Mediterranea

Having heard lots of good news about Mediterranea and having been twice in the past for meals with friends we decided to go today with our children for lunch. Our decision was partly due to the fact that they have started doing pizza and our 12yo adores pizza. What a fabulous lunch, we were a child down with seven instead of the eight we had originally booked for so Efisio (the owner) quickly rearranged the tables so no one was sitting out on a limb. Service was friendly and unobtrusive and the food was delicious. While we considered the menu two baskets of a thin rosemary bread appeared on our table. The menu is short and regularly changed but from our visit today we would recommend the herb tagliatelle with crab meet (served with extra chilli if we wanted), the Moroccan chicken and the pizza, 'thin and full of flavour, one of the best I've ever eaten' (in the words of our 12yo expert pizza eater! The house red was full bodied and the Sardinian lager which hasn't quite made it to the menu yet slipped down very easily. The three childrern wanted chocolate ice cream for pudding, again not on the menu but delivered quickly with a smile. The adult puddings, pannacotta and a yoghurt dish with honey and almonds were light and just the right side of sweet. Somehow I think Sunday lunches here may become a regular occurence.
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MGolden
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, October 17, 2010

This restaurant has got the X Factor.

I went to Mediterranea last Saturday with my partner and a friend and we had a selection of starters and then we tried the pizzas, which this restaurant has recently started to make. Just like most Italians, I’m very demanding and rather sceptical when pizzas are not made in Italy, but, I must admit, it was just perfect. The pizza base was hand stretched and perfectly light and thin and the pizza was baked to perfection in a traditional stone oven by an Italian pizza chef. There was a great choice of toppings available, including some fresh ingredients shipped over from Sardinia. It was simply a perfect, real Italian pizza, just like we get it back home in Italy in the most competitive pizzerias.

I worked in the restaurant industry for many years and I have a great passion for food and wines, and I eat out quite often in various restaurants around London. Mediterranea is always my favourite. The talent of the chef, which gives a magic touch to every dish, combined with the experience and fascinating passion about food and wines of the manager/owner, has always given me a unique dining experience. The modern-rural, simple but tasteful décor of this is restaurant, the choice of soft music and the friendly staff, create the perfect atmosphere for all occasions. Food and wines are priced very fairly and this makes it a fantastic value for money too.

Highly recommended for all occasions, lunches or dinners - Best to book a table.
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FP - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Visited Mediterranea for the second time this weekend and it was an absolute treat from start to finish.

Fresh ingredients, beautifully and simply prepared with skilled and friendly service. Great atmosphere aided by the fact that we were surrounded by other people who were clearly having a lovely time too.

Two people, three courses each, coffees and tip. £60 all in. You really can't say fairer than that.

The chap who owns the place has a real passion for food and someone in the kitchen really knows what they are doing.

The menu is short and changes frequently which is always a great sign. Expect fresh, home made food, using beautiful ingredients and really skilfully cooked fish.

I wasn't able to fault it (not that I was looking to). One of those rare occasions where you leave a restaurant feeling like you're walking on air.

I would recommend whole heartedly and will be going back soon.
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Squeaker eats - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Monday, November 09, 2009

This is my new favourite restaurant.

Rarely do you get a local restaurant that has such wonderful ingredients, excellently cooked, with friendly and professional customer service.

We went on Saturday night and were blown away by the excellence of both the calamari and mussel starters (my partner said they were some of the best mussles she's ever had). Following that we had the most amazing hand-made ravioli and crab tagliatelli main courses, that were so fresh and had obviously been cooked by someone who not only knows what they are doing but cares about the food so much. This was all washed down with a very reasonably priced italian house white.

After a pear tarte tartin and a vanilla ice cream drenched in espresso and some coffees we were feeling pretty happy about life in general, and the Sardinian proprietor (who also does the service himself) introduced himself and had a chat about the food before offering us a choice of complimentary grappas.

We can't wait to go back.
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Libshaw - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Monday, November 09, 2009

I have been to Mediterranea few times and always enjoyed the simply but deliciously cooked food, the lively and friendly atmosphere and the good quality and value for money wine list.

Just discover some of the Sardinian hidden gems like the full bodied red Cannonau, if you are having meat, or the fruity Vermentino for fish dishes.

The Menu varies quite often, therefore you can try different specialities everytime you go.
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luca
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Monday, October 19, 2009

Mediterranea has become our favourite restaurant after our first visit, and without a doubt, it’s one of the best in the area. The chef is very talented and the owner is a fantastic host and is very passionate and impressively knowledgeable in food. He’s also ever so helpful with wines, which are very well selected and fairly priced.

The menu and the list of daily specials offer a perfect list of selected dishes made with care and without any unnecessary show-offs or dramas. I was never very keen on liver before, but after trying the grilled calves liver in Mediterranea, it has become one of my favourites. The mixed grilled fish is exceptionally tasty and there are also some fantastic pasta dishes and vegetarian options. The desserts are all handmade, very appealing and hard to refuse. On one occasion, celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott and his friends were sitting next to our table and, after his meal, he went personally into the kitchen to congratulate the chef.

I highly recommend this restaurant for any occasion, being a romantic evening meal, a business lunch, a night out with friends, or a week-end brunch. I suggest booking in advance, especially on weekends, even though when we didn’t, the owner somehow always managed to find us a table, even when the restaurant was full.
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Francesco - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, October 13, 2009

This is a lovely restaurant. The food is really delicious. I ordered a fish selection and honestly I haven't tasted fish cooked this well since a holiday to Greece many years back, it was lovely. The food really is a deliight in this place. The owner takes the time to speak to people and is very friendly too. It was very busy in there on my last visit to this place and the service a little slow, but the food was so very good it was worth the wait. We all ordered different things and we all throughly enjoyed our food. I had the most delightful panna cotta ever in here too. Yummy yummy I can't wait to go back again. The only thing I will say is it would be nice to see just maybe one or two other veggie options. They were pretty accomodating though when asked to adjust a dish for a vegetarian guest, so I'm not really complaining as such. All in all this is a really lovely restaurant and I highly recommend it
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Melanie
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, September 16, 2009