Taste test: Pizzas in San Lorenzo's grand Treasury Building

But the same team might have outdone themselves with neighbouring San Lorenzo.

The 200-seat restaurant opened last year in the grand Treasury Building, specialising in stone baked pizzas prepared in a wood fire oven.

In a short time it has firmly established itself as a Cultural Quarter favourite and so we were invited to spend the evening there to share our impressions. It was a cold Wednesday evening and it was quite telling that even on one of the restaurant’s quietest days it was almost full.

Charles Dobosz and Adam Smith, who met while working at Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines’ Abode in Manchester, have a knack of creating atmosphere in their restaurants.

And, like Las Ramblas, you feel like have been spirited away when you enter the Treasury Building and climb San Lorenzo’s stairs to the stylish main room with its high ceiling, beautifully tiled floor, soft lighting and open kitchen.

Relaxation just comes naturally here and it was in that state of mind that we browsed the menu over olives and deliciously crunchy garlic bread. I started with the Sicilian arancini – a recent foodie discovery for me that I now cannot get enough of.

They are basically Arborio rice balls fried with mozzarella, truffle and gran moravia cheese and just the right sort of size for a starter.

The delicate and crisp exterior gave way to soft, melt-in-your-mouth flavours with each bite. Absolutely gorgeous.

In an attempt to save room for the handcrafted pizzas that you can watch being made just a few feet away, my wife Sarah went for the lighter option of classic salad caprese with sun ripened tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and basil.

She was impressed with how fresh it tasted and how well the flavours complemented each other. I then had the calabrese pizza with smoked spinata salami and nduja, which is Calabrian ground spicy sausage, and Sarah ordered the pizza capri with goats cheese, figs, honey, rocket and pine nuts.

It is difficult to know where to start with the mains because they ticked every box for authentic Italian pizza lovers.

The doughy crust was absolutely delicious and cooked to perfection and my toppings were rich and satisfying with an incredible texture thanks to the ground sausage.

Sarah also loved the soft, chewy dough and found the sweetness of the honey and the figs cut through the creaminess, giving each bite the perfect finish.

Washed down with red wine and Menabrea beer, the portion sizes were very generous leaving us satisfied but with a little regret that we did not make it to dessert.

I should also add that the service and conduct of staff was impeccable throughout.

After a coffee, we stepped back down into that cold midweek night where the Cultural Quarter was otherwise pretty lifeless and I took a moment to marvel at what Charles and Adam have done for Warrington’s food and drink scene.

The business partners also run Grill on the Square and, like Las Ramblas, it is now hard to imagine the town without it.

San Lorenzo is already falling into that same category and even now we are planning our return to experience the much talked about unlimited ‘Sunday Feast’. If you love pizza and Italian food be sure to give the restaurant a try – you won’t be disappointed.