Restaurant Reviews

Not convinced that shopping centres can ever accommodate great restaurants I took along my ever critical other half and bravely stepped into Romano’s.

Although you don’t go in as such, Romano’s Terrace, as the name suggests, has an open plan, alfresco feel to it. The lack of imposing walls and enclosed space really helps you relax and adds to the whole feeling of Italian dining.

The Italian waiter that greeted us added to the authenticity of the place and pleased my companion. We soon ordered and despite the restaurant appearing busy, didn’t have to wait long. I started with strips of tenderly fried chicken with salad and a tomato and chilli dip, my lady preferring a prawn and rocket salad with balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese.

What we were both instantly pleased with was how fresh everything tasted, the prawns had plenty of bite, the salad crunched and the chicken was perfectly cooked and not over dry as so often happens.

Lip licking ensued and the starters were soon finished and replaced with our main course. I choose the roasted sea bass with garlic, rosemary and pink peppercorns served with vegetables, my aide opting for the breast of chicken in garlic, chilli, pepper and olive oil served with salad.

The fish was delicious, freshly cooked so the flesh just fell away from the skin and the peppercorns perfectly complimenting the rosemary. The chicken as perfectly cooked as it had been before. Romano’s has been established 18 years and clearly knows what it’s doing. The portion sizes were fantastic so offered excellent value for money; any desert was going to be a struggle but determined I pressed on.

Admitting defeat I opted for the easily edible trio of sorbet although a range of traditional Italian deserts are available and not just from the menu. The specials board changes daily across all courses and offers a variety of wine to match. With full bellies and smiles on our faces we paid our bill conceding that great dining can be found in shopping centres, well at least in MetroCentre.

Romano’s is also renowned for the more traditional pizzas and pastas but as we found out with a few more welcome surprises.

Ian Benet