New Roma Pizzeria & Restaurant

[Jack_Batty]

I've been living in Hua Hin for almost eight months now and this restaurant, New Roma,in Selakam Alley, has always been on my radar. The problem is that there are so many fantastic restaurants in this city, coupled with the latest COVID shutdown, I was not able to check it out until tonight.
My wait was worth it. The food was really delicious and the staff were very friendly and attentive. We got there at about 5:30pm and the restaurant had opened at 4:30pm. We were told that we were the first customers of the evening, and no other customers arrived until I was paying the bill. The food arrived real quick, probably because of this fact. Good for us, but I feel sorry for shop owners during this trying time.
We started out with an appetizer called Khung Yom Yom, which was shrimp sautéed in butter, olive oil, garlic, and chili. It came with a side of bread, which I would dip in the oil and then place one of the giant shrimp on it. Absolutely fantastic!
We then ordered chicken piccata, which came with steamed vegetables and tagliatelle pasta. Gravy came with it in a little boat. I had never had this dish before, but I had always wanted to try it. I was in heaven! The tagliatelle looked like fettuccine, but was more al dente. I think I would have liked it softer, because it wouldn't roll up with my spoon/fork twirl like they do in the movies. Regardless, it was all good.
Another dish we ordered was gnocchi alla gorgonzola. Again, I had never had gnocchi, but I had seen it cooked and served a lot on shows on the Food Network, which I watch all the time. Because of this, of course, I was very happy to try it. I must say that the gorgonzola sauce was super, duper fantastic. I even drizzled a bit on the tagliatelle, which really worked. I was not a fan of the gnocchi however. And maybe it's because I'm ignorant of how it is prepared. These gnocchi were very large; much larger than the ones I had seen served in many restaurants on the shows. It also was very doughy in my mouth like maybe it was undercooked. Again, I don't know if this is how it is supposed to be, because I've never had it (I took the leftovers home, halved the pieces and reheated in a skillet until lightly browned. That did the trick).
We also ordered a pizza to take home with us, because really, this is what I had been dying to try, but my girlfriend isn't a real pizza fan. I ordered a half pizza kebab and half pizza old roma. Very thin, crispy, expertly cooked. I only ate one slice, from the kebab side, and even though I was uncomfortably stuffed, it was the real deal. I can't wait to eat it tomorrow. It came with a side salad, which was finely-chopped cabbage tossed in olive oil. vinegar, and garlic. It was really good, but I couldn't eat much. That came home with me too! A nice complement to the rich pizza.
New Roma is one of my favorite restaurants in Hua Hin now, and I will definitely be back. Oh, the bathrooms were clean and well-stocked, with a shared sink in between the men's and women's. Total bill for all of these dishes, including a tip, was 1300 baht. Of course, no alcohol to be had during this COVID lockdown, so that really lightened the bottom line. Very affordable for the quality of food and the experience. Lots of street side tables to sit and people watch as you wait for food and then as you dine.
UPDATE: we had almost the whole pizza left for the next day. We heated it up slowly in a covered skillet on low heat, in order to crisp up the crust and gently melt the toppings. The pizza was perfection! I have to say, I am a huge fan of that kebab style. I will certainly be ordering that in the future.

[mwbrown]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Whenever anyone leaves a less than stellar review, the owner blames the reviewer or says they were confused and went to the other Italian place next door.

[Jack_Batty]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Whenever anyone leaves a less than stellar review, the owner blames the reviewer or says they were confused and went to the other Italian place next door.

Yeah, I read a few of those instances on Google. I once reviewed a Thai restaurant in Seattle that just wasn’t up to snuff and I got a pm from the owner demanding that I either give him another star or take my review down! I couldn’t believe it. Haha