Recently voted 'The Best Italian Restaurant in Scotland 2009' at the Scottish Restaurant Awards, Bella Mbriana is a smooth mix of traditional and contemporary Italian food; bringing a tempting Neapolitan taste to Scotland.

Bella Mbriana's location in Edinburgh's cosmopolitan New Town is the perfect setting for such a vibrant modern restaurant and, with an extensive mouth-watering menu on offer, they are certainly giving the competition a good run for its money. This restaurant oozes style and sophistication, decorated in warm colours with stylish furniture and a hint of 'Scottishness' portrayed in the paintings adorning the walls.

The impressive evening menu changes on a weekly basis to keep loyal diners interested, and includes Italian favourites as well as some dishes you might not have come across before. The primi piattie - or starters to non-Italian speakers - might include dishes such as pasta fresca (parcels of fresh egg pasta with butter and sage); Parma ham served with melon, mozzarella and fresh figs; and grilled calamari served on a bed of cous cous, cooked with olive oil, chopped rocket leaves and chorizo. Prices typically range between £4.95 and £6.95, and starters can also be taken as a main for those with lighter appetites. Main courses deliver the likes of mare nel piatto - clams, mussels, prawns, langoustines and scallops sautéed in olive oil, white wine, chilli and parsley - or you might opt for a perfect pizza, with a topping such as smoked salmon, mascarpone and pink peppercorns. Dishes such as gnocchi in a cheese fondue sauce with shredded radicchio make delicious choices for vegetarians. Main-course prices range from around £7.95 to £11.95. The restaurant also offers an impressive selection of regional Italian wines to accompany your food; the icing on the cake of your culinary journey to Italy.

Visit Bella Mbriana for lunch or a pre-show meal, available until 7pm, and enjoy two courses for £8.95, or four for £12.95 - excellent value for money, particularly when taking the size of the portions into consideration. We chose from the lunch menu and started with the vellutata di ceci - a delicious chick pea and prawn soup that afforded an inspired combination of flavours. Our other antipasti, gnocchi with a sauce of olive oil, cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil and mozzarella, was deliciously rustic. Main courses consisted of straccetti di pollo - chicken pan fried with garlic, pancetta and diced courgettes - which was a wholesome and expertly cooked dish, and razza al cartoccio - skate wings oven baked with mussels, clams, cherry tomatoes and lemon. For those who still have room, and you should certainly save some, the desserts come highly recommended. The rich chocolate ice cream and the Amoretti and ricotta cheesecake are nothing short of heavenly. Follow dessert with their excellent Italian coffee and you'll come away happy and contented. Bella Mbriana serves up excellent contemporary menus, fusing traditional and modern Italian cuisine with effortless flair. Add to this the stylish surroundings and good service, and the result is an Italian restaurant experience that should not be missed.