A cosy little corner of Italy
Casa Mia in the heart of Thatcham village is family friendly, but also a great place for an intimate meal for two, says reviewer JOHN GARVEY
The restaurant has regular customers who sing its praises and it boasts an impressive range of pasta and pizza dishes. But we opted for something different
COSY and intimate, Casa Mia is an Italian restaurant in the heart of Thatcham village.
We landed early on a weeknight, but already there were diners there before us.
The restaurant has regular customers who sing its praises and it boasts an impressive range of pasta and pizza dishes. But we opted for something different.
To start, my wife chose sardine alla griglia – grilled sardines to thee and me (£9.95).
These were beautifully presented on a rustic board, served with with salad, lemon and a homemade salsa verde... and were duly demolished in short order.
I started with cozze al limone – mussels cooked with garlic and lemon, black pepper in a white wine sauce( £9.95).
The funky, fishy depth of flavour in the sauce meant it was just begging to be soaked up with the crusty bread.
Other starters include traditional breads and salads, including insalata tricolore made with tomato, mozzarella, avocado, basil and olive oil (£8.95).
We were tempted by the array of traditional pasta dishes such as spaghetti carbonara (£12.95) and spaghetti alla bolognese (£11.95).
But in the end my wife opted for pesce spada alla provinciale – pan fried swordfish cutlet in olive oil, onions and garlic, simmered with capers, olives, mixed herbs and tomato sauce (£17.95).
This was a sensational slab of fishy goodness with a dense, meaty texture that would satisfy ardent steak lovers.
It was cut with the sharpness of the lemon and caper dressing on a light leaf salad. Oh, and roast potatoes. Winner!
It was a tough choice for me, given the variety on offer and the lobster dish almost won the day.
Misto pesce vesuvio (£24.95) is billed as the house special; a selection of shellfish served with half lobster, king prawns, clams, mussels, squid, olive oil, garlic, white wine, spicy tomato sauce, parsley, served with grilled bread with olive oil and oregano.
Tempting, no?
The menu has a mouthwatering array of fish, veal and beef dishes, too.
However, I ended up choosing the fegato (£17.95) – finely sliced calf liver with crispy pancetta, spinach and red wine jus.
The liver was tender and the jus so deeply flavoured you could almost dive in.
On to dessert... and a confession. We would like to have shown you the dishes in their pristine glory.
But by the time we remembered to take a snap, they had been half devoured.
Which should tell you something.
My wife chose the cheesecake al limoncello (£5.95); light, boozy and delicious, I am told.
A traditional tiramisu was my choice (£5.95) and I didn’t regret it.
It was everything a tiramisu should be; moist, fluffy and rich.
Casa Mia is family friendly, but also a great place for an intimate meal for two.
The menu is large enough to cater for most tastes, but not so exhaustive that attention to detail is lacking.
A little corner of Italy on Thatcham Broadway!