the USA (steak capital of the world).

After finishing our meal we returned to the even more packed bar area to finish our wine. There was an air of being rushed by some members of the waiting staff, but others were very friendly, as I have mentioned. The prices were fairly reasonable, comparabale to most general Italian restaurants