When is Rocca in Dulwich Village opening?

[fazer71]

MrBen Wrote:

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> This thread is getting really tiresome

> now. Opening a new business is hard enough as is

> it at the moment without all this tosh.

All the more reason they should do their best and where ROCCA is concerned their best is not very good.

Because nobody is prepared to say what they serve up is S$%T.

If I ran my business like that I?d go broke.

But they will stay in business serving up utter rubbish.

Because there are so many people who will put up with their rubbish because they have a massive local community to continue walking through the door.

Look I don?t like slagging anyone off I?d much rather be saying they are fantastic as I have said about other fine restaurants, where the owners and chefs know what they are doing and deserve high praise.

They think as you do.

If they make it look pretty they customers will go and spend.

And yes in Dulwich village many will go and spend.

I?m just being honest and it obviously hurts for some of you to hear my honesty.

[fazer71]

Karenina75 Wrote:

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> Calm down

>

> I haven't responded as yet because I'm busy

>

> yes - do give it a try. Surely the answer to that

> question is that I had a lovely sunday lunch there

> with my family

>

> I also support MrBen with his view on opening new

> businesses in a recession - it surely can't be

> easy so would be helpful to offer constructive

> criticism rather than scathing remarks????

OK I'll give them another go then.

[Frankito]

Fazed, I am a man of taste and thus, don't tend to eat s@$t and less, go back and eat it again.. And, I am sure there are many out there like me.

I am curious to know why you are so desperate for little Karen's approval before going back..... That doesn't make any sense whatsoever and just makes you look even stranger. So, where do you normally eat out then? Are you the real Victor Meldrew?

>:D<

[fazer71]

Frankito Wrote:

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> Fazed, I am a man of taste and thus, don't tend to

> eat s@$t and less, go back and eat it again.. And,

> I am sure there are many out there like me.

>

> I am curious to know why you are so desperate for

> little Karen's approval before going back.....

> That doesn't make any sense whatsoever and just

> makes you look even stranger. So, where do you

> normally eat out then? Are you the real Victor

> Meldrew?

> >:D<

Asked for Karenina75?s OK as you?ll see if you read back see she said ROCCA was good in response to one of my posts you?ll also see where I like to eat out locally.

FI

Can anyone remember how awful Belair House was? I can remember having one of the worst lunches ever there and it was confirmed by spending the following day on the loo with food poisoning.

I'm away on holiday for a couple of weeks so won't be able to confirm her findings until I get back to work.

[HonaloochieB]

Hear that Rocca? Two weeks to shape up.

Now get down and give me twenty.

[maxxi]

HonaloochieB Wrote:

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> Hear that Rocca? Two weeks to shape up.

>

> Now get down and give me twenty.

and make them al dente.

[Mick Mac]

:))

[si mangia]

Karenina 75. Don't like to get involved but whilst you are well within your rights to champion your favourite restaurant, I think u need to do a bit of research before you make suggestive comments about mine.

Seafood fresh daily, and in both restaurants we operate open kitchens. dough made in Lorenzo's.

PS La Rocca is a new place. All new places have teething problems....mine did too. There is always a big rush from the Dulwich residents to try out a new place and sometimes it's difficult to deal with. You cannot judge anybody off one visit.

Thanks

[fazer71]

For those of you who are interested I know I got back to the UK ages ago and I haven?t' been back to Rocca and posted my findings.

The truth is I can?t bring myself to go back.

I will try, promise.

[Karenina75]

Dear Si Mangia

I eat very often at your restaurant also, as I live in Honor Oak

I don't quite understand about the tone of your mail - I support a lot of local businesses and do not know quite what you are suggesting that I have criticised at your place.

[DaveR]

I reckon Si Mangia were picking up on when you said this:

"I like Si Mangia too - a good local eat - I know Lorenzo's and that they are sister restaurants, but I heard that their dough is frozen as is their seafood "

[Marie81]

I have been to Rocca several times and never had a bad meal. I do not like Pizza Express but I then am not a fan of Pizza so it wouldn't be a good choice of restaurant for me. I tend to have the steak or a pasta dish at Rocca. However it would be nice if they would varied their menu every now and again as I think it has been the same since they opened. Also it would be nice if they offered a Sunday Roast. It's the only suitable place I can bring our dogs along and sit outside and have a meal. I always find the staff friendly and welcoming. Where is a great Italian restaurant locally? I didn't like Lorenzo's but that was a long time ago and haven't been to Si Mangia.

[Dan Dan]

.

[Dan Dan]

New to the Forum. Just read back over all of these emails about Rocca and having recently tried it thought I would add my thoughts

Clearly they have spent a lot of money on the premises. The look, feel and finish is very high quality so I expect it would have cost a fair few quid. They have recently added a new conservatory/party room to the rear which is a lovely setting, especially in the evenings

On my visit, the staff were superb. Really lovely group of young front of house guys who made all of the customers very welcome

Food wise I was more than happy with what I was served. Having been in the industry for a number of years I can tell that there is a lot of work done on the premises to make the product as good as it is. I got chatting with the Manager and he told me they bake bread in the wood fired oven in the early hours of the morning. Told him they should sell it on the weekends...I for one would buy it. Delicious

To say that something is s..t is harsh when actually its pretty damn good. I am sure that on a given day it can be better or worse than another but based on my first experience I will certainly go back. And someone mentioned Pizza Express. No thanks. Anyone who offers 241 on their food like that is either saying we serve poor quality or they should just bring their prices down..........

[Marie81]

jumpinjackflash Wrote:

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> All these Italian restaurant chains - Bella Pasta,

> Strada, Zizzi etc - are all crap and they give you

> miserly portions. You can't beat a proper old

> fashioned authentic Italian restaurant..Il

> Bordello in Wapping High Street and Donna

> Margherita in Lavender Hill are well worth the

> journey.

I totally agree with you, those high street 'Italian' restaurants are awful! If I wanted a good tradition Italian meal I would head to Il Bordello aswell but if I want a good local meal served in a nice atmosphere with great service I would head to Rocca.

fazer71: you say above 'go try Rocca if you know good food' and earlier said we would have been better off with a Strada or Ask Pasta!!! Those restaurants are not known for producing good food, I would compare eating at one of those restaurants to picking up a Italian ready meal at a supermarket. I have been to a branch of Zizzi's and Strada and found the staff to be miserable and the food to be tasteless.

Everytime I have been to Rocca it's been full to capacity and on occasion we have had to queue. I'm taking friends there this wknd so they must be doing something right.

[Mick Mac]

I passed Rocca on Sunday (with buggy, on toddler sitting duty) and was going to just have a coffee but was tenpted to have a mushroom risotto whilst sitting at one of the outside tables.

Have to say it was good and staff were friendly and quick.

[fazer71]

Marie81 Wrote:

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> jumpinjackflash Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > All these Italian restaurant chains - Bella

> Pasta,

> > Strada, Zizzi etc - are all crap and they give

> you

> > miserly portions. You can't beat a proper old

> > fashioned authentic Italian restaurant..Il

> > Bordello in Wapping High Street and Donna

> > Margherita in Lavender Hill are well worth the

> > journey.

>

> I totally agree with you, those high street

> 'Italian' restaurants are awful! If I wanted a

> good tradition Italian meal I would head to Il

> Bordello aswell but if I want a good local meal

> served in a nice atmosphere with great service I

> would head to Rocca.

>

> fazer71: you say above 'go try Rocca if you know

> good food' and earlier said we would have been

> better off with a Strada or Ask Pasta!!! Those

> restaurants are not known for producing good food,

> I would compare eating at one of those restaurants

> to picking up a Italian ready meal at a

> supermarket. I have been to a branch of Zizzi's

> and Strada and found the staff to be miserable and

> the food to be tasteless.

>

> Everytime I have been to Rocca it's been full to

> capacity and on occasion we have had to queue.

> I'm taking friends there this wknd so they must be

> doing something right.

Good for you.

The staff surroundings location is IMO irrelevant.

The quality of the food is everything.

It was completely tasteless main dish very small floppy salad.

It?s all in my previous posts.

In all the years I?ve been eating and loving Italian food I?ve never eaten the kind of rubbish I ate when I went to Rocca.

I received NO reply to my email. No a sorry, please try us again nothing.

Because that?s the rubbish they serve every day? I may never know.

Remember there was no way I was going to complain during of after a business lunch.

Many go because it looks nice and is convenient and the staff are nice quite laughable.

The food was not good it was an embarrassment.

So bad I still can?t bring myself go back .

Two words that sum up what I was served Cheap & Lacking.

[laurajaynewoodhouse]

Ate here last night. The decor and atmosphere was lovely - relaxed and contemporary. Three of us had a bellini cocktail and a starter each. We had a bottle of wine, 3 coffees and 3 main courses (2 of which were from the more expensive meat section of the menu) and the bill came to ?90! The service was perfect, not overbearing or complacent. The food was excellent value and I would recommend the ravioli and chicken with pesto. The mussels were also divine.

[tallulah71]

I have been to Rocca 4 times, and tried different things on the menu each time.

Once I had a salad with spinach and crispy bacon and the bacon was inedible.

The Pasta is OK.

Pizza is no better or worse than Pizza Express and not as good as a Gowlett pizza (but I know everyone likes their pizza differently),

Calves liver came in a mass - with nothing but liver and a load of sauce.

Starters are good. Staff are attentive. Decor is interesting...

[the-e-dealer]

I think its open now. End of Thread?

[fazer71]

Update I?ve been back??

I was invited a couple of evenings ago to Dinner there.

I though give them a go and avoid the already previous experience of poor pasta dish.

I had

Starter grilled king prawns

Served on a bead of very very soggy bread the prawns were of the small variety I their shell, smaller than you?d find in a decent Chinese restaurant and they were over cooked slightly burnt giving them a slightly nasty finish 2/10. Very very poor.

Main grilled Hake served with tomatoes.

The hake was filleted and served skin side up with 4-5 cherry tomatoes and I think a drizzle of butter sauce.

The hake had little flavour being so bland it needed a sauce, there was none. The cherry tomatoes were of the cheap tasteless Sainsbury?s variety not the on the vine taste the difference they were a bland accompaniment to an already bland grilled fish there was also a little salad on the same plate which was slightly limp and had no dressing the waiter didn?t put and oil and vinegar on the table and I had to ask if some was available to help it along. I tried using salt and pepper with the olive oil and vinegar on the salad; I ended up leaving half of it in frustration.

Overall it was exactly as I?d previously experienced with little in the way of memorable taste a truly bland meal more a la Harvester than a la Carte.

My hosts had never been before and I could see their dissapointment with their dishes pizza and pasta.

It?s a real pity because with just a little more common sense effort and a few pence more buying decent ingredients ?i.e. tomatoes?. Given it?s location it could be good.

They probably need a capable head chef to add flavour to their selection.

IMHO complete rubbish.

[the-e-dealer]

Its already open. Went there the other day when Second request for a menu was ignored by Cafe Rouge (The Service there is deteriorating sadly) . Pizzas were cheaper than P Express and had a home made feel about them and 5.40 for a Margarita was fantastic to compared to P Express's inflated price. Plus they brought a free starter on something tiny but a nice touch.

Bill for the 3 of us was (2 Adults one 10 year old) was ?30 instead of the usual ?35 at P Express. Both existing restaurants need to improve their act / prices