Romolo, Shrewsbury

A visit to Romolo leaves a slightly sour taste in our reviewer

mouth.

Offer me a food tour of any nation and I'd choose Italy every time. Despite a penchant for the sashimi of Japan and the cheeses of France, nothing comes close to Italy in terms of great produce that reflects one of the world's great food nations.

There is so much to enjoy. Vibrant tastes that reflect the changing seasons, intense explosions of flavour from delicious fruit and vegetables, wonderfully high quality meat and a catch of the freshest fish and shellfish.

Great Italian food is predicated on brilliant seasonal flavour, chefs tend not to over-elaborate, they let the ingredients do the talking.

So my friend and I visited Shrewsbury's Romolo restaurant with high expectations.

Our last visit was when the restaurant first opened and, on that occasion, it had impressed by keeping things simple.

The service had been warm and welcoming, the food had been the star attraction.

We called in on a Thursday evening, when it was surprisingly quiet with only a small number of other diners present.

The waitress offered a wan smile, rather than the warm greeting we may have expected, and we were shown to a delightful table overlooking the River Severn.

Romolo has much going for it and ought to be full most evenings. It has an enviable location, at Victoria Quay, overlooking the Welsh Bridge and the winding waters of the Severn.

It is near to some of the area's best bars - The Armoury and Frank both have a loyal clientele - and it has a cocktail lounge of its own on the first floor.

It's also run by one of the most respected restaurant teams in the county, with its proprietors having years and years in the business.

With so many positives, however, Romolo somehow contrived to offer a thoroughly underwhelming experience.

The maitre d seemed uninterested and disengaged while the food was a let-down.

My friend started with gamberi alla cesare, a platter of prawns on a crispy salad with shavings of Grana Padano and a classic Cesar dressing.

It was spoiled by the heavy handedness of the chef, who had drenched the plate with dressing, wiping out all other flavours with a tsunami of sauce.

I opted for the Bruchetta ai funghi, comprising pan-fried mushrooms on a toasted garlic bread with truffle oil and Grana Padano.

It was constructed with ham-fistedness and I was unable to finish it. The mushrooms were pleasant enough but the bread was drenched in far too much oil, as though it were an oleaginous sponge. It was, simply, inedible.

My friend took the delizia di mare alla Toscana for her main, a fish and prawn pie cooked in a white wine, vegetable and cream sauce and topped with mashed potato.

It was the only dish of the evening that passed muster.

I went for the petto di pollo alla cacciatore, a free range chicken breast cooked with a tomato, red wine, pancetta, mushrooms and garlic sauce that was served with pesto potato gnocchi.

The chicken was overcooked, so that it had become stringy, while the slick of oil beneath it was unpleasant. The dominant taste was oil and a 5mm slick had formed across the bottom of the bowl.

It oblitered the more-delicate flavours of the basil, though the robust and punch red wine sauce was able to stand its ground.

The desserts weren't much better. The lemon syllabub was lacking in sophistication while the ice cream lacked the dreamy creaminess of the gelatos that are found in Italy.

On the face of it, Romolo has much going for it.

Maybe we visited on an off-night, when the minds of the staff were elsewhere.

With a lighter touch in the kitchen and greater engagement on the part of the staff, it should again become one of the town's more impressive locales - sadly, those qualities were absent on our latest visit.

ADDRESS

Romolo, Victoria Quay, Shrewsbury SY1 1HH

Telephone: 01743 233244

Web: www.romolo.co.uk