Roma Delicatessen

266 Bury New Road
Whitefield
Manchester
M45 8QS
Tel: 0161 766 2941
Fax: 0161 796 1396

A quick trip into Wigan today - ostensibly to catch a few of the Street Events that had been advertised - Jugglers, bands and so on. Mildly entertaining, and quite a novelty for Wigan. Howeve, while we were there, my wife and I started feeling hungry, and she started complaining about the drudgery a housewife has to endure of deciding what the family were going to eat every day. As we had had more large meals than usual in the preceding few days, I suggested that we could do with a simple, light meal - perhaps a salad with a little good Ham?

So we tried to find some good ham - in Wigan - and gave up.

I also tried the "fish market". A disaster! Even though there is apparently work being carried out, the fish market is in a dingy, smelly, badly lit backwater of the market hall. The two outfits remaining are extremely badly served by the market owners - I can't imagine that the location is, has been, or ever will be conducive to business.

We decided to make a thirty mile trip to Whitefield, North Manchester, to visit the "Roma" delicatesen, off licence, and, lately, restaurant.

I had discovered this place several years ago when my brother used to live down the road in Radcliffe, and it's still the only deli I know apart from the new, and exceedingly expensive, Selfridges in the Trafford Centre.

We were going to buy just enough for a buffet supper - some Mortadella, Jarlsberg, Smoked Pork Loin, some Italian style bread. When we got there, the smell of the cooking just got to us - we just had to have something to eat, so, at 4:00 pm, we sat down, in the company of about 24 other diners, leaving a couple of seats spare.

Simple Italian style fare - Pizzas, Pasta &c... but it's good, and the atmosphere is again typically Italian - both staff and clientelle - unhurried (NB! - *not* slow!), friendly, even sophisticated (OK, diners were reading Guardians, not Suns!!!)

I had the Pizza Marinara - Anchovies and "White Tuna". The base was crispy, the flavour very good. My wife had Lasagna, which, to her mild surprise (she's not a big eater) she almost polished off. Our view on the Lasagna and other Pasta dishes we've had here (and other Italian restaurants) is that there is almost always too much sauce for the amount of pasta, and that there is always Oregano.

Coming from Italian stock, my side of the family had introduced my (English) wife to Italian cookery, and we seldom, if ever, use Oregano, and make Pasta a little drier and less saucy. Nevertheless, we both enjoyed our meal, and, together with a Peroni and a large glass of red wine, and two cappucinos, we paid - er, damn, we also bought the deli stuff, and the total bill was £27!

Sandro