Star rating: * * *
Has anyone tuned into Raymond Blanc’s new reality TV foodie show, The Restaurant?
Two blokes called Alastair and James have cooked up some grandiose ideas about opening a fine dining emporium which they’re convinced will soon be showered with Michelin stars.
Their bravado raised the French master’s expectations to such a degree that, at the first taste test, he was tragically underwhelmed.
If the cocksure duo had merely presented their concept as good, honest bistro-type fare with a sprinkle of creativity, he’d surely have been rather more satisfied.
Because they’re not hopeless cooks - it’s just their marketing pitch which has gone pear-shaped. La Rosa in Wellington has certain similarities.
It has admirably set out to stand out from the crowd by filling a vacancy in the Telford eating out catalogue for an Italian dining experience.
But for all the antipastis, bruschettas, crostinis, pastas and pizzas on the extensive and impressively presented menu, is the experience really Italian enough?
Growing up in Wolverhampton, I have fond childhood memories of family meals at Pepito, a truly magical little piece of Italy in the Black Country.
Sat in your softly-lit private booth, you could imagine a ruddy-faced mamma in a well-worn cotton apron beavering away in the kitchen, painstakingly preparing traditional recipes which had been handed down from her ancestors.
Even back then Pepito was well-established, while La Rosa has barely been going for two months. So perhaps it’s rather unfair to draw such a direct comparison.
Certainly, the good folk of Wellington appear to be embracing their latest eaterie.
Almost as an afterthought, we booked a table for our Thursday night visit, and it’s just as well we did.
Diners were being turned away at the door, and the staff must have got through nearly 40 covers while we were there. Aside from one couple moaning about the time it took for their starters to arrive, everyone appeared very happy.
A couple of Shropshire Star readers have penned letters to us delivered a damning verdict on La Rosa, and urged us to check it out ourselves.
Though our meal was far from perfect, they’re being a little unfair.
My Sdrufoli, a stone-baked Italian bread roll filled with chicken breast, mozzarella and mushrooms (£5.95), didn’t look much when it arrived as a large half moon piece of dough with lettuce and cucumber, but the taste burst out when I cut inside, and it was a surprisingly moist, succulent and filling starter.
My wife Rachel’s choice was less successful. She ordered a porcini mushroom crostini (£5.95), only to find the mushrooms were actually anchovies - that salty, telltale fishy smell which assaults the tastebuds is hard to mistake.
Having raised the issue, the waitress checked with the chef who insisted they really were mushrooms. We know who was right!
Onto the main course, and again my choice was a bigger hit than that of my wife.
I’d gone for a quattro formaggio cheese pizza (£7.95) which was well cooked, tangy, and filling, blending conservative helpings of powerful blue cheese with lashings of rather milder fare and, mercifully, not the dreaded overdose of tomato puree.
Rachel went for a rather exotically sounding dish called scaloppine al limone, described as chicken breast with creamed white wine and lemon, served with veg or chips.
It didn’t score too badly on the tasteometer, but wasn’t a great looker.
We’ve had similar helpings of chicken in lemon sauce from the local Chinese takeaway which didn’t come close to the £11.95 price tag of this dish.
My mum, who was also with us, tucked into a sizeable bowl of lasagne (£8.25), made with pecorino cheese and tossed in white wine.
She loved it, but it could have done with some garnish to add a touch of personality - it was just a bowl of piping hot lasagne on a plain white plate, with a serviette! A big fat zero on the imagination scale.
And so to dessert. Where were the raft of flavoured ice-creams? Aren’t Italians famed for their flamboyant desserts?
There were just four choices - creme caramel, panna cotta, tiramisu, and crepe gillatie.
We went straight to the coffees, where the choice was rather more extensive with seven options, from basic americano to capuccino or liqueur varieties.
By then, we’d washed our meals down with a variety of colourful beverages.
Wines are fairly reasonably priced, at £10.50 for a bottle of cielo chardonnay, or merlot, and £11.50 for a pinot grigio blush rose.
Individual glasses start at £3, and I enjoyed an Italian Peroni bottled beer (£2.90).
La Rosa is a stylish looking place, which can seat around 30 covers. A great deal of time and effort has clearly gone into creating a swish image and neat branding, with blush pink and pale violet colour schemes to complement the place’s title.
The room is a little cavernous, though, and when close to 30 diners are warbling away enthusiastically between courses it can sound a bit like a canteen, with echoing voices drowning out the background music.
So, time for a straw poll among our dining party. How many stars?
We were divided between two, two-and-a half, and three. After much mind-changing, I’m going with a possibly tiny-bit generous three.
The waiting-on staff were hard working and friendly, while their managers were discreetly attentive.
The restaurant itself was spotlessly clean, and entrepreneurs who dare to try something a bit different deserve to be given every chance to succeed.
So, pick your menu choices carefully, and everything can be rosy at La Rosa.
By Carl Jones
RESTAURANT GUIDE:
Starters: Four flavours of bruschetta (£1.95-£2.95); Focaccia bianca with olive oil and rosemary (£3.25)
Main courses: Fourteen pasta dishes including traditional bolognese, carbonara, and pescatora with mussels, clams and squid (£7.25-£9.95); Sixteen flavours of pizza, from basic margarita (£6.45) to smoked salmon regina (£9.95)
Sides: Spinach with Italian dressing (£2.95); Fagiolini green beans (£2.95)
Desserts: Creme caramel (£3.25); Panna Cotta (£3.50)
Atmosphere: Noisy - the cavernous room creates an echo which drowns out the background music
Service: Very friendly and - considering the place was packed on our midweek visit - pretty efficient.
Disabled facilities: A few steps up into the restaurant, and the toilets are down a flight of stairs
Contact: La Rosa, 19 Church Street, Wellington (01952) 254666
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