BASED in the former Three Crowns pub, the building was given a six-figure makeover to transform it into a restaurant around two and a half years ago.
As a result, Andiamo has a winning formula of sleek, modern design, combined with the welcoming familiarity of a "local".
The first thing to strike you as you park up behind the building is the smell - a combination of garlic, wine and herbs that must draw in locals like moths to a flame.
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We arrived early and, with trade still light, the high ceilings made the atmosphere a little cold and prone to echo.
But we soon lost ourselves in the menu, which contained a mind-boggling array of pizzas, pastas and variations on chicken and steak which made for a difficult choice.
There was a fairly standard selection of starters, such as salads, whitebait, breaded mushrooms, bruschetta and soup.
But I looked no further than the king prawns in tomato and garlic sauce, which caught my eye.
I was glad it did. Their texture was perfect, firm to the bite but remaining tender and the sauce was a perfect complement.
My girlfriend Clara had a rich and powerful home-made chicken liver pate, served on toast and with a refreshingly tasty salad.
By this stage, the house was packed and the bustle of voices - against background music that never drowned you out - brought the place to life.
The staff were attentive throughout but never overbearing.
A half-litre of house merlot, which at £6.99 represented great value, was slipping down quite nicely and proved the perfect foil for the steak I'd ordered as a main.
A huge fillet, cooked to pink-centred perfection, it came with a sauce where the sweetness of tomatoes and white wine was balanced against the tang of capers and olives.
Meanwhile, Clara enjoyed a mountain of penne with suitably zingy arabiatta sauce and plenty of pepperoni. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it left her defeated long before it was finished but at £6.50 it would be a great option for a cheap and quick evening meal.
A coffee rounded off the night nicely and the bill came in at £42 - fantastic value for such a great night.
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