I was a bit apprehensive about going out for dinner with three somewhat fussy young children, whose idea of a restaurant is an American fast food chain.

We decided to go to an Italian restaurant, where there would be something on the menu for everyone.

We arrived early, at 6pm on a Saturday and were the only people there at first, but the place very quickly filled up.

The children were made to feel very welcome, and they provided a high chair for our two-year-old daughter.

The menu was extensive, with a large choice of starters, and a good choice of pizza and pasta as well as meat and fish.

We had come prepared, armed with paper and pens and books to keep the kids occupied in case we had to wait a long time, but our starters were served within five minutes.

I chose avocado with crab meat (7.95), which I enjoyed very much but it would have been better without the overpowering rose-marie sauce which swamped the delicate flavour of the crab.

My husband selected scallops, wrapped in parma ham in garlic and white wine sauce (also £7.95).

He said they were alright, but he was disappointed that the scallops were cold and would have like more scallops and less salad.

We also ordered two portions of garlic bread for the children (£2.50 each), which were devoured rapidly, with comments of "this is much better than yours Mummy".

For the main course, I opted for steak with a pepper sauce and my husband chose veal with a mushroom and cream sauce, which were accompanied by a dish of potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli (not very Italian, I know). Both meals were delicious.

Our eight-year-old son ordered tortellini with porcini mushrooms (£6.95). The portion was huge, but he managed to eat most of it.

Our six-year-old daughter decided on a Fiorentina pizza (£6.95), which was the size of a dustbin lid and she declared it the best pizza she had ever had in her life.

Needless to say, she couldn't finish it and we ended up taking the rest home in a doggy-bag.

We ordered a mushroom risotto for our youngest daughter, which was offered as a reduced portion size (£4.20 instead of £6.95).

However she didn't eat very much of it, probably having filled up on garlic bread I suspect, and was more interested in our vegetables and her sister's pizza.

We were too full to even think about pudding and just ordered two espressos instead.

Overall, we had a very pleasant evening; the service was excellent, the staff were very friendly and made a big fuss of the children.

Gaetano's is an ideal place to go for a relaxing, informal evening, with good food and a friendly atmosphere. We will definitely return.

The total cost for five people, including two glasses of wine, one beer, three soft drinks and two coffees came to £77.25.

By Sue Cockrem

Gaetano's

Victoria Road,

Swindon

(01793 611265

  • Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 6 to 11pm, Sunday 7 to10pm
  • Lunchtimes: parties of 15 and above only
  • Children welcome
  • Wheelchair accessible (although space limited when busy)
  • Highchairs available