PIZZA TO GO: Saeid Esfandiari serves up Rocco's finest.

No time for a long lunch or an evening meal Each week we will be dropping in to chippies, kebab houses, takeaways and burger vans to find out what's hot and what's not on the fast food scene. This week Ben O'Neill tries Rocco's Pizzas take-away at 41 The Hundred in Romsey town centre. Rocco's is a chain with branches at Bitterne, Hythe and Chandler's Ford.

I'M a sucker for good pizza. I would say that a well-cooked, crispy pizza can't be topped, but my colleague John has banned me from using clichd puns. So I can't say that it was a "pizza perfection" either. Hmm I think I see what he means.

Anyway, I wouldn't quite wan't to go that far. To cut to the chase, Rocco's is not a bad snack joint, but it's not cheap and won't win the eqivalent of a Michelin star for quality. What it does do well is give a satis-fying munch on possibly the tastiest fast food there is (apart from well-chillied kebabs).

I had a good and spicy Kentucky - an intelligent mixture of spicy chicken, onions, pineapple and sweetcorn - and my flatmate ordered Rocco's Treat (this was lunchtime, so I'm sure there was nothing else on her mind other than food), a concoction of pep-poroni, ham and peppers.

The wait was fifteen minutes, well spent as this tiny takeaway is in the shopping and pubs centre of Romsey, but on a busy evening the wait could have been longer and even annoying.

But disquiet was dispelled by our first view of the delicious-smelling platters of heaven, the dough thin and crispy enough for anyone, the topping sizzled to perfection with little moon-lumps of browned mozzarella in peaks over moist cheese and finely chopped bits and pieces.

The first few slices were a treat in the mouth as well as on the eye, with melting cheese and piping hot tomato paste base. Sadly, though - and this would figure with ayone getting their pizza delivered - it went downhill, and we threw the last couple of slices away as they had congealed and hardened (think of your arteries, and you'll get the picture). Definitely so-so. But if a bunch of you pile in and are determined to chow down at speed, you won't be disappointed.

Pizzas from £3.40 for a basic small to £13.10 for a seven-topping beast. Ten specials on offer (Mexicana with chillis and Mexican beans looked good). Open noon-11pm. Deliveries free up to three miles and £1 further.

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