Loyal customers of the former Splendido restaurant in Paget will be happy to know that its former general manager Angelo Buglione has opened a new casual eatery in downtown Hamilton.Serving up relaxed Mediterranean food, Angelo’s Bistro opened its doors on June 1, in the Walker Arcade where the old Plaza Café once operated.Mr Buglione and his wife Fatima, along with business partner Joe Fagundo, took over in March and renovated the space. The kitchen was refurbished to create more working room and fitted with all new cooking equipment. The interior, which seats 40, features decorative tiling along with bright and cheerful paint. A new outside trellis, to be installed next week, will enclose the patio area, which seats 24, for privacy and comfort.For those that were regulars at Splendido, which closed in February 2011, a number of dishes that were customer favourites are on the new menu, including the lobster and shrimp salad and homemade sweetcorn and Fontina cheese ravioli.“We’re a simple bistro where people can sit down and relax without having any pretentious type of service at basic prices. It is a family atmosphere,” said Mr Buglione, who prior to running Splendido, spent 15 years at Waterloo House and before that, Fourways Inn.Angelo’s also offers a children’s menu as well.The restaurant’s chef, Liverpool native Tom Doran, will be serving up fresh local fish dishes, steak options as well as local Bermudian fare, including codfish cakes and fish chowder.Like Splendido, says Mr Buglione, the standard of food is also the same — where everything is made from scratch.In the mornings, the menu features a full English breakfast as well as truffled scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Codfish cakes, croissants and bagels are also on tap.Angelo’s plans to show live Euro Cup soccer games on two flat screen TVs throughout June and the Olympics this summer. Free Wi-Fi is also available for customers inside and out.Eventually Mr Buglione will open for dinner as well, but for now he’s offering a sandwich menu and happy hour prices — beer ($5) and wine ($6) — after 3pm. Angelo’s also has a full liquor licence and offers take out.Less than two weeks in and business has been going well — with both tourists and locals alike coming to eat, says Mr Buglione.“We were looking for a place in town for a long time and I think this is going to work out,” he said, adding that aside from himself and his wife, they have three wait staff and three employees in the kitchen.While the recession has been particularly rough on the local restaurant industry, Mr Buglione remains optimistic saying that if you treat a customer right, they’ll return again and again.“Competition is very tough but it is up to each establishment to do the best they can and take good care of their customers so that they come back,” he said. “Now hopefully my previous clients will know where to find me — I’m more than happy to see them and take good care of them.”For more information, call 232-1000.