OSTERIA v2.0 — Restaurant in Shrewsbury

Mardol location restaurant:

Ordered: Caprese di Buffala Pizza Margherita

Caprese buffala cheese was ok 5 slices of tomatoe, 4 with core no basil half a plate of toasted bread one drip of balsamico 'paprika coulis' that tasted like mayonnaise

Pizza good flavour very little mozzarella small size more dough base than pizza sold as 'neopolitan style' according to italian waitress, despite not using sliced mozzarella, no buffala cheese, and no san marzano tomatoes

Drinks alcohol free Peroni

Service friendly reception and ordering staff argumentative, and somewhat aggressive italian waitress 'talking down'

Decor themed interior with painted murals and art work eclectic, and upbeat music lighting too bright noisy even at less than half capacity

Duration took over 1 hour from ordering to asking for the bill; too long for a very basic 1 person order

Food opinion Giving benefit of doubt because newly opened, the kitchen staff might need to up their game to execute a good presentation. The caprese was underwhelming. Half a plate of stacked toasted bread was a surprise. 'Crostini' can apparently mean many things, as can apparently 'paprika coulis'. It would have been better to focus on the core ingredients rather than faff, but that's for the kitchen and management to decide. The pizza was in fairness of decent flavour and had a good consistency. The size however was a childrens size pizza. The ratio crust to overall pizza size was significant, so despite tasting good it was a short lived experience.

Overall impression A lot of very good things going on. A difficult space decorated well and much attention given. Generally friendly and courteous service. Comprehensive menu with a number of italian favourites, even a risotto. The only minus being very few distinct vegetarian options. The pizza needs to fill the plate it's on and have sufficient topping and it will probably be the best pizza locally. Mistakes happen in kitchens and staff can be stressed getting used to new routines, so for now a medium 3*. Ok, not great, but not bad either.

Hopefully they build on the difficult things they already do well and refine the final presentation of fare to meet expectations in line with the location, menu composition, and their price point, in a reasonable manner.

I'll be going back in about a month and see how the experience compares. There is no reason why this restaurant can't get a top rating, but the basics need to be executed consistently well.

The service did acknowledge the caprese issue and chose not to charge for the beer.

To the vendor reply: You need to check how your pizza base is prepared, as proper Italian (and especially Neapolitan) pizza has a thin base, not a thick one like the one you served! When asking £10 for basic pizza, anything less than proper pizza...

We were in the area and checked Trip Advisor, this was one of the restaurants recommended. At first glance, I was disappointed, however, once we made our way down the brown tiled stairs we were greeted by Alessandro who promptly introduced himself and brought us to our seat. It looks unassuming and very small from outside. However, the restaurant itself is spacious with a cavern like feel due to the brickwork ceiling and delightful pillars... we really felt tucked away underground. In contrast, it also felt like we were outside, this was because there were artificial (took a closer look to confirm this) flowers and greenery weaved around black metal bars fixed to the ceiling that made it feel like a Tuscan terrace. There was also some clever lighting with windows in the walls. We could see that the chef himself was helping to greet and bring people to their seats. The menu looks simple, with some Italian Staples like Lasange and Parmigiana Melanaise with a nice selection of steak, fish and chicken dishes. We chose bruscheta to start along with a mix fish starter. The bruscheta stole the show. The pork was soft and salty, bread perfectly toasted and the right amounts of tomota sauce with cheese. In the centre of the plate, we found some wonderful fried aubergine and courgette, we asked if we could have more and they brought out a whole plate of these wonderfully delicate sliced vegetables that had a perfect mix of seasoning and a crumbly coating!!!! Alessandro was so helpful and brought us 3 different wines to taste until we found one we liked, although our wine palates are amatuer, he was so helpful with his suggestions and didn't give up until he found one for us. The chef popped over to our table and had an informal chat, he offered that if there was anything in particular we would like that's not on the menu, he would do his best to make this for us. We also had some seafood pasta dishes as a course between our starter and main, the portions were generous, I don't think the pasta was fresh or homemade, however, this is forgiven as the sauces and ragus were excellent with generous amounts of fish! We had cod for our main and the sauces that came with this was a delight, very rich with hints of garlic and olive. I was not a fan of the side vegetables dishes, i feel that this would greatly improve the dining experience if they paid more attention to sourcing, preparing and cooking of the vegetables in the side dishes. We took a chance and we were well rewarded, as the team here are so friendly and open, ask them for anything and they will try to make it for you. They get 5 stars for the food, the atmosphere and their...

Absolutely awful place, no atmosphere, no customers and refused to do a simple dish without cheese. What kind of authentic Italian restaurant are they trying to be? Have eaten here for last 15 years and will never return. Please do not waste your money in this tragic restaurant.

It seems to be trading off the good name of Paolos, that used to be a decent place to eat, clearly this 'new' place has nothing to do with the old one. Don’t be fooled by this fabricated, cheap and not so cheerful Italian option. There are many better places to eat within the town. It was completely empty for a reason. Just disappointed that I wasted my time here. The 'owner' spoke to me as we left, there were no customers to serve which I guess is why he felt able to smoke outside the front, nice touch.

UPDATE

So Alex the owner decides to write a long response to my review, based on how few customers he has I guess he has plenty of time to reply to customers in such a sarcastic and lengthy way, I just wish he and his team put as much thought and effort into trying to satisfy their customers, let me just remind you why I left the review in the first place, I asked for a dish to be prepared with no cheese and you would not do it, I assume because you don't actually make anything from scratch at all and perhaps simply reheat food...?

I confess I had thought the restaurant was the new iteration of the old Paolos which used to be pretty good and which we went to regularly, I felt sure there was some sort of connection, when they first opened, I was clearly wrong, so your sarcasm with regards to this is unnecessary.

To suggest the restaurant got busy 30 minutes after I left is ridiculous and a plain lie, you should be ashamed at how you respond to customers and make the comments you do, your contempt for customers has now been laid bare for all to see, you are quite clearly in the wrong business. You clearly prioritised writing a response to me rather than serving your apparently full establishment...

I fear you are no more Italian than my cat, having visited many Italian restaurants throughout the UK, I have yet to eat at one that fails to support customers with food allergies - I thought all restaurants were supposed to do this now but clearly you are the exception.

I have no interest in any further communication with you, it is clear that you totally disrespect your customers and take more pleasure in writing sarcastic responses to genuine feedback.

Good luck for the future, you will need it and maybe you should consider a new vocation.

Ciao (which is Italian for...