La Fontana, by luck, just happened to be near my hotel and we had a memorable meal. Recently, work has taken me to the Lancashire resort on several occasions, and I couldn’t resist the temptation to see if it was still there. I was not disappointed.

La Fontana, where you dine in the “courtyard beneath the stars” – ok it is fairy lights, but why spoil the illusion - bills itself as the foremost Italian restaurant in the resort. Well, I’ve eaten in a host of Italian restaurants around Britain and it would be hard to beat the slick service and the food.

Their version of the classic Italian vegetable and pasta soup is simply superb. OK, I know it is difficult to get minestrone wrong, but the mixture of flavours simply explodes in your mouth.

One of my colleagues had mouth-watering mushrooms and the other cheese-topped garlic bread, and they enthused.

We all sidestepped the choice of 12 pizza dishes as main courses. One went for lasagne, layers of pasta baked with Bolognese, mozzarella and Bechemel sauce. The other plumped for spaghetti alla carbonara served in an onion, bacon, parmesan cheese with an egg, black pepper and cream sauce. Delicious.

Me, I normally like straight steak but the steak Mexicana was recommended. The rare sirloin was cooked with onions, garlic and green peppers and served in a red wine and tomato sauce with a hint of chilli. It was fantastic.

We washed the meal down with a perfectly acceptable house red and the bill was just over £60. A value meal. I’ll be back and yes I’ll probably start with the minestrone. PS: La Fontana welcomes families of all ages and the night and for people popping in for a quick bite. They also offer specials and it is within walking distance of Blackpool’s many pubs, nightclubs and theatres.   

Nigel Duncan