Bella Rosa — Restaurant in Hertsmere

Down in Bushey Village is an Italian restaurant called Bella Rosa. They have a lunch specials menu all week, including weekends, which is £9.90 for one course and £13.90 for 2 courses ... obviously, there is less choice on that menu, but it is still great value.

We decided to go a la carte for more choice. They offer a range of steaks, fish, chicken dishes, pizzas and pastas, and salads. . . Obviously, I can only review what we tried. I originally ordered the whitebait, which I ended up sending back. To me, it wasn't good ... maybe they just overcooked it, so I changed it for the pan-fried king prawns, in olive oil, parsley & garlic with chilli flakes, white wine & cherry tomato sauce ... and WOW! I'm so glad I did. Not only did it look and smell delicious 😋 but it tasted AMAZING. Definitely the one to choose!! Sadly, this meant I ate the bread too (I try to stay wheat free) as that sauce couldn't go to waste! 😋 My friend also enjoyed their Minestrone Soup 🍲 and had lots of parmesan on it, which they loved too!

For mains, my friend had the calves liver with mash potato and an onion marsala wine sauce, which I have to say looked fantastic, and the sauce and mash were delicious. As for the liver, I'm not a massive fan of it, but it was quite nice, especially with the sauce. For me, I didn't have my seabass for once and decided on the Pollo a crema ( pan-fried chicken breast with mushrooms and a creamy sauce served with saute potatoes ... The chicken was well cooked (think to photograph it would have looked aesthetically better if they'd browned the skin more), the creamy mushroom sauce was ok but just a bit too thick I felt and I left the saute potatoes! Luckily, I was full by then, but they just didn't taste great. . The service was good, the toilets were clean, and the waitresses were attentive and helpful. . Would I try it again? Yes, I would, especially for that prawn starter ... I'd rate today's lunch visit a 7.5/10

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Another lovely impromptu dinner. My partner booked a table a couple of hours before our booking, we were running a bit late so rang to tell them, they were really friendly and understanding about it.

Once there we got seated to our table very quickly, which was neat, clean and comfortable. Our drinks a beer and virgin mojito were served quickly and just as expected. For starters we had the calamari and flatbread with mozzarella and caramelised onions. Both cooked very well, especially the calamari, which was amazing, the squid to batter ratio was perfect and tasted lovely!!!

For mains then lasagna was perfect, and my partner had a medium rare steak, again cooked perfectly. At this point we were absolutely full. The restaurant are more than happy to pack the left overs too.

It's a great place for family, friends and a date night. The food is lovely, the actual restaurant is a lovely place to for any meal, clean and well presented with a great buzz and atmosphere. The team are fantastic, every member of staff is friendly, polite and helpful and the chef's food is on point.

Thank you to everyone at...

Each visit to Bella Rosa is better than the last… which is saying something because we have ended up going quite often this last winter.

Although I’m sure that all the waiters are exceptional, we have had the pleasure of being served by Anna Maria. Her professional etiquette, kind remarks and warm, skillful manner recommend her as a credit to her trade.

Beyond the exceptional service - with which I can find no fault - the ambience is inviting; the lighting neither too harsh nor too dim; the tables comfortably spaced; the food truly exceptional. Portion sizes are appropriate for after a long day of work and the recommendations for wine (another credit to Anna Maria’s familiarity with the menus) have never failed to pair exquisitely.

Whether a quiet dinner for two or a group dinner, I can confidently say that you will be spoiled from all angles.

For what it’s worth, I am a trained “Restaurantfachmann” from the European continent and harbor high standards when it comes to service. From one who knows… it’s...