Impressive setting for a meal

One of Bristol's special occasion restaurants has MARK TAYLOR ready for a return visit

- MARK TAYLOR

HARRY Redknapp, Ray Winstone, Pavarotti and John Prescott - they're all present and correct in the galleries of well-fed and well-refreshed celebrity customers plastering the walls at San Carlo.

This glamorous Italian restaurant in Corn Street, part of a hugely successful chain, has been one of Bristol's busiest since the late 1990s and it still draws a crowd.

It’s also one of the few dining rooms where people make a bit more of an effort and actually dress up for a meal, rather than turn up in work-from-home attire.

And then there's the glitzy room itself - a vast space with high ceilings, mirrored walls, candles and marble tables swathed in white linen cloths.

It’s a genuinely impressive setting for a meal and the sharp-suited waiting staff are well seasoned and eagle-eyed when it comes to the smallest details.