"Stresa is a much welcome addition to the restaurant scene around Old Trafford and Salford Quays. In stark contrast to the American chains opposite, this is a quality Italian restaurant not to be mistaken for a hotel restaurant. We visited on a non-matchday lunchtime, which was no doubt a lot quieter than how busy they get on match days and pre-show times at the Lowry Theatre, a short walk away. As such, we were able to take advantage of the marvellously named 'Pizza, Pasta, Pronto' deal, also available pre-match and pre-theatre. The choice on this menu was still comprehensive and saved us around £14 on the food bill.

Not long after ordering our starters, the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate to the car park for 10 minutes. We presumed the cause of the alarm was the Tuscan Bean & Panceta Soup (£4.75), which was very tasty but far too hot. The Rosticciana (£5.95), pork ribs in a homemade BBQ sauce, were cooked well but the interuption had possibly affected the preparation of the sauce, which seemed to be rather gritty. Any disappointment with the starters was soon overcome with the main courses however - the Penne Gamberini (£8.95), one of ten pasta dishes, consisted of prawns, shallots, peas & spinach in a cream sauce and was really impressive. All the ingredients complemented each other, but at the same time you could taste each individual ingredient. The Pizza Bolognaise (£8), one of seven pizzas on the menu, was equally as nice and well worth the journey.

Fire alarm aside, overall Stresa was a pretty enjoyable experience and certainly one we'll repeating on a match day. It should only be a matter of time before news gets about the offices of Salford Quays that, whilst it's based inside the Ramda Hotel, Stresa is far from being a 'hotel restaurant'." - restaurants of manchester 18/11/08 (visited on a wednesday lunch)