Filed under: French
A bit of a trip away from the very centre, but very much worth it. Chez Bruce served up the best food we have had in a long time – delicious mackerel, beet salad, pumpkin soup, tender beef, amazing fish main courses and perfect panna cotta and sorbets. Chez Bruce offers a fixed price menu at £40 per person and if you don’t mind the price tag or you’re splashing out for a special occasion, we warmly recommend dining here. Helpful staff and very good wine recommendations starting at £20. www.chezbruce.co.uk
Food: 10 | Service: 8 | Atmosphere: 7 | Value: 7
Filed under: Italian
We went to Quaglino’s for a free meal (yes, there are such things in London!) and were presented with a set menu that looked reasonable. We chose onion soup, wild mushroom spaghetti and apple tart, with a side of sauteed spinach and a bottle of Argentinean Malbec. The spinach and the dessert were tasty. The starter was average, not exciting. The main course consisted of beautiful wild mushrooms, entirely unseasoned and tossed with severely over-boiled spaghetti. Service was attentive and we were immediately offered fresh plates of food when we highlighted the mushy pasta, but the next round of the same dish was only marginally less over cooked and no more seasoned. We don’t get it – how can you go wrong with spaghetti and wild mushrooms? Twice? Free meal or not, we will not be back. www.danddlondon.com/restaurants/quaglinos/home
Food: 3 | Service: 7 | Ambience: 6 | Value: 4
Manna serves up delicious, varied vegetarian cuisine that convinces even the most entrenched meat eater that veggie can be wonderful. We keep coming back to Manna for the informal, relaxed atmosphere and the reliable, tasty dishes on the menu. We were slighly disappointed with the Chef Salad this time – it seems to have suffered a blow under the weight of the credit crunch. Everything else was lovely – the won tons, summer rolls and the beautiful curry. www.mannav.com
Food: 7 | Service: 7 | Atmosphere: 8 | Value: 7
Filed under: Mexican
Mestizo has a warm, informal atmosphere with welcoming, Spanish speaking staff and a big menu. We visited during the lead-up to Mexican independence day, which meant that instead of the regular menu we were presented with a regional specials menu. There was a lot of good meat on the menu, a few fish dishes and a very meagre vegetarian selecation. We had decent starters, mediocre mains (overcooked sea bass beautifully presented with a lovely spicy sauce). With so few good Mexicans around in London, we had high hopes for Mestizo but we probably won’t be coming back. www.mestizomx.com/london.html
Food: 4 | Service: 6 | Atmosphere: 6 | Value: 5
Filed under: Italian
Santini occupies a prime spot in the quiet residential streets of Belgravia offering a large outside seating area during the summer months. The menu is classic Italian with a good selection of quality, flavourful dishes. There are two dishes that determine whether we go back to any fine Italian restaurant – crab pasta and bolognese. We had fantastic starters (seasonal sauteed mushrooms on flat bread and a simple but delicious mozzarella and melon salad), but the crab pasta that we both had for a main was a let down. With restaurants like Olivomare right on their doorstep, we would have expected more from Santini to stand out in the fine dining crowd. www.santini-restaurant.com
Food: 7 | Service: 9 | Atmosphere: 7 | Value: 5
