Fairy lights festoon the trees flanking the front lawn, while jazz music plays softly, making La Villa ideal for the first date – you’ll have to be playing your cards rather badly if you haven’t got to first base by the time dessert is served. Owned by the Senso group, the menu of expertly prepared Italian cuisine does not disappoint. A starter comprising bufala mozzarella, avocado and ripe tomato delights with its fresh and simple taste. The pappardelle with roasted pork leg ragout and black olives, and the spinach fettuccine with braised duck in red wine, both arrived a smidgen less al dente than we would have liked, but the forktender pork and nuggets of flavourful duck more than made up for this one shortcoming. After drooling over our neighbouring table’s pizza and sizeable platter of grilled prawns, our menu for the following visit was set. And since no romantic meal should end on a savoury note, the apple tart with cinnamon served as the sweet finale to a more than satisfactory meal.
