December became an accidental Italian dining fest for me, I guess I was unwittingly craving that deep, rich, flavour filled goodness to balance all the ‘Festive Menu’ Christmas parties we all need to attend. Don’t get me wrong, I love a Christmas dinner as much as the next person, but they’re not exactly an attack on the senses, and the less said about The Cricketers dismal effort, the better.

My 2nd Italian visit of the month took me to Cafe Citta, a family owned restaurant which opened in 2009, you will have probably walked past it several times and not noticed it. It’s small, very small, but that is it’s charm. Cosy, rustic and authentic, in fact one of my dining buddies that evening commented on how he felt he was abroad and not in the hub of Cardiff City Centre, I agreed.

They offer the usual Italian fare as well as pizza cooked in their own wood fired oven, they also have specials which are described to you by your server with the help of the blackboard.

I started with Bruschetta at £7, a simple starter but always lives and dies by the freshness of the topping. Happy to report that the tomatoes were ripe and fresh, the levels of olive oil, basil and oregano all balanced, and seasoned just right. You get a good amount of topping on the bread, more than I have had at other restaurants, so you don’t feel short changed from your £7.

For main I had the Penne Arrabbiata with Italian sausage £14.50, this is a bit of a favourite of mine so will quite often order this to gauge the restaurants flavours. I didn’t need to worry, that rich Napoli sauce holding the peppers, onions, courgette and aubergine in a big hug, smothering the perfectly cooked pasta and providing one big smile on the face with each mouthful. I didn’t really get a sense of any heat so perhaps could up the chilli, however it tasted divine and honestly I wouldn’t have added any had it been offered.

I had garlic bread as a side, how else are you going to mop up all that sauce? I’ll admit, I wasn’t fussed on it, yes it’s just bread and garlic but it had a strange after taste that I couldn’t put my finger on. Not a deal breaker, it was all eaten.

Dessert was Tiramisu £6.50, it arrived served in a cup and saucer, my initial thoughts were that because of this it was on the small side, but a bit like the restaurant itself what it lacked in size it made up for in it’s flavours. Lovely smooth, sweet Mascarpone, soft coffee soaked lady fingers, and a good topping of cocoa powder, not particularly boozy, but absolutely delicious, and a good end to a fantastic meal.

If you’re looking for quality, authentic Italian food in a rustic, cosy environment then you can’t go wrong dining at Cafe Citta. The service here is very good, staff are attentive and get the pace just right, you don’t want to feel rushed in a place like this. The kitchen is open, and at the back of the restaurant so you can see the goings on, the kitchen area is remarkably small yet food is delivered with minimal fuss and with good speed. Lighting and music are at a perfect level and the overall ambience is great, there’s no sense of loud chatter, it’s all very civilised.

The restaurant was busy, and many walk ins were unfortunately turned away, good food and limited seating makes this so, to be in a bigger premises I think would lose all that Cafe Citta is about. The authenticity, that escapism, in a street surrounded by ever changing chain restaurants it may just be that Cafe Citta holds the key the more commercial outlets overlook. I have already recommended Cafe Citta to friends looking to eat out, and I too will be back very soon.