Giovanni's - Cardiff City Centre

To celebrate my mum's birthday last weekend, my family and I went to Giovanni's for dinner, which is an Italian restaurant established in 1983.

We went to the restaurant on The Hayes, which was very authentic and cosy. When we arrived, we were greeted by the friendly, Italian staff and seated right away. Our drinks order was taken immediately, with the drinks appearing about a mintue later. We took a while to decide what to order, but once we ordered our starters arrived pretty quickly and were delicious. I had the calamari, which was delicious and not too rubbery.

 

  

It was a pretty large portion for a starter so I didn't eat it all, but I easily could have done if I didn't care about leaving enough room for my main course.

 

For main course I ordered my favourtie meal, which unfortunately isn't available in every Italian restaurant - veal in a creamy, mushroom sauce. Although they offered veal in a cream and mushroom sauce, I chose the variation which was in a cream and white wine sauce with bacon and mushrooms. It came with a salad garnish and a side of sautéed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. 

 

 

 

 

It might not look particularly good but it was absolutely delicious. The veal was cooked perfectly and the sauce was creamy and indulgent, without being too rich. I struggled to eat the last mouthful because the portion was quite big but there was no way I was going to leave any of it on my plate! The rest of my family were also pretty full by the end of their main courses, so we skipped dessert and just had some coffee.

 

The service was wonderful. As soon as we had finished our starters, our plates were cleared away and our main course arrived very quickly. The staff were very attentive and efficient yet we weren't made to feel like they were rushing us out.

 

We had a really enjoyable meal and I will definitely return! I don't think I could fault anything, the food and service was flawless and the restaurant was relaxed and full of character. If you're looking for a great Italian restaurant in Cardiff, check out Giovanni's!