During lockdown, when you’re wandering into your kitchen for the millionth time and opening the fridge before closing it again, you might have hit the point when it’s time to think about ordering a takeaway.
Proove in West Didsbury is well known for its authentic pizza and has an established and popular takeaway service. The fact that the in-house menu is practically the same as the delivery and takeaway ones means you won’t miss out on anything that was on offer during those heady days of dining out.
If you go on Deliveroo, there’s even a fantastic selection of Proove bundles. For example, The Beer Bundle includes two bottles of Peroni or two soft drinks, garlic bread or dough bites, pizza and salted caramel brownie to share. And all for £27.50. If it’s booze that floats your boat, there’s a wine bundle or a Prosecco bundle for £32.50 and £37.50 respectively. And if you’re dining solo, there are bundles for one.
So, what’s on the menu? Proove caters well for vegetarians and gluten-free diets. Starters include dough bites, garlic bread, arancini (delicious lightly fried balls of risotto coated in breadcrumbs), fritto misto and tasty salads.
We ordered the vegetarian antipasti sharing platter, a selection of sun-dried and grilled vegetables, cheeses, chutney and bread, and a Tronchetto with salami which is dough stuffed with salami and cooked and cut into little parcels. All gorgeous. But it’s pizza that Proove is famous for and this is because they always get it absolutely right. They make the most fabulous, authentic, hand-stretched pizza dough and are obsessive about the ingredients they use from the San Marzano tomatoes and Fort de Latte mozzarella to the freshest basil possible.
The attention to detail, along with the ingredients, make for a pizza base that is soft and chewy, just like you’d get in any Italian street market – high praise indeed seeing as pizza is traditionally Italian street food. I loved the Neptuna which is tomatoes, anchovies, capers, oregano and olives. It comes without cheese, but I asked for some which wasn’t a problem. Bursting with flavour, close your eyes and you could be sitting in a pavement café in Napoli.
A Margarita and an Americana with pepperoni and roasted peppers, plus a Rucola salad (fresh rocket with shavings of parmigiano reggiano, dressed with virgin olive oil and balsamic) and a side order of delicious Italian fries with oregano and salt were all amazing. There are loads of pizzas to choose from and the lovely staff are always happy to accommodate with added toppings if you fancy something a bit different.
Desserts are just like the Italians like them – sweet, sweet and, er, sweet with Pizza Dolce (smothered in Nutella), creamy Tiramisu and a sticky caramel brownie and, ladies and gentlemen, Proove will also deliver your favourite tipple along with your food. A note for the future, they do the most amazing Negronis. Trust me.
It’s up to you how you order your takeaway. Of course, if you go for Deliveroo it’s delivered to your door. However, you can phone Proove direct and collect your order in person. They’ve taken on board social distancing and have a system for you to pay over the phone and have it ready for collection through a hatch at the front of the restaurant.
Proove, 160 Burton Road, West Didsbury 0161 669 9061. For details of Proove’s other branches, click here.
