Review: Romanzo, 87 Poole Road, Westbourne, Bournemouth

From the paintings on the wall, the hanging pots (and the photo of Telly Savalas) to the traditional bouzouki-rich music, you know exactly what to expect.

It’s a little slice of Cyprus on Poole Road, Westbourne.

And you’re certain not to be disappointed. There’s a typically warm Mediterranean welcome from the family that’s run the restaurant for more than 20 years.

The waitress urged us to try her mama’s yemista (stuffed peppers) and told us the matriarch was assisted in the kitchen by a cousin.

All this contributes to you feeling like this will be an authentic experience and, again, Romanzo delivers in spades.

Mama’s yemista, with its rich tomato and meat sauce encased in a yellow pepper was delicious as a starter, as were the deep-fried keftedes (meatballs).

Probably Greek cuisine’s best-known dish – the moussaka – showed no signs of heaviness. Instead it was full of the sun-drenched flavours of aubergine, tomato, lamb and cheese.

And the dolmades (stuffed vine leaves) conjured up equally well those warmer climes and sumptuous flavours, especially when accompanied by perfectly crispy roast potatoes and a clean, fresh Greek salad with succulent feta cubes.

With such culinary delights on offer the restaurant fully deserves its popularity, which meant it was already more than half full by 6.30pm on a Saturday.

But the one drawback to that is an understandable attempt to get as many diners as possible into a relatively small space.

This leads to you feeling uncomfortably close to your neighbours at times – it’s not exactly cramped, but there’s little room for manoeuvre.

Overall, though, it’s a price worth paying for an excellent meal. Just make sure you book first by calling 01202 761070.

This is an independent review by a reporter without the cooperation of the establishment.

My Romanzo bill:

Keftedes £4.50

Yemista £4.50

Moussaka £11.50

Dolmades £11.50

Glass of rose £3.50

Coke £3.50

TOTAL: £39.00