Pizza Bella Roma, Fremantle (WA, Australia)

Whenever we dine out with my in-laws, it's hard to go wrong with Italian food. Pizza and pasta is a crowd-pleaser with Caucasians in general, and it's usually a safe choice for my son who has multiple food allergies. We'd hung out with hubby's folks on a glorious Saturday down in Freo during our recent trip to Perth. When it was lunch time, no one hesitated at the suggestion of Italian at Pizza Bella Roma as we were walking past the restaurant. Hubby's family had eaten here before, and they fell in love with the chilli mussels. The restaurant has a prime location on South Terrace with good exposure to pedestrian traffic, and it didn't take long before the tables filled up. I was told that there is usually a queue for a table at peak meal periods, but we arrived a few minutes before Pizza Bella Roma opened for lunch and were told by staff to just grab an outside table while waiting. It really was a great day for al fresco dining.

Great spot for al fresco dining, something I really miss doing (Hong Kong weather is not very good for anything outdoors, except for maybe one month out of the whole year):

Pizza Bella Roma is a relatively casual pizzeria with prompt service. The menu had all sorts of pizzas you could think of, and just as many pasta options too. There were a few salad and meat options for those who are watching their carbs (as were my father-in-law and his wife). There is the choice of small, large or family-sized pizzas, and serving sizes were quite generous. The food was decent as far as Italian food is concerned outside of Italy, but certainly not the best we've had.

Not the minimalist when it comes to food, hubby ordered a large The Works Pizza with ham, bacon, hot salami, smoked mussels, anchovies, prawns, capsicum, onion, tomato, mushroom, olives and pineapple. There were many salty toppings like ham, bacon, salami, anchovies and olives, and whilst the first slice was enjoyable, it got a bit difficult eating subsequent slices due to the saltiness. The large pizza was too large for hubby, and we could eat all but one slice:

I got the Cannelloni - large tubes of pasta filled with ricotta cheese and spinach covered with a light tomato sauce. We are big fans of cannelloni, but this one failed to deliver in terms of flavour and texture. Alas, we have been spoilt by the real thing in Italy itself, and perhaps no other cannelloni can match up to it:

Even though the food at Pizza Bella Roma was less than stellar, we had a good time with our family. Perhaps we may have fared better with other items on the menu.

Pizza Bella Roma
14 South Tce
Fremantle, WA 6160
Australia
Tel. +61 8 9335 1554