Optima Magazine

92 High Street • Rickmansworth • WD3 1AQ • 01923 779492

Reviewed by Alan Cox

I am sure that many of our Rickmansworth readers – and others – will vividly recall 92’s, the infamous High Street bar opened in the late 1980s by Andrew Ridgeley, after the break up of Wham. The place was always pulsating, packed with ‘young guns having some fun’. It certainly livened up the town after dark!

Since then, to my knowledge, the building has always been a social focal point, in its various guises of bars and/or eateries. It is now home (downstairs) to Villa Romana, an Italian trattoria, and (upstairs) to The Globe, a cocktail and piano bar – both of which opened last summer.

Owner Brigel Culaj has given the place a much needed facelift. The Globe, although lacking clientele on a quiet Monday evening, looks very much the part… all black leather sofas, dark walls and evocative lighting. I can imagine that the place really comes alive later in the week, once the lights dim, the cocktails are flowing and the resident DJs take over. I did have to smile at the lone couple smooching to the dulcet tones of Amy Winehouse.

Downstairs, the restaurant with its smart and unfussy décor matches the straightforward menu perfectly. There are no real surprises on offer, although one or two of the pasta dishes were new to me – Lobster Bavettine, for example, made with roasted cherry tomato and finished with brandy, is a far cry from the ubiquitous Bolognese, Arrabbiata and Carbonara.

If it’s about ambience then Villa Romana certainly feels as Italian as you could ask for, save jumping on a plane. Operatic music from virtuoso Pavarotti, amongst others, added greatly to the Mediterranean mood.

My wife started with Prosciutto Crudo, a generous portion of parma ham served with minted artichokes and parmesan shavings, while I opted for Deep-fried Squid and Tiger Prawns – (although, in this instance, for ‘prawns’ read ‘prawn’…). The batter was delicate and light, and both starters delivered in terms of taste… and were washed down effortlessly with a particularly fine Chianti.

We passed on the vast pasta and pizza selections and chose main courses from the ‘Carne & Pesce’ (meat and fish) menu. I went for a simple Italian classic: Pan-Fried Veal Milanese, served with sautéed spinach. I did find this a little plain, but it was well cooked. My wife reported that her Calves Liver ‘Veneziana style’ with red onions, bay leaves and white wine vinegar, was, by contrast, simply bursting with flavour; she’s a bit of a Calves Liver ‘guru’, so this was praise indeed. Both dishes were very simply presented, accompanied by roast potatoes, broccoli and carrots.

We finished with a portion of warm apple pie and a bowl of chocolate ice cream from the rather unimaginative selection of desserts, before heading upstairs to The Globe for a decadent cocktail.

What better way to round off our evening?…

Starters: £4.50 to £7.95
Main Courses: £6.95 to £17.90
Desserts: £3.45 to £3.95
House Wine: £13.75