Situated on the banks of the Grand Canal in Portobello, Nonna Valentina looks out on one of the nicest views in Dublin - the swans swimming on the Grand Canal. Paolo is a fan of what the Dunne and Crescenzi partnership has been doing over the past few years. Their formula of offering well-made, simple foods at reasonable prices is something Dublin needs. Of all the catering niches, the least well-served in Dublin is the middle ground, so their various bars and coffee houses fill a real and necessary slot. With that expertise behind the group, a trip to their restaurant, Nonna Valentina was in order. A dinner with friend Alexis Mitchell was just the ticket.

We were seated downstairs and a couple of fine chandeliers complete the room's decoration. Simple tables and chairs seem to pitch this dining room more at the simple oratorio experience. The starters are priced in and around €10 and list some old favourites like mixed bruschette, bresaola with rocket and Parmesan, and buffalo mozzarella served with sun dried tomatoes and anchovies. I also liked the look of the Donegal tuna carpaccio and the prosciutto cappelletti cooked in an organic beef broth. Eventually Alexis chose the bresaola and I decided to do the Italian thing and order a pasta dish as a starter. I picked the bucatini all'Amatriciana, which is a tomato and pancetta sauce named after its origins in the town of Amatrice.

The main courses proper, the meats, were all priced between €20 and €25. For our mains Alexis did the Irish thing and picked a pasta - the fettucce (a thicker style of fettucine) served with a spicy Irish venison sauce, while I picked the fillet of organic beef with a Barbera sauce.

Before our starters arrived we were served some breads and a dip of good olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. Soon afterwards our starters arrived and the pasta sauce was very good indeed while Alexis' bresaola was very good indeed, and the accompanying rocket and Parmesan were excellent.

The main courses were also very good; Alexis' fettucce were perfectly cooked and the venison sauce was really good; just a little gamey, spicy and very tender. My main course was simple enough, a grilled fillet steak, but it was cooked exactly as I'd asked for, and the red wine reduction sauce worked very well.

We were tempted enough by the dessert menu to choose an ice-cream dish between us, which consisted of almond biscuits (amaretti) and a small shot of Amaretto liqueur which we poured over the ice-cream. I'd only intended to pick at it, but it tasted so nice that greed got the better of me and between us we finished the plate, despite the fact that I've never been partial to amaretti. We finished the meal with an espresso each which rounded off a good meal. The service throughout the meal had been very good, brisk and professional, and coupled with the fact that most of the waiting staff appear to be Italian, it does give a sense of authenticity.