Casa Mia, Wednesbury

On a frosty night there's nothing quite like a hearty Mediterranean meal to warm you up,

Not every restaurant can boast a former Prime Minister among its clientele, but Wednesbury eaterie Casa Mia is one of them.

The restaurant hit the headlines back in 2004 when Tony Blair not only dropped by on his campaign trail but also wrote to thank the owners for their hospitality.

Situated on Wood Green Road, Mediterranean restaurant Casa Mia occupies a prominent location in Wednesbury, leading into the town from the M6, and, with the green uplighting clearly illuminating it from the road.

On entering the building it is clear it's been decorated to give some of the ambience of the Mediterranean, with claret coloured walls providing a relaxing vibe, enhanced by ambient Spanish guitar music.

This contrasted somewhat with the covering of snow outside when I visited on a freezing Tuesday night, hoping to be transported from the winter wonderland of Wednesbury for an hour or two.

Being early in the week and with treacherous conditions outside, there was only a smattering of other customers and we had the part of the room in which we chose our table, in front of the bar, all to ourselves for the duration of the meal.

The menu features a variety of starters and an ample array of mains across red meat, chicken, fish, pasta and pizza dishes from various parts of Southern Europe, including Spain, Greece and Italy.

There was also an extensive array of dishes to choose from on the specials board.

To start, we decided on the pan de ajo con queso (garlic bread with cheese) £2.95, and fetta forno (goat's cheese with fresh tomatoes, onions, olives and peppers, oven baked.) £5.95.

Both were generous portions with the goat's cheese side both unusual and delicious. For mains, we had bistecca mafiosa (hot), sirloin steak with onions, garlic, olives, capers, chilli and oregano, in a wine tomato sauce) £13.95 and a pizza vegetaria (pizza vegetables and garlic) £8.95.

The steak, requested rare, was cooked nicely, pink all the way through without being chewy or tough, as can sometimes be the case when done in this manner. The pizza, while not the most traditional I have eaten, was tasty and, as requested had been "spiced up" with chillis.

To accompany the meal, we ordered a bottle of Marechal Rouge £9.95, which was very good for the price.

It terms of value it made more sense to buy a bottle than a glass of wine as each glass was around half the price of a bottle.

As one of us had to drive, half the bottle was left, with the management only too happy to provide a cork to allow us to take it home which I thought was a nice little touch.

In total the bill came to £43.70.

Service was prompt, but not rushed and my request to have my pizza spiced up was heeded by the chef.

A full, ice cream based dessert menu was on offer, as well a cheesecake on the specials board and coffees, but neither of us could fit anything in after the hearty two courses we had already enjoyed.

Our hostess, was very accommodating, with a cheerful, friendly manner, without being over attentive.

This is a very professionally run restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere and good, tasty food at reasonable prices.

Good choice Tony.

ADDRESS

Casa Mia, Wood Green Road, Wednesbury, WS10 9QW

Telephone: 0121 505 2266