Paddi Clay

You’ll find both classic and innovative Italian dishes using fresh ingredients at this glamorous offshoot of the original family-run Café del Sol in Olivedale.

Food

Start with crisp, deep-fried squid heads with a dipping dish of garlic, chive and lime-flavoured mayonnaise, or an unusual beetroot carpaccio made of thinly sliced beetroot enlivened with strawberry, orange and pomegranate, and a creamy touch of gorgonzola.

Pastas on offer include a black taglioni di seppia with a seafood sauce made of sparkling wine, fennel, cream, fresh prawns, mussels and calamari. Pizzas include a winning combo of butternut and goat cheese, and a simple porcini and pea risotto – a dish used to test MasterChef contenders – will impress with its depth of flavour. For a pricier, meaty main, try beef Wellington, perfectly pink inside golden-brown pastry and accompanied by a mini Le Creuset pot of herbed mash and a dish of gleaming red wine gravy.

Ice creams are home-made and feature flavours such as crème brûlée, peanut butter, salted caramel, and raspberry and rose water. Or experience la dolce vita with a dessert dish of sticky pavlova meringue served with cream, seasonal berries and a berry coulis.

Drinks

For an Italian restaurant, the drinks menu is unusually large. It includes a multitude of whiskeys of different origin, craft beers, a 40-strong gin selection as well as a variety of Italian grappas and wines alongside local labels.

Service

A large complement of conscientious, professional staff.

Ambience

Botanical prints, a cascade of greenery, giant vases filled with blooms and leaves, mirrors and two walls of windows give the restaurant the light-filled, airy feel of a conservatory. Comfortable banquettes surrounding tables for six line the walls.

Best for…

Sundowners, romantic meals for two, casual dining with friends, working lunches and family celebrations.

(August 2019)

Eat Out critics dine unannounced and pay for their meals in full. Read our full editorial policy here.