Prima Restaurant

Newcastle's lively Quayside, with its fashionable bars and busy restaurants, is certainly the place to be seen in the city, and Prima is situated slap bang in the middle of it all, under the old high-level bridge.

Choose a table in the spacious stone-walled dining room and cast an eye over the menu. Antipasti - both hot and cold - are reasonably priced; the peppered smoked salmon filled with mascarpone cheese drizzled with a light lemon dressing is just heavenly. Though a pizzeria at heart, Prima's expert chefs can whip up over 20 pasta dishes, not to mention steaks, stroganoffs and risottos - try the fabulously piquant 'Linguine Luigi', with aubergine, ricotta, cherry tomatoes and chilli. If you do plump for a pizza, each one, from the well-loved quattro formaggi to the more adventurous marinara, with garlic, mussels, tiger prawns and squid, is prepared from scratch before your eyes - a real treat. Attentive staff will be more than willing to help you find the perfect accompaniment to your meal; a bottle of house red is £11.95, while the velvety smooth Valoplicella is £16.95.

After an evening at Prima, you'll be left under no illusion as to why locals and visitors alike come in their hungry droves in search of a little piece of Italy - and I can guarantee you'll be back for more.