Just recently, my flatmate and other friends have been going out to eat quite a lot due to it getting closer to the end of university and with all of the work we have to do, we just cannot be bothered to cook sometimes. Somewhere I had never been before was Bella Italia, just because somewhere like Pizza Hut has always been a quicker option. However, we felt like a change and headed to the Bella Italia close to The Corner House cinema.

== Address ==
Unit G4, The Corner House, Burton Street, NG1 4DB Nottingham

== Telephone number ==
(0115) 950 9480

== Location ==
Bella Italia is extremely accessible in Nottingham as it is right in the city center. There are many buses which stop just around the corner and the restaurant is only a 15 minute walk away from the train station. Bella Italia is a part of Nottingham's The Corner House which is an entertainment and dining area/ building. Here, you can also find a cinema, casino and various other bars and restaurants.

== My experience ==
Bella Italia describes their restaurant as an 'Italian restaurant offering a broad menu of pizzas, pastas, risottos and meat and fish main dishes'. I absolutely love Italian food so I'm a bit shocked with myself that it has taken me this long to go for a meal here. However, before going I hadn't ever looked at a menu so I wasn't quite sure what I would be getting.

Heading into the restaurant on a Thursday night at 6pm, it was semi-busy. The restaurant has dim lighting, plenty of tables and candles on each of them which makes for a lovely setting. There were couples, families and groups of friends occupying the tables so a whole range of different people. I really liked the look of the restaurant before even sitting down. Our friend Laura had already gotten us a table as we were running slightly late.

Our waiter quickly came over and gave us menus and to take our drinks order once we were all sat down. We also had a couple of options with vouchers that we wanted to use and honestly, we were a bit of a pain when it came to asking about them but the two different staff members, one of which was the shift manager, were extremely helpful and patient with us. Due to having a thing with vouchers going on, we also took quite some time deciding what to eat. The restaurant offers a main menu at night as well as a special menu where you can get two courses for £9.95. However, this does only include a starter and main with very little choice. This special menu only has 4 starter options and 6 mains, which none of us wanted to eat.

The main menu is much more extensive. There are options of Bread and Olives, Baked Pizza Breads, Sharing Platters, Starters, Pizza, Pasta, Calzones, Grills and more. I think the range of the menu was fantastic, with plenty of options for everyone. There is also a children's menu available if you are dining with kids. I'm more than happy with a margherita (£6.75) but my friends went with a Pesto Rosso e Legumi (£8.75) which is roasted red and yellow peppers, olives, cherry tomatoes, red onions and mushrooms, topped with mascarpone and buffalo mozzarella on a red pesto base as well as a Pizza Cotto (£7.75) which is smoked ham, mozzarella and garlic mushrooms. The side of fries cost £2.95 while a glass of coke cost £2.25.


By the time we had finally ordered, the restaurant had cleared about a bit and near enough everyone else was already eating. We ordered three pizzas between us and a side of fries but waiting for our meals took nearly 30 minutes which I don't think this was very good considering what the restaurant was like at the time. Our order was not at all complicated and I would have thought that the wait would have been a little shorter. However, when the food did arrive, it was fantastic. The pizza bases were thin and crispy, with two out of the three pizzas loaded with toppings. Each of us finished off a whole pizza because they were so nice. The fries were disappointing though. Due to the price of £2.95, I would have imagined the serving would have been good but what we actually got was a tiny bowl full which held barely anything.

After our mains, we asked our waiter how long the wait for desserts would be as we had a film to go and watch. He told us 5 minutes as the restaurant was pretty empty by then so we decided we had enough time to have something else. Kate and I shared a Cookie Dough Lava Cake which is 'Moist chocolate chip cookie cake with a melting chocolate middle, served warm with vanilla pod ice cream and caramel sauce' and this cost £5.50. Laura had a Godfather Banana Ice Cream Sundae which is 'vanilla and honeycomb ice cream, sliced banana and caramel sauce, topped with whipped cream, fudge pieces and a wafer curl' and that cost £5.95. We ended up waiting 15 minutes for these which we were all very annoyed about as it meant that we missed the beginning of our film. The Cookie Dough Lava Cake was only barely warm so the chocolate in the middle didn't quite melt as it should have but it was still really nice. It was just enough for two of us to share but I think a full one would have made me feel sick.

Overall, Bella Italia was only okay for me. The waiting times were silly considering the amount of people in the restaurant at the time. We were lucky to get 20% off our meals because we're students but I don't think I would want to pay the full prices.