IL PARADISO Del Cibo on Walmgate in the centre of York has been a staple of the city’s restaurant scene for many years.

It’s known to residents as a cosy, old-school Italian run by Sardinian Paolo Silesu, but what some people might not yet know is that Il Paradiso has branched out and now has a sister restaurant.

The new venture, known as Il Paradiso on the Forest, is tucked away off the B1363 as you approach Sutton on the Forest from York heading to Helmsley in the former Pampas Argentinian restaurant building.

From the outside the part barn conversion, part Alpine lodge nestling in among the pine trees could quite easily be over looked, but once through the door you are greeted by a cavernous space far removed from the close confined quarters of its city centre relation.

Inside, exposed beams, high ceilings and wooden floors are twinned with white-washed walls hung with bright Mediterranean artwork and plenty of room for a relaxed dining experience. Outside, the forest location allows for acres of space including a lawned courtyard garden with tables and chairs surrounded by gravel paths.

On the day we visited, the summer sun forgot to shine so we opted for indoors where there was a big party and a handful of other diners which gave the place a nice level of hubbub.

It’s worth mentioning at this point that when we booked, the restaurant had the good grace to make sure we knew that they would not be able to take card payment, so we dutifully came armed with cash.

We kicked off our evening meal with the complimentary breads, olive oil and balsamic vinegar while we mulled over the menu. My other half, Jordan, was glad to see the waiter brought jugs of both oil and vinegar to pour ourselves rather than the meagre finger bowls you often come across.

The menu was extensive without being overwhelming and had everything you might expect from a traditional Italian from antipasti, to pasta dishes, risottos and of course, pizzas. Prices here were very reasonable with the most expensive dish a risotto at £12.95, but most other mains coming in just shy of £10. On the wall there was also a vast specials board to broaden our horizons and here things got a bit more pricey, but still the top marker was under £20.

We were on a rare day off and had arrived ready to eat so it took us no time to decide on our meals. For vegetarian Jordan, it can be something of a struggle finding a good variety of dishes to suit. But here there were no such traumas and he plumped for the bruschetta alla Romana (£4.95) to start followed by the calzone vegetariano (£9.25).

I’m a great lover of seafood and opted for the insalata di mare (£6.95) to start from the main menu and fancying something a little meaty for mains, the pappardelle al filetto (£19.95) from the specials.

The wine list avoided the tyranny of choice by offering only red or white and we opted for a bottle of the house red a very lovely C Nova Montepulciano D’Abruzzo at £15.95.

Thankfully our starters came quickly. My colourful seafood salad was both delicious and light, packed with mussels, crab, prawns and baby squid alongside sweet tomatoes and pickled red and yellow peppers all in a delicious dressing. Jordan was impressed by how much garlic they had managed to cram in to his bruschetta without it overpowering the tomato topping.

We did not have long to wait between courses and a formidable calzone arrived served on a bed of passata and wilted spinach. It was stuffed with roasted vegetables, mozzarella cheese and cherry tomatoes which gave my fellow diner a surprise when they went pop in his mouth.

My pappardelle was to die for – ribbons of fresh pasta sauteed with succulent and plentiful strips of beef fillet, porcini mushrooms and rocket smothered in truffle oil and topped off with fistfuls of parmesan shavings. The meat was mouth-wateringly tender and, though you could taste the mushrooms, their strong flavour didn’t overpower the rest of the dish.

Although we were approaching full it was our duty to try the desserts so Jordan manfully ordered tiramisu and was told they were all out. Instead he went for the Torta della Nona and I the Nuttella cheesecake. All desserts were priced at £4.95. The torta’s lemon filling was not too sharp but still had some zing and the sponge base had a tiny amount of bite to it. Just right. Meanwhile the cheesecake was all the gooey goodness I could have wanted without being too filling. The quality of our food was such that conversation was of happy memories of trips to Italy spent eating our body weight in good food in similarly friendly trattorias. For rekindling those memories, I must recommend this place if you want good food with little fuss.