BEFORE booking a table at Ristorante La Sorrentina, I had been told by some colleagues of the "awful" meal they had had there some time ago.

But as the place has been refurbished, I was unperturbed. Everyone deserves a second chance

Arriving at just after 8pm on a Saturday night, it was a good sign to see the place full. We were ushered upstairs to another dining area, where there were just a few tables free. "This bodes very well," Stu commented.

The waiters were friendly exuding a typical Italian bonhomie that made us feel very welcome. The restaurant itself, although refurbished, looked a bit tatty. The blue and cream colour scheme, was acceptable, but the paint job hadn't been done with the steadiest hand, a wire hung down from the ceiling and there was a light bulb missing from the lights. All in all, it looked a little bit shabby, but not bad enough to put us off.

We turned our attentions to the food and after much deliberation, Stu opted for starter and main course from the chef's specials board, which included a wide range of fish dishes. Our waiter explained this menu was made up of whatever was good and fresh on the day. When we were there the menu included Dover Sole, which was soled out (pardon the pun), as well as bream, swordfish, lobster, crab and much more.

As we were deciding what to have, a plate of complimentary bruscetta with tomatoes arrived. Another good omen for the meal, we thought.

After much deliberation between a dressed crab and half a lobster to start, Stu finally opted for the lobster with garlic sauce (£12.50). I had charcoal vegetables with parmesan and balsamic vinegar (£6.50).

Stu meticulously stripped the lobster of all its meat; a sure sign of satisfaction. He said it was delicious.

My starter, however, was rather bizarre. The cold charcoal aubergine, courgette and peppers, on a bed of salad with balsamic vinegar and parmesan, was very tasty.

But for some reason, there was also a selection of pickled vegetables on the plate, including pickled onion, gurkin, cauliflower. I have no idea why and I would suggest the chefs should ditch the pickles. As taste sensations go, this one did not work. My taste buds were thoroughly confused. I left the pickles and ate the rest.

For our main courses Stu plumped for the swordfish with langoustines (14.95). I was undecided on whether to go for pasta or pizza, but Stu suggested the pizza: "Have the pizza, a proper home- made Italian pizza, it'll be lovely," he said. I was persuaded and chose the vegetarian pizza (£5.95).

We also ordered a tomato and mozzarella salad (£4.25) - and it was a good job we did. Although it stated in the menu that all main dishes are served with a selection of vegetables, Stu's swordfish arrived accompanied by one prawn and a few salad leaves - no veg. The fish itself was excellent, although he said the prawn was not as flavoursome as he would have expected. The lack of vegetables was made up for by the tomato and mozzarella salad, which was excellent.

Unfortunately, I cannot be so complimentary about my pizza. I had expected a nice thin, home-made base, with the odd bubble in it and crispy round the edges. I also expected the vegetables which made up the topping to include lots of peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and onion, with a healthy amount of mozzarella on top.

The reality was very different. The base although thin and I understand made fresh that day, was of a consistency similar to a very large rich tea biscuit, only less tasty. It was hard and every time I tried to cut a piece off, the force required to do so meant the rest of the pizza was catapulted off the plate. If that wasn't bad enough, the selection of vegetable toppings was just weird. As well as the peppers, tomatoes, onion and mushrooms I had anticipated, there was also carrots, peas, green beans and, I kid you not, cauliflower.

Perhaps, I thought, I'm set in my ways and need to open my mind to these culinary possibilities. But, however hard I tried I could not come to terms, with cauliflower on pizza. It just doesn't work.

We skipped dessert, although there was a comprehensive choice of dishes priced at £4.25.

All in all I felt that the meal, with a bottle of white wine, and a couple of glasses of red for myself, was over priced: the bill came to £69.85. Although the restaurant has clearly improved since the days my friend ate there, it's got some way to go before I would return