Although Ealing Common may not have the hustle and bustle of Ealing town centre a short bus ride away, it still boasts a great selection of places to eat.
Indeed, the more sedate nature of the area makes it the perfect place to enjoy a relaxing evening out with a good meal.
Dante is an Italian restaurant just over the road from the Tube station, next to a row of Japanese eateries and an Irish pub.
My companion and I wandered in just after 6.40pm on a drizzly Wednesday afternoon and the place was very quiet. However, all we cared about was the food.
The staff were warm and accommodating and guided us to a cosy table for two. The interior, while dimly lit, felt authentically Italian.
The walls are dark red brick and the candlelit tables are covered with red and white checked tablecloths. The aroma of tomato and basil filled the restaurant.
The menu is impressive, with every kind of Italian cuisine, from the simple to the elaborate. We felt like keeping it simple, so we decided to go for a pizza. Mine had a selection of meats and peppers while my companion, after a brief spell of indecision, went for a vegetarian option.
I enjoyed a perfectly chilled bottle of Peroni beer while waiting for the food to arrive and, thankfully, it did not take long. It tasted good, there's no doubt about that, and the base appeared to be freshly baked on the premises. It was gratifyingly doughy yet crisp and light, a nice touch.
The pizza was tasty and the chef hadn't done anything wrong, but it lacked that certain something to make it truly stand out.
It may well be that I was being overly fussy and had been spoiled after eating pizza overseas - this was still a good meal, and there was a decent portion for the £7 or so that I'd spent.
I'd like to go back there some other time and try some of the other selections on the menu but, for now, I was happy with my choice.
