Ponte Vecchio, Spring Gardens Road, Bath

It’s Thursday evening and Ponte Vecchio – the elegantly flamboyant contemporary trattoria set in a singularly unique, stand-alone location right on Bath’s bubbling weir – is buzzing. I know this even before I’ve set foot in the restaurant because, as I approach the sparkling, fairy-lit cabin (a former storage hut for boats, would you believe), I can see people raising toasts to each other through the big upper level windows, and busy waiters dashing between tables bearing bottles of yet more cheer.

While I’m standing on the ancient cobbles to the front of the restaurant perusing the menu, a friendly American couple offer me their advice: “don’t even read the menu, just go in – it’s all wonderful!” he says; “we’ve been in Bath for almost three weeks now and eaten out every night, but this is the best meal we’ve had since we’ve been here!” she enthuses.

Watching the couple wander off hand-in-hand in the moonlight, the weir in full bubble behind them, I want what the American lady has clearly just had: a life-affirming, sensual reboot experience. It turns out I was set to get exactly what I wanted…

You want pretty? Ponte Vecchio does pretty. You want glam? Ponte Vecchio does glam. You want authentic, grown-up Italian food served up in a contemporary trattoria ambience? Tickety-tickety-tick, with a side order of Roman Holiday-esque escapism vibe thrown in for good measure and style, style, style infusing the whole, substance-infused experience from aperitivi to dolci.

An intimate courtyard paves the way to a street level bar that oozes confident glamour, while the upstairs dining room is a theatrically agreeable paean to refined élan, offering a dramatic view of one of Bath’s most famous vistas framed by huge windows and alfresco veranda seating that makes the very most of that view when the weather complies.

Menus waltz effortlessly around Italian classics with a handful of contemporary twists thrown in for good measure. An open kitchen towards the rear of the dining room offers eagle-eyed foodies the opportunity to watch each and every dish being rustled up to order and the wine list is an impeccably-curated Italian regional dream. The staff are as friendly and knowledgeable as you could possibly wish for, and a subtle celebratory vibe is writ large from the get-go; you may not think you want a Campari Spritz, or a Bellini, or a glass of fizz (in this instance, a Franciacorta, Brescia’s very own ‘champagne’) while you read the menu… but suddenly you do, and suddenly it would be ridiculous not to do.

And suddenly, I’m rather inelegantly starving.

For him, the Wild Boar Polpetta on the Specials menu were an instant grab that proved to be an instant hit: a classic, luxurious combination of juicy, gamey, subtly nutty meatballs resting on a classic, luxurious pomodoro sauce, the little ball of oozy cheese hidden inside each neat, meaty dome bringing further taste and texture.

For me, a far more complex combination that I couldn’t resist because (a) I can very rarely get past the words ‘smoked duck’ on a starter menu, (b) I had to know if pairing smoked duck with brandy-poached peaches, dried apricots, fresh berries, roasted hazelnuts and peach-infused mayonnaise (phew!) would result in a marriage made in heaven or a partnership created in hell, and (c)… I admire any restaurant that names a dish Duckordo, which I subtly Googled while sipping my fizz resulting in the lesser-spotted response of ‘it looks like there aren’t many great matches for your search’. But if I was out on a limb, I was in safe hands: fruit with duck? What’s not to like? And despite my reservations about the ensemble as a whole, the supporting cast list failed to detract from the silky, smoky game in the spotlight. Give it a go!

We followed a similar trusted classic vs “wow! How will that work out?” approach to our main courses too. That’s not to say, however, that his Porchetta (the second Special on the board on the evening we visited) lacked any “wow!” factor; to the contrary, PV’s Porchetta – slow-cooked, creamy, milky pork (I’m guessing belly?) rolled around a generous amount of aromatics (I detected sage, garlic, rosemary, fennel and a hint of chilli, perhaps?), crackling all present and correct – was a taste of Tuscany, on a plate in Bath.

As for my Tagliolini al Nero di Seppia: foodie drama alert! Squid ink pasta – depth-charge flavour, black-sheened gloss – muddled with an abundance of buttery Argentinian prawns, smooth, funky nduja and sweet, lively salsa rosa.

Both dishes were top notch examples of that aforementioned well-considered, authentic, grown-up Italian food, with full attention paid to every detail from conception to presentation. No corners are cut, no details are overlooked, no customers are taken for granted.

And to sweeten the bitter pill of home time on the horizon, here comes PV’s very own Cannolo Cheesecake, that unique, almost waffle-like, not-too-sweet deep fried pastry replacing the traditional cheesecake base, the topping rich and creamy with ricotta or mascarpone (or both?) – it was everything that the super-hip Biscoff cheesecake tries to be, but never quite manages to live up to.

Ponte Vecchio has a lot in common with that Cannolo Cheesecake: it’s everything that the recent influx of contenders to the title of Best Italian Restaurant in Bath try to be, but never quite manage to live up to. Ti vogliamo bene, Ponte Vecchio.