Mediterraneo 39 Church Street, Hamilton

One of Bermuda's newest eateries, Mediterraneo, may become one of Hamilton's shining stars, with a menu that finally goes beyond the tired pasta and pizza that seem to prevail almost everywhere else.

Sure, the menu – as you would expect from the name – does feature plenty of Italian staples, but diners are advised to go for the hot and cold appetisers and meat and seafood main courses, rather than a plate of penne.

For starters, the calamari was top notch. Why? It's an ingredient found on menus throughout the Island, but how many restaurants do you know that serve it up any other way than sliced and fried in batter? At Mediterraneo the squid is grilled and served with roasted tomatoes and green beans. Different and delicious. No tired, chewy rubber bands here.

Scallops Nizza – a shellfull of plump beauties served with spinach and bacon – also gets high marks. The restaurant also serves up Blue Point Oysters, and as part of an extensive seafood menu boasts a tasty-sounding tuna tartare starter (Kibbeh Nayeh).

For the main course, the 'Pollo Champagne' was dynamite. Grilled chicken breast was dressed in a champagne sauce topped with truffle shavings – rich and luxurious and again, a complete change from the tried and tested but invariably tired Chicken Parmigiana.

Lamb chops coated in a red wine and Balsamic reduction is the sort of standard entr?e plated up everywhere, but that doesn't make it a bad dish. Mediterraneo's version was well up to standard. The meat, surrounded by an oh-so-sticky sauce, was pink and moist. Not surprisingly the bones were eventually sucked dry.

Rumour has it that Mediterraneao's owners (Franco Caparra and an unnamed partner) spent a pretty penny on the refurbishment of the building, formerly a houseware store. It shows, but only in patches. Squeezed into a corner, the bar area is cramped and uncomfortable, shoved in it seems almost as an afterthought. Downstairs walls are sparsely decorated and an abundance of natural light makes it impossible to create a warm, cosy or intimate atmosphere. At times we felt as if we were eating in a factory canteen.

This isn't helped by the acoustics. The intense noise level was only improved when the maitre d' decided that a little background music was in order – it at least masked the din a bit.

The marble bathroom however, complete with piped in music, is a glory to itself.

On the service front, Mediterraneo staff get points for their good attitude but fall down on timing. There was a fairly long wait for drinks and it took longer than can be reasonably expected to place our order. There was an overly long pause – more than ten minutes – before the appetiser plates were cleared. Even getting coffee after the meal meant trying to get someone's attention for an age, only to be presented with the cheque rather than a couple of cappuccinos.

However, the restaurant's wait staff (and there are a few familiar and undoubtedly experienced faces, poached from other eateries) were always pleasant and obviously trying hard. Any inefficiencies front of house can perhaps be put down to the teething problems of a newly assembled team that hasn't quite yet found its rhythm and to be fair, the night we were there, staff were rushed off their feet with the restaurant being fully booked on both floors.

Mediterraneo offers good value for money, with dinner for two (including appetisers and main course but before wine) coming with a reasonable-for-Bermuda price tag of about $100.

Service and ambience might need some fine tuning, but the kitchen at least seems to have gotten well into its stride.