All reader reviews by kit cat

Acorn House

I'm also surprised by the bad reviews. Yes, it's not cheap. My friens pasta dish was £13 and my lamb with carrots and spring greens was £21 (!). But the food was absolutely delicious, nicely presented and big enough portions that we were fine with only having mains (and dessert, but that was greed induced rather than due to hunger). Both the Peppered flourless chocolate cake & ginger ice cream and the Chocolate sorbet were delicious.

As the tables are quite close together we also had a good peek at the table next to our's food and the starters looked great, again good sized portions.

The staff was friendly and attentive but the atmosphere is relaxed so if you are looking for white table cloths etc this is not the place to go to.

Our bill came to £100 for two with two dishes each, a very nice bottle of pinot noir at £29 and dessert wine (this did seem a bit pricey given the very small glasses) and coffee.

All in all one of the best meals I have had this year, and not the most expensive.

Friday, June 26, 2009
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8

Le Mercury

I was at Le Mercury last night with two friends, for the first time. I must admit we were a little bit dubious as to how good it would be, not least given the low prices! However, I must say we were all pleasantly surprised. The food was very good, nothing too fancy but still very tasty and at £3 something for a starter, £7 for a main and £3 for a dessert incredibly cheap. The sea bass, mussels, creme brulee were all good as well as the slightly pricier trout with citrus couscous which was the special of the day. The only disappointment was the truffle chocolate cake which had a weird sponge base and wasn't very exciting. Wines were also tasty and a good selection for their prices (we had the Cotes du Rhone and the Pinotage). Service was very friendly if a bit slow. Atmosphere relaxed and quite cosy (apart from the glaring light from the lamp by the food lift which was turned on every time food was sent up - a screen would be a good thing!). All in all we paid £26 each for three courses and two bottles of wine between the three of us.

Thursday, March 05, 2009
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9

Ziloufs

Went here on a Saturday night and it was packed. The restaurant bit is just behind a screen further to te back from the bar and later on in the evening it seemed more or less an extension of the bar and pretty loud. Nevertheless we had a good time, and two coctails for one before 10 on a Saturday night was a good deal.. The food was really good, exiting flavours and inspired combinations that really work, at a very reasonalble price, I had the scallops to start, £7 being the most expensive starter, and crab cakes as a main which I think were £10. All very very nice and quite unusual flavours making a nice change. Service was friendly if a bit slow at times.

Thursday, February 12, 2009
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10

The Providores & Tapa Room

I've been to this restaurant once before and really liked it. Admittedly I had quite a lot to drink that time, but I was very keen to go back, Unfortunately, tonight was not as good (or I was just more sober..).

We were in the downstairs Tapa room. Pretty tight sqeeze, but ok. The service was ok, but not very interested. The menu is a bit confusing as all dishes are in a long list and you have no clue what size they are. After asking the (not very helpful) waitress, I choose pork salad which was meant to be starter size and smoked salmon salad which was supposed to be main course size. The pork dish was really on the very small size and overpowered by a very stong dressing. The salmon dish was nice but not very substantial. I left feeling I could have gone straight on to another restaurant for a three course meal. After paying £40 per head.

The wine list is extensive. The wine we had was very nice. However, being the cheapest at £25, we felt there should be more choice at the budget end of the wine list.

Thursday, February 12, 2009
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2

Garufa

It is always great to see a new restaurant open up in your immediate neighbourhood and especially one that seems to have admirable ambitions. However, Garufa may be struggling as it feels a tad expensive for a local restaurant, especially since the food is, in my opinion, not really of a standard for a £35 or so per head dining experience (no fancy wine, no starters!). So to be honest I was amazed to see the glowing reviews received by Time Out, but maybe we didn't catch them on an as good day. Not to say that the food wasn't nice, I just didn't think it was that fantastic.

We went on a match day, and even then the place was only half full. We had steak which was nice and good quality meat although a little bit on the over done side for our medium rare order. Worst value was the tradisional side dish of sweetcorn and cheese. Although very nice it was pretty small and basically cheese, sweetcorn and seasoning in a thin layer covering a small plate. For £4.50... Wine list was a good selection of Argentinian wines. Service was friendly but a little bit haphazard.

All in all, good enough for a local, but too expensive for what it is.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 4

York & Albany

Like the previous reviewer we were at the York and Albany on Sunday, but for dinner. I was a bit put off at first when I realised that they only do a set menu on Sundays. However, we were pleasantly surprised with the choice, 4 of each course and only one dish which came with a surcharge. And no obviously cheap cuts, less complex dishes etc (we'd been once before for dinner on a weekday). And the food was really lovely and at £25 for three courses pretty good value. Two different bottles of wine from the upper end of the wine list (but still at £30 each) were also really good.

However, I have to agree with previous reviewers that the service was not really up to scratch. Orders were forgotten, we had to ask twice for a few things and the staff did not seem particularly interested in their guests. And for a place that pitches itself at this level the service certainly wasn't good enough. Most upsetting of all though was that, like the previous reviewer (is this really just a coincidence?) we were overcharged. Having only had the set menu and wine, I find it hard to understand how an extra dessert could have accidentally made its way onto our bill. When queried the bill was very quickly whisked away and a new presented within seconds, without much apology. To say the least this left a bad taste.

When it comes to the decor I found it a bit too formal and "hotelly", but certainly clean, spacious and comfortable.

Shame about the service, and the attempt at overcharging, as the food is really very good.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7

San Daniele del Friuli

This is a really good local restaurant. We went last night and they appear to have stepped up their game a bit. Lots of seasonal dishes on the new game menu. We had boar sausages and pheasant with wild mushrooms, both very very nice. They also have good pizzas which we have tried previously. Pastas I have found less inspiring, but maybe that's just me. Desserts are also great and the wine list is interesting and seems pretty good value. They always have a good choice of interesting specials in addition to a large selection on the everyday menu. Lovely friendly service as well.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8