AS fresh-faced 18-year-olds, my best friend and I jetted off to Italy for our first holiday as “grown-ups”.

After some suitable preparation – mostly consisting of watching Roman Holiday and practising not grimacing as we drank espressos – Hannah and I set out as two Irish girls in search of some intrepid adventure.

Fast-forward almost nine years and we’re still looking for adventures – but living at opposite ends of the country means they roll around far too rarely.

Hence, when we get the chance we try to make the most of it, and a weekend together in Durham gave us an opportunity to try to recreate our trip to the Mediterranean – the perfect remedy to a cold winter’s day in England.

So off we went to artisan bakery Ciao Ciao to see if Durham’s take on Italian and Greek cuisine can live up to the real thing.

After a night on mother’s ruin we were feeling slightly less than fresh faced and in need of some hearty nourishment and strong coffee so seeing the plentiful array of bread, pastries and biscuits gave us hope that lunch at the small cafe on Framwelgate Bridge might just hit the spot.

With some interesting looking Greek pies, great sounding sandwiches and beautiful looking bread it was only a pity we could only choose one dish each.

In the end, neither of us went Italian, with me deciding on the Greek Platter (£4.25) and Hannah choosing a Madrid sandwich – composed of cheddar, chicken breast, bacon and roasted peppers, in between slices of sun-dried tomato bread (£3.80).

Darlington and Stockton Times:

With the important decision of the day made we were able to sit back and relax and catch up on some gossip over a flat white (£2.20) and latte (£2).

With holidays past and future very much on our minds, the photos of Rome adorning the walls brought back some happy memories. But overall the decor is just slightly underwhelming which means the cafe could be more atmospheric.

When it arrived the Greek platter was reassuringly large – a veritable banquet of marinated chicken, olives, a salad of feta cheese, tomato and cucumber, houmous, Tazatziki, crispy toast and dolmathakia – intriguing little rolls of stuffed grape leafs.

Darlington and Stockton Times:

Served up with a flat white it made a satisfying lunch and it is hard to find fault with it. Plentiful as it was, everything was delicious enough for me to be wishing there was just a little bit more on the plate.

Hannah’s sandwich was also substantial – decent wedges of bread with a hearty amount of filling. From where I was sitting it looked like excellent value for money and I’m told it tasted pretty good as well.

Though we were both quite full after the savoury section of the meal, we thought it wouldn’t be fair to judge the place without tasting at least some of its selection of sweet treats so we soldiered on for another course.

With a decent selection of baklava, pastries, cakes and biscuits it took us a while to make up our minds but after some deliberation I opted for some chocolate baklava (£2.75) while Hannah had the bougatsa (£2.50) – a sweet, custardy, pastry delight.

The baklava was a gooey delight of nuts, honey and spices, topped with a thick layer of rich chocolate that went down very well with a nice milky latte. Both sweet and rich, the spicing made it delightfully reminiscent of Christmas. By this stage I was pretty stuffed, but I’m not one to pass up a chance of trying something new and I couldn’t resist a corner of the bougatsa. Creamy with a little hint of sweet cinnamon, it’s something I would definitely try again.

though there was no way Hannah was letting me go back for a second spoonful.

Having spent several years walking past this little place I can only say I’m glad I finally made the effort to drop in. I’ve paid far more for less good food so for me, The total bill of just over £20 was excellent for a filling, delicious and restorative lunch that’s just a little bit different to many of the other options in town.

Takeaway options are also available and loaves of bread and items from the deli selection can be bought to take home for further feasts.

FOOD FACTS

3 Framwelgate Bridge, Durham, DH1 4SJ
Tel: 0191-383-0149
Website: ciao-ciao.co.uk
Open: Monday to Saturday 8am to 5pm, Sunday 9am to 3pm
Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 8, Value 9, Service 7, Surroundings 7