For my birthday my mum and step-father took me out to dinner at Azzurro, an Italian restaurant in Southend-on-Sea that we’ve enjoyed before.

I had the Calamari for starters which were fine, although a few more would have been nicer. I was tempted by the “Pollo All’indiana” which I’ve had before and is excellent, but I thought that I should try something different. My step-father choose the “Antipasto Grand Gourmet” which is a huge plate of cold meats and olives. I’ll certainly have that next time!

For the main course I decided to have the “Medaglioni di filetto Aristocratico”. This was superb, as was the large dish of accompanying vegetables.

We all had the “Canadese” for desert which is toffee ice cream with walnuts and maple syrup. It was a good end to the meal, much lighter than the obvious Tiramisu.

If you’re ever looking for somewhere to eat in Southend I can thoroughly recommend Azzurro.