Number Twelve review by dawnage
Upon entering Number Twelve, the greeting from a young, smiling staff was welcoming, and we were swiftly seated in a modern, stylish restaurant which was about a third full early on a Saturday evening. Although we'd booked under the £22.95 meal deal (including a carafe of wine), we were also supplied with an à la carte menu and wine list. These looked tempting, but couldn't beat the value of a meal deal, so I opted for the grey mullet to start, while my husband selected the gnocchi - the sole vegetarian option on the set menu.
While waiting for our first course we were offered a range of different breads, including a mozzarella variety and one with sun-dried tomato. The bread was fresh and enjoyable - and I was pleased that the waiting staff noticed how quickly we devoured the pieces we'd selected and returned with more for us. At this point the complimentary wine arrived in the form of a bottle which had been priced at £15 on the menu. Although it was the cheapest the restaurant served, it was perfectly good and appreciated as decent value.
The starters then arrived and I couldn't detect much sour in my grey mullet, despite it being described as sweet and sour. However, this did not matter as it was wonderful - very rare, which would not be to everyone's taste, but I am a sushi lover. The fish was tender and delicious, accompanied by a fairly simple salad with celeraic. Nothing else was needed, the fresh fish was so good. My husband's gnocchi was served with a rich and creamy cheese-based sauce, which was declared to be very good.
My main course was corn-fed chicken with aubergine caviar and potato; the chicken was wonderfully tender and complimented by the aubergine. However, it would have been improved with more aubergine and sauce to balance it - there was a surprisingly generous portion of chicken in the dish.
The vegetarian main course was a mushroom pappardelle, which was deemed creamy and very nice. However, my husband felt that it didn't offer much of an alternative to his starter dish. Number Twelve certainly has an Italian flavour - and successfully so - but could have planned the vegetarian set menu somewhat better.
My pudding was a créme anglais with honeycomb and pistachio - it was absolutely divine. My husband opted for a filter coffee and was pleasantly surprised when it was priced at £3.05 on the bill, as it was a very good coffee that would have cost just as much in an ordinary café with a lower ground rent. The coffee was served with 8 complimentary, varied biscuits, which was an appreciated touch beyond the expected.
Number Twelve is definitely worth a visit, with generally very good food, superb waiting staff and slick, attractive bathrooms. The meal deal made it superb value - just under £60 in total for two really good meals and drinks. I hope to return, and soon.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
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