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A slice of Neopolitan
From the Swindon Advertiser, first published Tuesday 29th Oct 2002.
I HAD heard lots of good things on the grapevine about the food at Zio, and, still in mourning for the loss of BYO restaurant Hullabaloos, that Zio replaces, I was intrigued.
We arrived to find the place already buzzing at 7.30pm, but a welcoming waiter still allowed us to choose between sitting near to the bar or taking a table upstairs on a mezzanine level that overlooks the restaurant. We took the second option.
Taking in the surroundings, we quickly realised how hemmed in we were. Although the tables either side of us were empty when we arrived, once other diners had sat down, it felt a bit claustrophobic elbows were almost touching.
The high ceilings meant the acoustics of the place left a lot to be desired, too. Music wasn't the problem it was the sound of people talking. This clearly was not the sort of place to come for a quiet dinner, especially when there's an Italian couple sitting next to you. And they know the waiter.
Mind you, we thought, if Italians are dining here, then the food has to be good.
We weren't disappointed. The majority of the menu is made up of pasta, pizza and seafood dishes and they were much more exciting than we had expected. Seabass served in a foil package and pizza topped with mussels were just two of the tempting dishes to pass by our table.
Glancing down the specials menu, Justin decided on chargrilled tiger prawns with sun-dried tomatoes and salad as a starter (£4.95) while I settled for nibbling at some complimentary black and green olives.
Both were very tasty, and suitably whetted our appetites for the main course.
I went for the pollo valdostana oven-baked chicken wrapped in Parma ham, with tomato and melted mozzarella (£7.95), while Justin opted for pollo rosmarino (£7.95), another chicken dish, but this time chargrilled and served on a bed of roasted vegetables, including aubergine, fennel, tomato and courgette.
We also ordered a mixed salad (£2.50) and sautéed potatoes (£1.75).
My chicken was succulent and well-cooked, the Mediterranean flavours of the ham, tomato and cheese a perfect complement.
Justin's meal was moreish too the varied tastes of the vegetables again were a great match for the chicken.
The potatoes were delicious, although the portion was a bit small. The mixed salad was also gorgeous this time a good-sized helping and had a light, unobtrusive dressing.
Pleasantly full, but not too stuffed to refuse a dessert, we looked forward to seeing the sweet menu after all, this is the part of the meal Italians do best.
We were a bit disgruntled, however, to discover that there were only a handful of main desserts to choose from although there were plenty of ice cream flavours on offer.
I settled on the cheesecake, but after being told by the waiter there was none left, I was forced to go for the naughty option chocolate lumpy bumpy (£3.75). Justin had no such hesitation in picking the same.
This heavenly treat was made up of chocolate sponge, chocolate mousse and cream and topped with nuts and chocolate sauce. A dieter's nightmare, but it was bliss.
As we'd grown tired of shouting across the table, we didn't stay long Zio is the sort of place to take 10 of your closest friends, as you can be as loud as you like, but it's not really for people who want an intimate meal.
However, in all fairness, an Italian restaurant without noise just
wouldn't be the same.
Zio Pizzeria
36 Broad Street
Bath
BA1 5LP
Tel: (01225) 443323
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