RINGING a taste of Italy to Widnes is small plates restaurant Pesto.

The national chain has taken its unique brand of mixing Spanish-style tapas with Italian pizza and pasta just a few miles outside Warrington to the restaurant formerly known as The Coterie on Birchwood Road.

Having not been back to the restaurant since I worked there as a waitress in 2009, I was keen to see what Pesto bosses had done with such a prime spot for a restaurant.

We were advised by our attentive waiter to opt for three dishes from the menu as portions were bigger than traditional tapas.

Choices ranged from mini pizzas to salad and potato dishes, bruschetta and a variety of meat and pasta dishes.

With Italian names for each dish it became a tricky task deciding how to create a meal Aldo Zilli would be proud of.

Eventually I opted for a carb-heavy mix of mushroom pizzette, a flavoursome tagliatelle and a juicy Italian hunters chicken while my friend opted for a cheesy mini pepperoni pizza, a succulent chicken stuffed with Parma ham dish rounded off with an ever popular carbonara.

The chicken dish topped the pile for us but we were left with the problem of what to eat first to avoid food going cold. With hindsight I would have asked the waiter to keep one warm for me or opted for a salad or potatoes to accompany my meatier dishes.

The generous portions meant we had just enough room for a beautifully creamy tiramisu, and overall my trip to Pesto was bravissimo.