Roma's Deli

This is my first review and I hope it's easy writing about a familiar place.

(Vegan) WHOLESOME GOODNESS =D I think that about sums up the food they serve. Mostly pasta, I always order the baked rice whenever I need a quick meal before tuition. Pre-prepared, popped into microwave, ready in 5 minutes. Good ol' carbs!! Spaghetti, pizza and salad take slightly longer. The bread bowl soup is quite popular too...great fun demolishing it! Although the dishes are simple and fuss-free, the ingredients are fresh and healthy!

The best is to go as a group and order everything then take a stab at every dish. People often reserve a stretch of tables with cushy seats for up to 10+ ppl, whether it's a birthday celebration, quiet get-together, or for a gathering for aunties and uncles. The place is dimly lit with strategic spotlights, all the better to conceal your flaws and revel in coupledom. xD Simply put, it's an unpretentious little haven where you can relax and be yourself.

It's really affordable whether you order separately ($5.50) or in a set ($9.90). PLUS vegan food always makes one feel virtuous. The owners are middle aged, a rotund lady and wiry man, and they're really laidback and friendly. They sometimes hire 2 or 3 helpers, in their late teens and early 20s, and.. Hmm..the service is GOOD! ;p

That was what I had as I entered Roma's because I've read reviews that were raving positive & being some sort of a vegetarian myself, (or I'd much prefer fervent veggie lover)I was excited to dine at Roma's, a vegetarian diner.

You know how, when you go into something with high hopes, you always tend to be disappointed ? So really, I'm going to write this as fairly as I can, because as much as I did not have a mind-blowing experience, Roma's did not so much as ruin my hour lunch.

My friend & I had a set each, hers was a Soup & Baked Rice set ($6.90) while mine was a Soup & Pasta set. ($6.50) Prices are extremely decent & portions are not meagre, in fact, we both were extremely full after our meal.

First thing that surprised us was the promptness of service. After we seated ourselves, our soup came within the next 2 minutes, complete with buttered toast & water. The soup came in a rather large plate & it was a really memorable Mushroom soup. We really, really, liked the soup. & for the skeptical, it tasted nothing like Campbell. I mistook the toast for garlic toast but it was not, so if you really don't wish to fill yourself up, pass the toast.

Next up, main courses. My friend had Chicken & Mushroom baked rice, & while she felt it was alright, I had a taste of it, & decided that for a baked rice, it was far too dry & uncheesy. I mean, when I think of the better baked rice I've had, they're more cheesy & moist with sauce & flavour all at once. This one was dry & could do with more ingredients. I looked around & realised, though, that almost everyone was having baked rice. Personally I felt, & my friend agreed as well, that my order was the better of the two main courses. Mine was Spicy Mushroom & Cheese Spaghetti, (the original dish is Mushroom Cheese but I asked for spicy & the man said OK so no worries, the staff are amicable people.) & it was tasty. In fact, I quite liked mine; the pasta sauce of orangey like that of cheddar & had a good bit of spiciness in it. Also, the mushrooms were generously strewn around & there was alot of spaghetti, which I couldn't finish.

For the price we paid, we were not grumpy customers. But as I said, I had gone in with great expectations, & they have not really been lived up to. The menu boasts pizzas & bread bowl as well so maybe, just maybe, when my mood decides, I might give Roma's a visit once more.

P.S. For a cheap, no-fuss, quick healthier pasta lunch, Roma's is a decent hunt, just have a group of fun friends & you'll probably enjoy yourself (:

my fren and I both had the bake rice set for dinner.

I ordered the seafood bakerice and she had the chicken mushroom.

Soup was not in bread bowl as written in some of the reviews. It was a huge bowl though. Although its quality is not as bad as campbell, i would say its only a tad better. Anw, i would think tt this SHOULD be the bare minimum as it is ridiculous serving campbell soup in a restaurant. Bread was very hard and I skipped it aft a few bites.

The baked rice was the MOST HORRIBLE baked rice i haf ever eaten. its uber dry and the ingredients are super crappy. the cheese does not blend well with the rice. It tastes as if im eating the cheese and rice separately. Not to mention, there ain't any cream in the rice at all! its jus rice covered w a layer of cheese period! I only ate 4 scoops and gave up.

service however was impeccable. the uncle was really friendly.

for $10 a set i would expect smth more decent in terms of the food. i was really disappointed and upset abt having to settle at Roma's for dinner. guess i was fooled by the raving reviews here on HGW.

it really suck!