Croma Manchester not Cromer Norfolk (Croma)

Member Name: duskmaiden

Product:	Croma
Date:	30/06/06 (2196 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: unusual pizzas, reasonable, good for all occasions

Disadvantages: can be very busy,

doubt there are very few people in Britain who do not like the occasional pizza. There is just something about the combination of crispy dough, tomatoes and cheese that makes me go weak at the knees. Luckily when I get a pizza craving and do not feel like cooking there is a wide selection of takeaways and pizzerias to get that pizza fix! In Manchester there is one name that has credibility above all the others and that is Croma.

Croma was founded in Manchester and two of the three braches are located in this fine city, one in the City Centre just behind the Town Hall and the other one in up market, bohemian Chorlton. (The other one is in Boston, USA of all places). It fits very nicely in with the trendy (some say pretentious) Chorlton scene, as Croma is a classy experimental pizzeria ala Pizza Express but even better. I have been to the Chorlton branch twice. The first time was in the opening weekend. We came across it by chance whilst strolling down Wilberham Road. I have not been to the original City Centre branch but would like to rectify that very soon!

The Chorlton branch is easy to spot. It has a lovely curved frontage on the corner of Wilberham Road, one of the main roads in Chorlton. It looks really nice from the outside. There is a small outdoor seating area, which I have never seen used, and vines growing over the frontage. I must admit I quite like the font they use for their sign that remind me of the Pac-man one.

The first thing you have to know about Croma is that you need to time it right to get a table at the weekend. One of the main problems with the restaurant is its reservations policy. During the week they only take larger party bookings and there are no reservations taken at all during the weekend and thus if you arrive after about 19:30 you could be waiting for half an hour or more for a table. Both times we have been lucky to get a table straight away, however we did try to get into the one on Clarence Street in town and one look at people piled four deep at the bar made us go elsewhere.

Once you actually get seated at your table you have a very hard decision what to select from the menu. There are always at least two or three dishes I like the sound of. There is a small selection of starters ranging from £1.75 for a bowl of olives to £4.75 for smoked salmon. . I always go for the dough balls (a snip at £1.85). They are light doughy and coated in a layer of garlic butter. I would recommend them, as they are truly wonderful.

The mains menu is biased towards pizzas with a reasonable selection of adventurous salads (such as Greek, Cromaa Nicoise and Duck salad) and a very small pasta selection. A main course will cost you anything between £4.45 for a basic margarita pizza to £7.50 for the Anatra Peking Duck pizza.

The good thing about the pizza is that the toppings are pretty global. Your mate fancied going to the local curry house or Chinese rather than a pizzeria no problem. They can try a tandoori chicken pizza or Peking duck pizza. You can even have a cooked breakfast in the form of the Inglese, which has bacon Cumberland sausage and a fried egg on top. A couple of them come with a mound of salad laves above the topping. I am not sure if I like this idea or not but at least you do not have to order a side salad. I like Croma as there is something to suit everyone with old favourites such as margarita and Americana (pepperoni and mozzarella) alongside the adventurous stuff. There is even a Mariana pizza that has no cheese on it just tomato nd seafood, ideal for dieters. I like it, as there are quite a few pizzas suitable for vegetarians. I have tried the roasted vegetable one and the Greek pizza. The best thing about the pizza is the base. It is light and doughy but with a nice crispness. I liked the Roast vegetable pizza as it had pine nuts on the topping alongside the vegetables that gave it an extra dimension. The Greek was above standard but the feta would have been nicer more melted and I was not keen on the amount of chillies in the topping but apart from that I can not complain as there was plenty of topping and plenty of feta. One thing I appreciate is their flexibility with the toppings as the pizzas are freshly made. They were quite happy to make an Inglese without the fried egg for Duskman.

There is a decent enough selection of desserts with the entire usual suspect such as tiramisu, cheesecake and fudge cake. I quite like the selection of ice cream flavours. The black cherry was unusual and delicious. On my last vista I had a strawberry Daiquiri cheesecake, which was nice enough but nothing special. Deserts generally cost just under £4.

As far as I remember the wine list is reasonably priced and a decent price. However it is the cocktails that stick in my mind. Most of them seem to be fairly sophisticated and not too sweet. This is not a place for maraschino cherries, umbrellas and sparkly streamers. The first one I had was champagne cocktail with Countreau (sp) and grenadine, which was subtle and dry and made me feel very classy. The next time I went for an elegant Cosmopolitan served in a classic cocktail glass. I found it refreshing but also very alcoholic. I prefer to be able to detect the strength of my cocktails rather than have them drowned out by fruit juice. The cocktails cost around about £5.

I have never really noticed the décor of Croma too much. I have been too busy enjoying the good food and the company of the people I was dining with. It does have a nice atmosphere though. You get the linen napkins of a proper restaurant but it is still friendly and personal. It is a place you can take children earlier in the evening as there is a children's menu and crayons to occupy them but you could also have it for a birthday dinner or a general supper with friends. It is a flexible place that will be suitable for almost all occasions. I think it is suitable for disabled people. I know the Chorlton one is on ground floor level but I would ring first just to check.

As hinted the service is fairly reasonable. The staff are friendly and helpful. The only thing I could say against it is that the service can be a bit slow due to the restaurant just about always being full to capacity.

I would certainly recommend Croma to anyone who wants good pizza in Manchester. It has wide appeal and is great for most occasions. It is reasonable in price. Our bill for four came to just under £80. Croma's only downfall is that it is too good and thus too popular so if you can get in definitely go for it. It is worth it.

Croma Manchester
1 Clarence Street,
Manchester, M2 4DE
Telephone 0161 237 9799

Croma Chorlton
500 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton,
Manchester, M21 9AP
Telephone 0161 881 1117

Summary: Great independent pizzeria with unusual pizas