My youngest brother, Gavin, was up for the weekend from Sheffield with his bride-to-be Becky.
So I decided to go along to this Italian eaterie with my fiance, Caroline, and treat mum to a meal on her two sons.
The lads were in good spirits, as Hartlepool United and Sunderland (Gavin's team) had both won. A meal at Tabarrini's seemed the perfect way to celebrate three more points.
We found the staff to be very helpful and courteous, despite the fact the restaurant was particularly busy and there were people (who hadn't booked in advance) waiting for a table.
There was a wide range of choice on the menu, plus a decent selection of specials on the blackboard.
The waiter was good enough to give us the lowdown on each of the specials – and it sounded even more appetising with his Mediterranean accent.
Caroline and I have a good system with our starters. She chooses whatever I don't and we have a bit of each others. It's always good to share!
She chose to have the Milan mozeralla (£4.45) for her starter, which was deep-fried mozeralla cheese, while I opted for funghi ripieni (£4.25), which was mushrooms and pate in breadcrumbs.
Both were delicious and left plenty of room for the main feast.
Caroline and I both went for the same main course of fillet steak in a red wine sauce (£15.50 each), which came with plenty of vegetables.
The meal was washed down with an excellent house white and an even better red (£11.50 each).
We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals, we didn't have to wait long for each course to arrive, and we were well treated by all the staff.
Tabarrini's is well worth checking out and I will definitely be making a return visit.

Tabarrini's, Navigation Point, Hartlepool. Telephone: (01429) 866353. Restaurant is open Monday to Sunday from 11.30am until 2pm and 5pm until 10.30pm. Happy hour is every lunchtime and from 5.30pm until 7pm.

(The total price of the meal was £104.50. This consisted of four starters, five main meals, two pints of lager, a mineral water, three soft drinks and two bottles of wine).