Bella Italia is somewhere I think we've all visited at one time or another, I've had some really enjoyable experiences there in the last six months especially when eating with Joshua and ordering from the vegan choices so I can share with him.
They've recently launched their all new menu which includes over thirty new dishes as well as a twist on some old favourites so I headed in this week to see what was available and fill up on some oh so tasty Italian eats.
There are two Bella Italia restaurants to choose from in Southampton, one in Above Bar or Hanover Buildings which is where we spent Tuesday evening.
We started with refreshing Watermelon Mojitos which were much needed after a busy day. I've always found the drinks menus at Bella Italia full of choice with various cocktails and delicious wine to choose from.
The main menu is where it's at though with so many new additions to choose from. We only had three starter choices so I ordered classic bruschetta topped with red and yellow baby vine tomatoes marinated in garlic, olive oil and basil. There is the option to add torn Bufala Mozzarella which I would've done had we been made aware at the time. It was delicious but would've tasted extra special with mozzarella.
Can't resist that cheese!
We also ordered the new Arancini which was crispy risotto rice balls filled with pea, mint and mozzarella with a spicy tomato dip. The Arancini was really amazing, I've a big fan of Arancini and the pea and mint was a nice twist on an old classic.
I almost always order pizza so I made sure I chose something different this time.
The Pollo Pesto is made with gramigna pasta and tossed with roast chicken, onion, red peppers and pachino tomatoes in a basil pesto sauce. It was absolutely delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed it, the mix of flavours was spot on and it's something I would order again on our next visit.
The second main was another new dish to the menu, the Risotto Pollo Funghi. The super creamy dish was made with roast chicken and mushroom topped with pachino tomatoes and baby spinach leaves. It was a beautiful dish and really filling, you can't really go wrong with risotto!
The new menu also features a handful of new Calzone dishes and a number of new pizza toppings including the Gamberoni Pizza which is a seafood lovers dream.
We'd already spied the tantalizing desserts so made sure we left room for something sweet. There's a wide range of desserts available and it was really hard to choose but we opted for the Coconut Panna Cotta topped with mango, passion fruit and strawberry salsa as well as the Mini Doughnuts which come with a rich dark chocolate dipping sauce.
The panna cotta was out of this world, super creamy with a hint of coconut - it really was something quite special.
The mini doughnuts were also incredible and I'm sure they're going to be a big hit with children and adults alike. They were beautifully light and not too doughy, coated in cinnamon sugar and made the perfect after dinner dessert.
The service throughout the evening was friendly and attentive, we had a really enjoyable time and with so many menu choices and even more vegetarian and vegan options to choose from, it's somewhere we will be going back again soon.
The new menu is now available in all restaurants and you can view all the new dishes on www.bellaitalia.co.uk.
I have my eye on the Verdure Pesto Calzone on our next visit.
Complimentary meal for the purpose of review - see disclaimer.