Another Italian In Wokingham?? Ok then Just One More (Zizzi (Wokingham))

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Zizzi (Wokingham)
Date:	17/10/09 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Efficent and helpful staff, delicious food

Disadvantages: Wokingham's 6th Italian restaurant

The town centre in Wokingham has a dominance of three types of shops and restaurants. There are probably more Estate Agents, Indian restaurants and Italian restaurants than a town the size of Wokingham really needs. So the last thing we needed in town was another Italian, but late last year the Zizzi chain opened its doors to become the towns 6th Italian restaurant. Of course from my own point of view this was only going to be a good thing as I was aware of Zizzi's from living in Basingstoke and knew that it wouldn't be long till I was trying their new location.

With their first restaurant opening in 1999 the chain has grown quite rapidly with over 100 locations covering the Country. The Wokingham Zizzi opened last September in a prominent location on Broad Street directly across the road from the post office. Not only had it become the towns 6th Italian it became the 3rd one on Broad Street, which despite the quality of Zizzi's is perhaps one too many and a location on Peach Street might have been a better location.

The front of Zizzi's looks incredibly impressive with large 3/4 height windows overlooking the street and the branding over the door. I always feel that it's a good sign of just how good a restaurant is if it's busy and Zizzi's is busy every single night so it's important to book, especially if you are planning on eating after about 7pm. Of course any time before this and while it's still busy there are a few spare tables but it seems to be fully booked every night of the week after 7pm.

Inside the restaurant is well laid out with an open view of the kitchen and the pizza oven to the left and a very well laid out dining area. The dining area has a few seats in front of the Kitchen area and the remainder round to the side of the Kitchen. If you have a larger party there is also a private dining area at the rear of the restaurant for a bit of privacy. Once inside the door you are met by a member of staff and shown to your table and your drinks orders are taken. The staff are very well dressed and courteous, which is exactly what you want and the standards don't seem to slip from one visit to the next.

One of the things I really like about Zizzi's is that the menu is pretty much the same from one of their locations to another. They have a lot of variety on the menu and it means that as well as delivering a high quality of food they also have a good selection. Of course the food is all along the Italian theme as you would expect with Pizza's, Calzone's, a variety of Pasta dishes and even some specialist dishes such as a Zizzi Steak. It means that there is something for everyone and you aren't just stuck with the stereotypical Italian dishes.

Of course it's not just the main courses that have a wide choice but the starter, dessert and drinks menu all have a number of choices on them, unless of course you're a beer drinker, in which case its a small or large Nastro Azzurro.

Our drinks arrived quite quickly, however we had already made up our minds what we wanted and ordered our food expecting a bit of a wait as the restaurant was quite full. So we were very impressed that our starters arrived with a couple of minutes. We had both chosen to have garlic and rosemary infused dough sticks. The sticks of dough were incredibly nice, they had been cooked to just the right level leaving them a little crispy on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside. The accompanying garlic and basil dip wasn't too strong either and really accentuates the taste of the Dough sticks.

We'd not long finished and had our starter cleared away when our main course arrived and again this seemed to be a very impressive turn around. I'd opted for a Calzone Carne Piccante, which is a mixture of chicken, meatballs, Bolognaise and various vegetables and Jenny had gone for a Trentino pizza a mixture of smoked ham, mozzarella and rocket. Like my starter the Calzone was cooked to perfection and the consistencies and mixture of ingredients was perfect. I'd tried the Calzone in Basingstoke previously and at the time thought the chef had put too many chillis in but this time it was just right. The delicious combination of Chicken, meatballs and the vegetables was just right and at £9.25 I actually felt I was getting value for money due to the size of the dish and the content. Sneaking a fork of Jenny's pizza that too seemed to have been cooked just right, the base was nice and firm with a similar dough taste to the dough sticks and the ham and mozzarella had been cooked just right giving them a lovely texture.

It would have been rude to leave without trying a dessert as well and we were offered the menu's as our plates were cleared from the main course. The wide variety would have normally posed a real selection problem, however my mind was already made up and I ordered a Torta Cioccolata which is a slice of chocolate tart. Again this arrived reasonably quickly and we were able to enjoy the delicious blend of flavours. The chocolate is a very prominent aspect and the hazelnut base just heightens the flavour of the chocolate.

All in all the meal was absolutely delicious and came to a grand total of £40.65 for three courses, a beer and a Diet Coke. While this is perhaps a little more than we would spend on a regular basis as a one off it wasn't too bad and certainly in keeping with the rest of the restaurants in town. One point I would make with Zizzi's is to keep an eye on Money Saving Expert for money off vouchers as they always seem to have one promotion or another running to reduce the cost of a meal for two.

So is the Wokingham one as good as I expected? Well given my previous experiences with the Basingstoke location I have to say that I prefer the Wokingham one. The staff are just as friendly and helpful but they seemed to go that little bit extra in Wokingham ensuring everything is ok. Despite being in and out on this occasion in just under an hour we didn't feel rushed at anytime during our meal and the staff seem to adjust your service dependant on your own requirements for your evening. You also don't seem to wait quite as long for your food and once you get it, despite it being the same menu the quality seems to be a little bit higher. It's clear to see why the Wokingham Zizzi's is always booked up and I'm sure it will continue to be very popular in town despite the number of Italian eateries, all of which seem to be busy anyway!!

Summary: An Italian Pizza and Pasta restaurant