La Baita Da Piero Chingford (from East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

It's been said that La Baita da Piero is one of the best authentic Italian restaurants in Waltham Forest so I was keen to try it out.

From the outside it is not particularly eye catching, especially during the day, yet it does resemble the alpine chalet that its name suggests.

The inside has an eclectic smattering of pictures on the walls together with some interesting Italian proverbs.

It was immediately appealing and reminiscent of some of those wonderful backstreet family trattorias in any Italian town.

The menu, in addition to the chalk board was filled with a good variety of dishes including trout with almonds, gnocchi with garlic and black pepper, half duck with a port and blackberry sauce, and calves liver with butter and sage.

There was also a wide selection of pizzas. For a drink there were wines from all across Italy including a tempting bottle of Barolo, though at £30 was above our price range.

We settled instead on a bottle of Bardolino Classico at £17.50 which complimented the richness of the food well.

For a first course we ordered ravioli with butter and sage, and gnocchi with a basil and tomato sauce.

Two generous servings arrived not long after, together with a mixed salad piled high in a bowl. My ravioli was excellent with a delicate taste of sage coming through.

A coating of grated parmesan added to the enjoyment. My partners gnocchi came with a flavoursome partly homemade tomato and basil sauce, which might have benefited with some more basil sprinkled on the top.

For the second course my partner chose the Agnello Gustaia - lamb escalopes with a chilli sauce, roasted potatoes and French beans, whilst I opted for the Saltimbocca alla Romana - veal escalopes with a layer of Parma ham and sage sauce, with roasted potatoes and fried zucchini.

We were again impressed with the size of the servings and with the flavoursome quality of the meat.

The lamb was beautifully cooked and tender with the chilli based sauce giving a lively piquancy. My veal and ham combo were very enjoyable with a rich sage and butter sauce. I couldn't help thinking though that the potatoes had been sitting around for a while and reheated, but otherwise all the food we had was hearty and delicious.

Despite being pretty full we were keen to sample at least one of their homemade desserts ( the ones without the pictures on the menu ) and went for the lemon cheesecake with both cream and a huge wedge of ice cream as an extra.

Not normally being a cheesecake fan myself I was however complicit in it being devoured in a matter of moments with my partner for it was delicious.

Staff at La Baita are especially warm and welcoming, and will happily engage in a lively conversation, particularly if it's in Italian.

It is a simple and unpretentious restaurant that serves up some great tasting food, and I would agree that it is one of the best Italian restaurants in the area.

The prices are a little above others but you do get value for money. Our bill came to £61.30.

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