Piccola Italia likes to think of itself as ‘a little piece of Italy in the heart of Ealing’, and as it was a wet and wintry Sunday, the lure of the continent began to take on a certain appeal.

The restaurant is situated among a row of competing eateries in The Green but appears to be holding its own, and I’m sure that’s because of the quality of its food and service.

Started by ‘Andrew and Gabbi’ – the latter being a specialist in Italian cooking who hails from Siena – the restaurant had barely been open two months when it was targeted by rioters who tore up Ealing centre in the summer of 2011. Scarred but unbowed it reopened and prospered.

The decor has a rustic, homely feel, with photographs of mid-20th century Italy adorning the walls as you might expect.

My wife and I were pleased to find it is child friendly, and our boys, aged six and five, were well catered for by a children’s menu which included a main course, dessert and drink for £5 a head. The boys each had a generously sized margherita pizza and fruit juice, followed by vanilla ice-cream – difficult to go wrong.

I sampled the garlic bread starter. The dough had been freshly baked and was shaped with a flourish. My wife ordered the bruschetta with cheese, which while tasty was served cold (intentionally we think) rather than melted as we expected.

Piccola Italia, 21 The Green, Ealing, W5 5DA
Piccola Italia, 21 The Green, Ealing, W5 5DA

The restaurant specialises in seafood, but on this occasion we kept it simple for mains. My wife chose the healthy option of pollo funghi with salad and salted potatoes (£12.95), which she said was delicious and definitely worth having again. I opted for the piccante pizza (£8.30), a close relation of the American hot which is favourite of mine, and this was sufficiently spicy without being overbearing for those with lesser tolerance for such things.

The ice-cream was the perfect way to round off the meal. At £4.50 you may be tempted to pass, but the generous helpings of vanilla, chocolate and pistachio were well worth the investment.

The staff were attentive throughout and we could imagine it would shortly be getting very busy for the evening rush. We stepped outside, back into London suburbia the better for our short escape into all things Italian.