Residents of Caterham-onthe- Hill now have a fashionable new Italian restaurant and brasserie on their doorstep that has just been opened by Aldo Floris, the owner of the popular 'La Fiaba' Italian restaurant in Caterham Valley.

'Aldo@theArc' is located in the bright and spacious lobby of The Arc arts and recreation centre in Weston Drive in 'The Village'. Diners can look out onto the fine Victorian buildings that used to accommodate the soldiers when 'The Village' was Caterham Barracks. Aldo, who comes from Sardinia, creates authentic Italian dishes for his customers including a good selection of reasonably priced pasta and pizza dishes prepared from fresh ingredients.

When dining there recently, I decided to try something new for starters and chose Grilled Aubergines in a bed of tomato sauce served with rocket salad and parmesan shavings that was a lovely combination of flavours. My partner Keith started with his favourite, deep fried whitebait from the tapas selection. The portion was generous and the whitebait was, in Keith's words, "beautiful and crispy".

Aldo recommended the Beef Casserole for Keith and the Breast of Duck for me as our main courses. The duck (a very good pedigree according to Aldo) was dressed with onions, port and wild berries. It simply felt like I was in the hands of a culinary whizz, who knew exactly what would hit the right note. It was lovely! Keith was equally impressed with the beef. Aldo is passionate about the food he serves, and wants his customers to have a great dining experience when they may even learn a little more about how to fully appreciate Italian cuisine.

We had just enough space left to enjoy desserts freshly made that day by Aldo's wife, Marcia. Keith had chocolate fudge cake and I had carrot cake, Quite indulgent of course, but perfect for a special treat.

Our verdict - The Arc is even more exciting now it has Aldo@theArc!