All reader reviews by Gillian

Pho

The Oxford Circus area is not known for nice, clean, good value restaurants and Pho is a pleasant surprise.

The waitress was friendly and helpful, we managed to get variation from the menu by ordering carefully also.

For three of us we ordered prawn crackers first, and that is what we got, a crunchy start to our meal. Pork spring rolls were crisp and full of anise-flavoured pork, the mango salad was fresh and with enough chilli to be enjoyable.

Main's of curry, bun noodles (wih veg spring rolls), and a spicy prawn soup made for a varied meal and we all enjoyed it.

No room for puddings throuhg the banana friters were tempting, if it had been pineapple fritters I could not have resisted.

As with previous reviewers I have not been to Vietnam so I have no idea if this is authentic, but it was fresh, tasty and good value for the area.

Sunday, November 09, 2008
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7

San Marco

Yesterday was cold and stormy, San Marco proved to be a good place to hide from the weather for a long lunch.

I had the set lunch special for £8.90 and from the list chose soup of the day and then spaghetti with meatballs and muchrooms, the £8.90 includes a free drink and I chose a nice, cold Peroni.

My soup was a lovely vegetable soup, good stock, nice vegetables, with rice and chickpeas also. The spaghetti was cooked well and the sauce and mushrooms were good aso. The meatballs were a little under-seasoned, just a little more salt or herbs would have made them more interesting.

My husband chose bruschetta which were large, fresh and tasty, then ordered the cod with lentils and garlic puree. He felt that his cod could have used more salt, but the lentils were soft and well seasoned as was the large serve of garlic mash. He said he didn't really need quite such a large portion of lunch but we still managed to share a portion of profiteroles.

I will definitely be going back, and looking at other diners' plates I will be trying the Calzone

Sunday, November 02, 2008
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8

Hiba Restaurant

On arrival there are plenty of waiting staff and they are quick to show us to a table next to the toilets, not a great start and when we ask about today’s special “There is no special today”.

We order lentil soup and falafel to start and the lentil soup is light and tasty, with lots of crunchy bits to add. In contrast the falafel are leaden, look as though they have been commercially extruded and have no distinguishing flavour. The accompanying salad is fine but dull, with only the pickled turnip adding interest.

The waiter puts down the cutlery for the main course and clears the other plates from the table before I have even finished the falafel, and another tries to remove part-filled beer glasses.

Main courses are a mixed grill and a lamb kebab dish with a spicy sauce. The grill is the winner as the chicken is moist and some of the grill is vegetables. The lamb dish is four large kebabs with lots of tasty spicy tomato sauce. This is accompanied by a wedge of lemon, half a tomato and a large leaf of undressed lettuce. We have a basket of tasty flat bread but a salad would have been nice, I wish the waiting staff had suggested that this dish might need an accompaniment.

Coffee and baklava to finish were good and came with unanticipated fresh fruit, which was nice.

Overall it was a successful meal and the room is decorated nicely, but I will not be racing to return.

Friday, September 19, 2008
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7