Rate my Bistro

On entering Fig & Olive, there is the ornate seating on one side and the display of its cakes on the other! There was quite a large selection of cakes, fruit pies, cheesecakes and pastries. These were displayed behind a glass front but customers could still reach them. It would have been better for the cakes to be in a closed display fridge.

The cafe/restaurant extends to the light and airy area towards the back. The staff were really friendly and quite efficient. The only issue that we had was that it took a little longer than expected for our food. The food was worth the wait though!

The veggie quesadilla was filled with plenty of vegetables, cheese and feta cheese. It was supposed to be served with salad but I asked the waitress if the salad could be replaced with another side. It was great that I was able to have the quesadilla with new potatoes instead of the salad. I was happy that the veggie quesadilla was not leaking with cheese as I had asked for it to be made with very little cheese.

The bistro burger was made with tender beef and it was served in a multi-seeded bun.  The chips were crisp and not at all greasy. The burger and chips was a perfect combination and was very filling. 

Fig & Olive do a range of coffees, teas and cold drinks. The hot chocolate was perfectly sweet and rich.

I would say that Fig & Olive seems to be a good place to come to at any time of the day whether its in the morning, for lunch, dinner or for a drink and cake!

Fig & Olive, 151 Upper Street, London, N1 1RA

Our Rating:

Situated in the lively Temple Bar area is Frankie Dettori’s and Marco Pierre White’s restaurant. This Italian restaurant was a little dark when we entered but I think that we got accustomed to the lighting.

The waiter recommended a pineapple and coconut non-alcoholic cocktail and this did not disappoint. It was quite a rich drink but a great start to the meal!

The aubergine parmigiana was a few slices of aubergine baked with cheese and a tomato sauce. The aubergine was sliced lengthways which meant that it was quite a tasty substantial meal. A great side dish was the spinach with chilli and garlic. The spinach was cooked perfectly and it was not spicy, which is what I preferred.

We made sure that we had room for dessert! The New York cheesecake was very fresh and it was big enough to for two people. The biscuit base was quite thick which made the cheesecake even more yummy! The tiramisu was presented in a martini glass and you could taste the quality ingredients.

The walls are decorated with cartoon like pictures of various people! The staff were really friendly and when we asked if we could have a different table to the one we were originally seated at, they happily let us move. They also didn’t rush us when it was closing time for the restaurant. The service was efficient and the staff knew the menu well!

Frankie’s Bar and Grill, 42 Temple Bar Square, Dublin 2,

Our Rating:

The Serpentine Bar and Kitchen in Hyde Park has been newly renovated. It is a really great spacious cafe/bistro. They do a range of food, from fresh pizzas cooked in their pizza oven, to sandwiches and other hot dishes. Again, it’s a shame that some of their cakes and pastries were left open on display and only a few of their products, such as the brownies and flapjacks were wrapped.

The latte and mocha were both good and of a high standard. They also serve soy milk! It was good that we were made to feel relaxed even though we were just having drinks. The staff let us take our time even though the cafe got busy at lunchtime.

We experienced friendly service, although there did seem to be a lot of staff for the size of the place. This cafe is actually part of the Benugo chain. We have already reviewed one of their other establishments, BFI Benugo Bar and Kitchen on the South Bank.

http://ratemybistro.co.uk/bfi-benugo-bar-and-kitchen-south-bank/

We definitely preferred this cafe in Hyde Park though. The location of this Benugo place is very idyllic as it looks over the Serpentine. It has lots of outdoor seating, perfect for the summer. Indoors, there is a cosy seating area in the central area of the cafe, with comfy chairs and deckchair style seating too!

Serpentine Bar and Kitchen, Serpentine Road
Hyde Park, London, W2 2UH

Our Rating:

Tas is a great restaurant that serves Anatolian/Turkish cuisine. The food is very tasty and portions are quite big. The kitchen and the bar are at the back end of the restaurant.

The starter we had was borek: filo pastry filled with feta cheese and spinach. This was nice and as there were four pieces, it was a good starter to share. The borek was not at all greasy even though it had been fried. It was also served with some salad. Bread, houmous and olives were served while we were deciding what to order!

Tas has lots of vegetarian options including numerous hot and cold starters. The turlu main dish was really good and extremely filling. Turlu was made mainly from aubergine, potatoes and peppers. It came with couscous and a lot of yoghurt. I would have been happy even if there had been less yoghurt!

It’s a shame that we were too stuffed to try the baklava dessert or the sundried apricots with cream, almonds and pistachios!

Tas serves coffees and a selection of teas including herbal and fruit teas. They also do Turkish coffee which is like a very thick espresso. This can be served sweetened.

The staff and service was good and pretty efficient. The only thing that I did not like about Tas was that the tables were very close together, so it felt a little cramped.

Tas, The Cut, Waterloo, London, SE1 8LF

Our Rating:

Dim sum is always great but it is better going with a group of friends for a weekend lunch! It means that you get to catch up with everyone and also share lots of different dishes!

A variety of steamed, fried and oven baked dim sum was had, each having their own unique delicious flavour . My favourite was the mini onion pancakes. These were little round oven baked parcels with spring onion. The steamed vegetarian dumplings presented in the bamboo steamed baskets were good.

The rice pasta with peanut sauce and yellow bean sauce were rice tubes with a gooey consistency. Two of the fried dim sum that we had were the vegetarian roll and the crispy dough stick. The former had lots of vegetables but was just that little bit too oily. I would describe the crispy dough stick as a fried layer of dough which was then wrapped in the rice pasta! Most of the dishes come with various dipping sauces.

After resting for a while and after lots of talking, we had room for the sweet delightful treats of the dessert dim sum! The chilled mango pudding is a must for mango lovers! It is a bit like a mango blamanche! A different option is the black sesame in a gluten ball. It tastes far better than it looks! I was surprised by its jelly like consistency!

I was looking forward to the egg tart but I was a little disappointed by it. The reason being it tasted more eggy rather than sweet. Saving the best for last, it had to be the steamed cream custard buns. These had the best sweet creamy filling!

The service was really great, very friendly and efficient. Phoenix Palace is quite a large restaurant. On the big tables, there is the rotating glass turntable so that everyone can get access to the dishes really easily! As you enter/leave the restaurant, take a look at the photo montage of the famous people that have dined at Phoenix Palace. See if you can spot the politicians, foreign officials, actors and tv presenters!

Phoenix Palace, 5 Glentworth St, London, NW1 5PG

Our Rating: