Jmoney Rambles

Photo courtesy of Trip Advisor

I’m a fan of Locke Street. There are so many great shops and as the months pass, more restaurants are springing up. I had a chance to drop into NaRoma Pizza Bar this past Spring. I was on my way to another restaurant, saw NaRoma Pizza Bar was open and figured I’d give it a shot. I grabbed a slice of Pepperoni Pizza for lunch. It was… disappointing. I noticed there was a variety of menu items and figured I’d be back for dinner (only took 6 months) to get a fresh perspective on their food. I was joined by Marie and Kathy (stop getting sick Mikki) this time around.

As you can tell from the exterior, Naroma Pizza Bar has renovated a house to fit its needs. There’s a narrow walk in when you first open the door and then it opens up to show the Pizza Bar if you’re looking for something to pick up/take out or seating for dining. There are two floors for dining. I only popped upstairs briefly but off a rough count I’d say the restaurant comfortably accommodates 30 people (I ruled out the patio as I visited in October). They did a great job getting the most seating out of the space. I was always aware of folks behind me but never felt cramped. Kathy got us a booth and we ordered drinks.

Pinot Grigio – 6oz $7 or 9oz $11

I loved that they served their wine in mini Decanters and over sized shot glasses. I wanted to take the Decanter home but realized I don’t drink wine unless I’m hanging with my resident Wine Pro Danielle so took a pass.

We sifted through the menu and our server came by to explain things. They had 3 sizes and configurations for their pizzas.

Coppia – Feeds 2 – 4 people. Can be split between 2 sets of toppings.

Famiglia – Feeds 4 – 6 people. Can be split between 3 sets of toppings.

Festa – Feeds 6 – 8 people. Can be split between 4 sets of toppings.

As she explained it, my mind was only thinking “whatever, 2 – 4 people my ass. It probably feeds me with a little leftover.” I couldn’t have been any more wrong about portions.

Carne – $17

THAT’S A SMALL! UUUUUUGH! Of course I ordered the meat pizza because I’m trying to find creative ways to shorten my lifespan. They used sausage, prosciutto and pancetta for meats. The sausage and pancetta were dead on but I found the prosciutto a little too stringy for my liking. The pizza itself used a thinner base, which I absolutely love. They were very liberal in their use of mozzerella as well. I managed to get through 3 slices out of 12.

I am not a man. =(

Bianca (Left) & Quattro Fromaggio (Right) – $17

Marie elected for a split. After griping how I was full, I of course ended up scumming 1 slice each of her respective pizzas. The Bianca was a simple olive oil, garlic and rosemary topping and was fantastic. In fact, it was my favourite that night. She gave me the Bianca left overs and I destroyed them the next morning. The Quattro Fromaggio on the other hand wasn’t for me. It uses and combination of mozzarella, goat, asiago, and gorgonzola cheeses. I don’t care for gorgonzola or anything in the blue cheese family. You got a great 3 cheese blend on initial bite and then this odd taste in the back of your mouth almost into your nose when the Gorgonzola kicked in. If you’re big on that family of cheese I’m sure you’ll love it but not for me.

Bianca (Left) & Margherita (Right) – $15

The Margherita is dressed with Basil and Cherry Tomatoes. Kathy added Portobello Mushrooms as well for I believe $2. She enjoyed both pizzas, I believe favouring the Bianca as well.

God I want another slice of that pizza RIGHT NOW! Anyway…

I don’t have a proper name for this dessert nor a price as it’s not listed on NaRoma Pizza Bar‘s web site. The slice was covered in Nutella and topped with sweetened Ricotta Cheese and powdered sugar. It was served room temperature but Marie asked to have it warmed up. She said it was night and day in terms of taste. She was VERY happy with how this turned out.

Overall we had a great time at NaRoma Pizza Bar. The staff was very friendly and attentive. The portions were far beyond anything we could have expected and a great value for the price. It was a mixed bag in terms of taste but considering there are 25 pre-designed pizzas plus the option to construct your own, I”m sure they’ll be able to make something for anyone’s need. It should be noted they will make “white pizza” if you so desire as not everyone is a fan of tomato sauce.

I’ll definitely be back in the near future if only to get my hands on more of that Bianca.