BEFORE paying a visit to Prezzo in Buckingham Palace Road, I'd never stepped foot inside a branch of the Italian restaurant chain.

With so many similar restaurants on the average high street, from Strada to Pizza Express, I didn't think Prezzo would be too different - but I'm glad to say I was proved wrong.

Firstly, in other restaurants, I sometimes feel under pressure to get through my meal in record speed because there are normally queues of people out the door and the staff seem to want to turn the tables round as quickly as possible.

Here, although it was busy, the waitresses were attentive to our every need and in no hurry to see the back of us.

Secondly, I've found the food in other Italian chains fairly standard, but here they tried to give a little extra.

To start, my boyfriend Matthew and I shared a plate of Italian nachos, a twist on the Mexican dish which came with pesto, mozzarella and fresh cherry tomatoes, and pan con cipolla, a garlic pizza bread with caramelised balsamic onions and melted mozzarella. Both dishes proved the chefs had put some thought into coming up with unusual, but very welcome, takes on classic dishes.

For the main course, there was a good selection of pizzas, pastas, salads and grilled meats - but we both chose pizzas, as fellow diners in the restaurant seemed to be enjoying theirs.

I chose the four seasons, with pepperoni, prosciutto, artichoke and mushrooms, while Matthew went for an Il Cartoni calzone, or folded pizza, with pepperoni, chicken, pancetta and roasted peppers.

My pizza was delicious without being too heavy, and it was good that pepper mills were on the table so I could add my own.

The calzone, which I wouldn't usually order, was full of flavour, with a nice contrast between the meats and the fresh peppers.

Although we were both pretty full by this stage, we decided to try out the desserts as the menu looked so tempting.

I have a very sweet tooth and I chose the honeycomb smash cheesecake, while Matthew picked the toffee roast banana cheesecake.

Both were very sweet and the perfect end to the meal.

For three courses with drinks, expect to pay about £20 per head.

 PREZZO Victoria Place shopping centre

Buckingham Palace Road Victoria SW1W 9SJ 020 7828 5199 www.prezzorestaurants.co.uk