A new authentic Italian restaurant where opera singers serenade diners has opened in Basildon.
Romano's Macaroni Grill's 275-seater restaurant was declared a little Italy in Essex by the VIP guests.
Traditional Italian cuisine is cooked in the open kitchens, next to food displays.
An open fire, stone floors, fresh gladioli on the walls and a traditional outside veranda, heated to a Mediterranean climate, are just some of the restaurant's unique features.
Basildon was chosen from over 1,000 UK sites to be the home for the first Romano's Macaroni Grill in Europe. There are more than 120 such restaurants owned by Brinker International in America.
A team of 30 Americans were bought over from the US specifically for the opening and to train the first 120 British staff from Basildon.
A laser show spanning more than 30 miles over Basildon was laid on specially for last night's opening.
In unison - opera singer Gioranni Mauro is joined by Michael Lambert, Rebecca Price and Emma Durrant
Picture: MAXINE CLARKE
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