The best place I’ve ever been on holiday was Venice.

Wife Ruth and me rented an apartment on the island of Giudecca which is just a small waterway away from the main island of Venice and had a rooftop area.

The moment we walked out on that was one of the most magical of our lives for we could see right across Venice, its aquamarine waterways, the little boats ploughing their way across the choppy waters as the larger water taxis passed by. The only way to describe it was like a painting coming alive.

It will stay with us forever … yet it’s rare we go out to eat Italian here. After all, anyone can make a decent pasta dish. Right?

But great Italian food is more than just making it. It needs passion injecting into it, it needs flavour, it needs a skilled touch to make it stand out from what you can knock up yourself at home.

So we thought we’d treat 12-year-old son Harry to some Italian inspiration and headed to Prego in Brighouse.

The name means ‘you’re welcome’ and it’s set right next to canal which lacks that sparkling aquamarine green of Venice but at least nods it’s head in the right direction.

Part of the Waterfront hotel complex it’s a classy pace. The moment you walk through the door there’s a spacious bar with marble-style tables, a wonderfully tiled floor and a feeling of room and light. It was a bright early summer evening and with classic Italian music – usually tenors rising to a crescendo – you could close your eyes and think you were in Italy.

The restaurant has been crafted from a Grade Two listed building – it looks like it was once a waterside mill, possibly a warehouse supplying passing barges – and the metal pillars still survive, reminding you of the area’s heritage.

Drinks first and we asked for a bottle of Terre al Sale Salento bianco, the house white, which was probably the best house white we’d had at any restaurant. We’ll be looking that one up on t’internet to give us an alternative to Aldi’s finest or Sainsbury’s house.

It’s an extensive menu determined to take you on a taste journey through everything Italy has to offer from bread to pizzas, pastas and a wide range of specials … and even an Italian twist on a burger. To say there is something for everyone would still be to underplay it.

But with such a large choice could they carry each dish off?

We shared a starter which sounded simple on the menu – Pane Del Giorno (£3.50), homemade mixed breads and focaccia with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. What we got was a wonderfully presented sharing dish with a range of bread from sticks to the bite-size focaccia.

For mains Ruth had Salmone Con Gnocchi (£16.95), pan cooked salmon fillet with buttered chorizo gnocchi, capers and spring onions.

I was tempted by the Pollo Piccante Alla Prego (£15.95), pan cooked chicken breast with spicy N’duja sausage, roasted peppers, thyme and marsala wine served with sautéed potatoes.

But I went traditional with the Spaghetti Dello Chef (£10.95), spaghetti pasta with smoked Italian pancetta, pepperoni sausage, onion, garlic and chilli, finished with baby prawns, a touch of tomato and rocket leaves.

Prego restaurant, Brighouse. Salmone Con Gnocchi (£16.95), pan cooked salmon fillet with buttered chorizo gnocchi, capers and spring onions.

And Harry went simple with a Pizza Tropicana (£9.95) featuring a tomato base, mozzarella, ham and pineapple.

Three very different dishes but all excellently presented. Rarely have I had a pasta dish packed with so much flavour and the key to this dish is just the right amount of chilli to lift it into the extraordinary.

The salmon was exquisitely cooked to perfection with the whole dish displaying a light, sensitive and delicate touch to marry the flavours together.

The dough was so soft and chewy on Harry’s pizza and he polished the lot off except for the crusts. Why do kids do that?

For the sake of the review we shared a dessert which was profiteroles (£4.90) but they came coated in chocolate but still with the fresh cream inside. The chocolate took away the lightness of the pastry.

A lovely meal in fabulous surroundings – they even have photos of Venice on the walls just for us – but I feel some of the dishes are expensive.

A meal for an occasion although they do an early bird menu offering two courses for £13.95.

Prego Italian Cafe Bar and Restaurant

Huddersfield Road, Brighouse, HD6 1JZ

Phone: 01484 715566

Website: www.waterfronthotelandvenue.co.uk/Prego-Restaurant

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 5pm-10pm; Saturday 12pm-10pm; Sunday 12-8pm. Lunchtime Mon-Fri 12-2pm.

Children: Yes and a baby changing room.

Disabled: Good access along with a disabled toilet.

The bill: £66.70

Would you go back? Yes