"Stresa
is a much welcome addition to the restaurant scene around
Old Trafford and Salford Quays. In stark contrast to the
American chains opposite, this is a quality Italian restaurant
not to be mistaken for a hotel restaurant. We visited on
a non-matchday lunchtime, which was no doubt a lot quieter
than how busy they get on match days and pre-show times
at the Lowry Theatre, a short walk away. As such, we were
able to take advantage of the marvellously named 'Pizza,
Pasta, Pronto' deal, also available pre-match and pre-theatre.
The choice on this menu was still comprehensive and saved
us around £14 on the food bill.
Not long after
ordering our starters, the fire alarm went off and we had
to evacuate to the car park for 10 minutes. We presumed
the cause of the alarm was the Tuscan Bean & Panceta
Soup (£4.75), which was very tasty but far too hot.
The Rosticciana (£5.95), pork ribs in a homemade BBQ
sauce, were cooked well but the interuption had possibly
affected the preparation of the sauce, which seemed to be
rather gritty. Any disappointment with the starters was
soon overcome with the main courses however - the Penne
Gamberini (£8.95), one of ten pasta dishes, consisted
of prawns, shallots, peas & spinach in a cream sauce
and was really impressive. All the ingredients complemented
each other, but at the same time you could taste each individual
ingredient. The Pizza Bolognaise (£8), one of seven
pizzas on the menu, was equally as nice and well worth the
journey.
Fire alarm
aside, overall Stresa was a pretty enjoyable experience
and certainly one we'll repeating on a match day. It should
only be a matter of time before news gets about the offices
of Salford Quays that, whilst its based inside the Ramda
Hotel, Stresa is far from being a 'hotel restaurant'."
- restaurants of manchester 18/11/08 (visited on a weds
lunch)
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