Tucked away on Yas Mall’s cascade walk, a stone’s throw from Ferrari World, sits a little taste of Italy in Buca di Beppo.

After a warm welcome, my guest and I take a seat surrounded by hundreds of framed pictures celebrating the culinary, cultural and quintessential attractions of Italy.

In seeming Italian-American style, everything here is in excess. Buca is all about sharing and getting the whole family around one table to enjoy a meal.

Sinking our teeth into the menu we sip a pair of mocktails – a delicious Buca Bellini for me and a fruity strawberry margarita for my guest – before ordering an Italian feast.

At Buca, the portions are massive, but luckily so were our appetites. For starters we share the stringy fried mozzarella, wonderfully complemented with a tangy marinara sauce.

We also sample the artichoke Florentine dip, packed full of creamy veg in white sauce, served with some crunchy garlic bread.

For the main, there is only one choice for me: the world famous half-pound meatballs – and boy, they don’t disappoint. A perfectly cooked baseball-sized meatball sits on my plate, surrounded by a sea of fresh spaghetti and that wonderful marinara sauce – it’s an instant hit.

My guest also orders a classic: lasagne, an enticing layered stack of tender meat, cheese, pasta and tomato, which is packed with flavour.

We find room to sample the vanilla cheesecake, which is lifted with sharp raspberry sauce and the crunch of roasted hazelnuts.

With a full stomach and an enjoyable evening under our belts, we leave the restaurant already feeling like part of the family.

Location: Buca di Beppo, Cascade Dining, Yas Mall

We say:  You have to try the meatballs!

Cost: AED 240 for two

Opening times: Sat-Wed 10am-10pm, Thu-Fri 10am-midnight

Contact: 02 665 6247, bucadibeppo.ae