Rate My Bistro

Pars is very deceiving when you see it from the outside as it looks just like a takeaway shop. Step inside though and you are transformed into a colourful Persian restaurant! The quirky environment sets the scene for sampling lots of Persian food delights!

The ceiling is draped with colourful fabrics, the tiled walls are decorated with artifacts and the cushioned seats are covered with patterned cloth.

The mint tea was served by the pot and served in cute little red glasses. Tea is always a good way to start and end a meal! There was so much choice on the menu and it was difficult to pick which items we should sample.

On this occasion, we started off with some classic houmous and fresh warm Persian bread. I was very impressed with the seeded thin Persian bread; it was very moreish! The bread was cooked in the clay oven near the entrance of the restaurant!

The cold dishes that we had were the Panir-O-Sabzi, Tabbouleh and Dolme Barge-e Mo. The Panir-O-Sabzi was a salad made of whole mint leaves, spring onions, radish, tarragon and Persian cheese. It looked like a whole bunch of vegetables were just presented on a plate, as none of them were chopped up! The Tabbouleh, made from chopped parsley, tomatoes and crushed wheat, was quite sour due to the lemon juice. I also found that the Dolme Barge-e Mo, the steamed stuffed vine leaves were quite tangy. They were stuffed with rice and herbs.

I preferred the hot dishes that we had! The Adas was a great bowl of well cooked lentils. They were really tasty and there was plenty in one bowl to share. Another dish that won me over was the Kashk-e-Bademjan. This was aubergines which were stewed with onion, garlic and spices. All of these dishes went well with the Persian bread!

Pars is a surprising restaurant with friendly staff. It has a really nice relaxed atmosphere and the decor of the place contributes to its authenticity! A great Persian restaurant that must be a hit with the locals but also with anyone else who has stumbled across it!

Pars, 370 Harrow Road, Maida Vale, London, W9 2HU

Our Rating:

Sodermalm is a lively and quirky area of Stockholm, but it’s nice that Shanti is located in the quieter part of this island! Saying that, it is only a short walk from the centre area of Sodermalm.

It was another hot day so we decided to dine outdoors. Hence, I’m not sure what the inside of this restaurant was like, although it seemed to look like it had interesting decor and a turquoise colour theme!

Shanti did provide us with an English menu, but we’re not sure how much we trusted it! The first thing that we noticed was that there were nearly double the amount of items on the Swedish menu in comparison to the English one.

Also, when we asked for one of the dishes on the English menu (the Masala Dosa), the waiter looked at us blankly. He went indoors to ask what this dish was and if they served it. We were then told that that item was not available! Luckily, my friend was on hand to translate the Swedish menu for us, so that was very handy!

The vegetarian thali was the meal for the evening and it had everything to make it a filling dinner! It was made up of the following dishes: samosa, cabbage and vegetable roll, poori (small fried bread), vegetable curry, spinach curry, rice, pickle, chutney and salad. The portions were of a hefty size and if that was not filling enough, it also came with a naan bread!

Both of the curries had good strong flavours and were also mild enough. The vegetable curry was made of courgettes, broccoli, carrots and peas. There was so much food in the vegetarian thali; even though it was really tasty, I couldn’t finish it all.

The staff were friendly but the service could be a little slow at times. The outdoor dining area was quite large and there were mostly metal chairs and tables. I liked it that Shanti provided blankets for the outdoor seating so you could cosy up once the temperature started to drop!

If you’re looking for a good hearty meal after a day of walking around and travelling, then Shanti is definitely the place to go!

Shanti, Sodermalmsallen 34, Sodermalm, 11828, Stockholm

Our Rating:

On one of the main squares in Gamla Stan is this wonderful cafe! Chokladkoppen is quite easy to spot; just look for the two tall colourful buildings, and the orange one is the one that you want! It is a fantastic cafe to sit and watch the world go by, especially on a hot sunny day!

There are two types of seating outside; one on the decking and the other is the seating that comes out onto the square. If you’re having a meal, then it is nicer to sit on the wooden chairs on the higher level. If you’re just wanting to have drinks, then sitting on the comfy wicker chairs is a better option.

Chokladkoppen does a range of hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, lasagne, salads, soup, baked potatoes, pies, not to mention the big portions of cake!

I decided to have the tomato soup as I was in the need of a hearty lunch and soup always seems to be a good option. I was served with a big bowl of soup and was just expecting some bread on the side. Instead, the soup came with two open cheese sandwiches!

The soup had big chunks of tomato and it was quite creamy. The flavours of the herbs came through as well as the rich tomato flavour. The cheese was very thinly sliced so didn’t make the meal too heavy. The bread that it was came with was a light wholemeal roll. This lunch was perfect and it definitely filled me up until the evening!

The staff were really friendly and gave service with a smile. They were helpful and gave the customers their time, even though the cafe was really busy.

I can see why Chokladkoppen is a popular cafe! It has a great location  in the old town of Gamla Stan, and is so close to lots of attractions such as Storkyrkan (Stockholm’s 700 year old cathedral) and Nobelmuseet (the Nobel Museum).

Chokladkoppen, Stortoget 18-20, Gamla Stan, 11229, Stockholm

Our Rating:

Last weekend, I had the privilege of going out for dinner with my brother and spending some quality time with him! He chose the restaurant and I was not at all disappointed. I was introduced to Sen Nin: a Japanese tepannyaki and sushi restaurant in Angel!

Even though this was my first visit to Sen Nin, it definitely won me over! This was an evening of whole entertainment! We were lucky to be seated around one of the areas where the chef and the hot plate were. The food was fresh and cooked right in front of us.

Full marks goes to the chef who made the dining experience very unique. He was so talented in his cooking skills and also in entertaining us! The chef, apart from cooking the food on the hot plate next to the table, was able to accurately throw pieces of omelette into the diner’s mouths and also throw eggs up into the air and catch them in the top of his hat!

The chef at the start of cooking, dimmed the lights down, as he started off the hot plate with a huge flame! All very impressive! The chef was a jolly chap who made conversation with us while we were having our meal, but we also had time to talk amongst ourselves!

The food was delicious, filling and very moreish! I went for the Teppanyaki vegetarian set meal. This was a great combination of Japanese miso soup, vegetarian sushi, grilled vegetables and Sen Nin grilled rice. I chose the inoki mushroom dish as my main for the set meal.

The miso soup had good amounts of tofu in it and it was a good start to the meal. The mushroom dish looked like a plate of thin noodles! The sauce that the mushrooms had been cooked in gave the dish a lovely sweet taste. A perfect combination to go with the grilled rice and vegetables. I didn’t want to have the sushi, so asked the waiter if I could have edamame beans instead. He was fine with this suggestion!

Sen Nin have a range of drinks, from teas, cocktails and wines. The non alcoholic cocktail, Sen Nin cooler, was a good choice. I also had to have some tea and went for the classic Jasmine tea! This was served in a heavy metal teapot!

To go with the drinks, we had a couple of starters! I am a big fan of dumplings, so we had the Tori Gyoza chicken dumplings. These had a great flavour; the only thing was that they were a little spicy as they had some spice sprinkled on them. My brother loves his calamari, so his starter had to be the Calamari Tempura. The tempura batter was crispy and the calamari had been cooked to perfection!

The staff at Sen Nin were very friendly and the service was great! There was nothing to fault with this Japanese restaurant. Everything at Sen Nin was perfect: a clean, sophisticated restaurant, fantastic food, great chef and wonderful staff! All in all, a very unique dining experience and a place that I would highly recommend! On a practical note, it is always worthwhile to make a reservation if you want to be seated by the cooking area!

Sen Nin, 206 Upper Street, London, N1 1RQ

Our Rating:

Prezzo initially pleased us both with its food and service. It was towards the end of the meal that this restaurant failed us. On arriving at Prezzo, there seemed to be a nice atmosphere helped by the friendly staff. Wood panelling, nice decor and comfortable chairs made up the dining area.

The bruschetta was a good portion for a starter. Two triangle toasted pieces of bread topped with ripe cherry tomato halves, pesto and served with a bit of salad.

The bianca pizza had a nice crispy thin base and was topped with asparagus, semi dried tomatoes, mozzerella and tomatoes. It was supposed to have goat’s cheese as a topping as well but I asked for it to be left off. The only thing that I would say is that it would have been better if the knives had been sharper. Halfway through eating the pizza, it felt like a bit of a mission to have to keep putting in a lot of strength to cut through the pizza base.

The apple juice was fresh and you could tell that it was not from a concentrate.

Now onto the situation that we had after we had finished eating the main meal. We were given the dessert menu and only after about a minute, one of the staff came and asked if we were ready to order. After saying that we needed a bit more time, the waiter (or it could have been one of the managers) told us that seen as we had the menus closed, it meant that we were ready to order. We did try to explain to him that we had only just been given the dessert menu.

So, we now had the menus open and a minute later, another member of staff came and asked for our order. It looked like we just didn’t get the menu etiquette right: open menu means ready to order, closed menu means ready to order!

We decided to skip dessert as the staff had begun to irritate us. Shortly after, we were told by one of the staff, that as seen as we were not going to be ordering dessert, then we should leave. At this point, we had already got the bill, paid and were sorting out a tip. But after all the hassle and the pushiness of the staff, we decided that they did not deserve the tip.

What happened to the days where you could go and relax and take your time over a meal out?! It seems like more restaurants are like fast food places. The concept of order, eat, pay and leave as fast as you can. What we couldn’t understand was that there were free tables in the restaurant for other customers. Even if the restaurant had been full, we still shouldn’t be rushed to leave.

This same Prezzo on a previous occasion surprised us in a bad way. We wanted to go to Prezzo for coffee and dessert. After being seated, we were told that such an order was not an option. The staff said that we would have to order a main meal and not even a starter would do, if we wanted to have dessert.

It is a real shame that Prezzo gave such bad service and had rude staff, as the food was actually of a good quality!

Prezzo, 161 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BD

Our Rating:

Getti is a mediocre Italian restaurant. I would not say that the food was outstanding nor was it bad.

The bruschetta was generously topped with fresh chopped tomatoes, although it had a little too much pesto drizzled on top. The olives that came with this starter were extremely salty; almost to the point where they were inedible.

The fillet of salmon was ok. The white wine sauce was not that tasty but it was nice that this dish came with green beans. The side dish of grilled vegetables were the best part of the meal. It was a selection of peppers, artichokes and courgettes. The vegetables came with Carasau bread. I’ve never tried this bread before and I would describe it like being a cracker bread. It was very thin and extremely tasty!

Initially, the dining area in Getti looked quite welcoming. It had pale wooden tables and chairs and deep blue walls. But after we were seated, I realised that the restaurant was fairly cramped with the tables too close to each other. This meant that we had to wait till one waiter was done serving one table, so that another waiter could get to our table.

The staff at Getti were friendly and quite helpful with our food queries. We were served our food quite fast. One thing that would improve Getti is if they had more vegetarian options, apart from pasta, on the set menu.

Getti is conveniently located in the West End, but I think that there are better Italian restaurants that you could go to in this area.

Getti, 16/17 Jermyn Street, London, SW1Y 6LT

Our Rating:

Bluebird Cafe makes up just one part of the Bluebird Courtyard, which includes the cafe, restaurant, shop and bakery. It has a lovely outdoor seating area with the heaters to stop you getting chilly!

The interior has a black and white theme with its black wooden chairs and chequered floor. It feels like quite an informal dining environment, perfect for a Sunday brunch!

The homemade tomato soup was flavoursome and thick but slightly peppery. It had basil pesto drizzled through it. The soup was served with a few slices of walnut and raisin bread. The bread was fresh and delicious!

The breakfast tea was served by the pot. The teacup was quite small compared to regular sized tea cups! The staff were really friendly and we got service with a smile! The food and drink were served fairly promptly as well!

The cafe is a good place to sit and watch the world go by on Kings Road. It is also nice as it at the quieter end of Kings Road!

Bluebird Cafe, 350 Kings Road, London, SW3 5UU

Our Rating:

Bakko is a fantastic family run Turkish restaurant which serves food of the highest quality! There were so many things on the menu that took my fancy. It finally came down to a choice between some mezes or a main dish. I chose a few of the hot mezes so that I had some variety in my meal!

The soup of the day was lentil soup. It was a good bowl of soup in both size and taste! I was expecting the Sigara Borek to be triangle shaped pastry filled with feta cheese and parsley. Instead, I was presented with thin crispy rolls with the feta filling, cooked to perfection and served with houmous!

The last dish that made up my selection of meze was the Mantar Guvec. This dish consisted of mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers and onions in a red wine and tomato sauce. The flavours worked well together and was even better with the cheese that it was topped with! The warm pitta bread was great to dip into the sauce and also to go with the soup and the houmous!

The restaurant was so warm and welcoming! The staff were superb, friendly and gave service with a smile! The decor in Bakko was interesting; it had lots of original items and treasures from Eastern Turkey! The wooden chairs and tables gave a nice contrast with the plants and the colourful wall decorations! Bakko also has some comfy seats at the far end of the restaurant! This is truly a gem of a restaurant in the heart of Muswell Hill!

Bakko, 172-174 Muswell Hill Broadway, London, N10 3SA

Our Rating:

Gourmet Pizza Company looks like a beach hut and it may not be exactly next to a beach, but it has the River Thames on its side! The actual location is in Gabriel’s Wharf on the South Bank.

Seen as it is a pizza restaurant, it seemed wrong to order anything else other than pizza. The menu does have pastas and salads as well.

There were two pizzas that were especially appealing. One was the grilled vegetable and caramelised onion which had toppings of aubergine, courgettes, peppers, onions, mozzarella and goat’s cheese. I decided on the other pizza though which was generously topped with tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, roasted peppers, courgettes, olives, mushrooms, garlic and mozzarella.

The pizza base was perfect. It was crispy and still had substance to it as it wasn’t paper thin. The garlic with the tomato sauce made the flavour of the pizza really great.

Gourmet Pizza Company do a range of hot drinks including coffees and teas. The Earl Grey tea was served in a tall latte glass but I always prefer having tea served in a teapot. The fresh mint tea was also served in the latte glass. It was good that the mint tea was not made from a teabag but from fresh mint leaves.

This restaurant has an open kitchen with the dining area surrounding the kitchen. The decor is all wooden tables and chairs and there is also outdoor seating facing the river.

The staff were really friendly and very welcoming. They gave service with a smile and were not pushy in any sort of a way. It made the whole atmosphere relaxing and comfortable.

If you’re ever around Gabriel’s Wharf, then Gourmet Pizza Company is a lovely place to go for lunch or dinner. It would be great in the summer months too! 

Gourmet Pizza Company, Gabriel’s Wharf, 56 Upper Ground, London, SE1 9PP

Our Rating:

As soon as I entered Reun Thai, I was taken aback by the friendliness of the staff! It is quite a small restaurant and  was decorated in earthy tones. The wooden chairs were comfortable as they had seat cushions.

The Pad Thai Jay was made of rice noodles, beansprouts, carrots, spring onions and crushed peanuts. It was a nice filling dish but was quite oily. It would have been better if it had more vegetables. We were given prawn crackers to start off the meal.

Reun Thai seemed like a popular restaurant and all of the tables were occupied fairly fast in the evening. It was good that we had made a reservation for our evening meal!

Reun Thai, 100 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 9PL

Our Rating: