Rate my Bistro

For some unknown reason, Med Kitchen has not been one of those places that I have wanted to try. I’m not sure why this has been the case for so long. But I’m so glad that we went to this restaurant and gave it a go! We really did have such a pleasant dining experience at this particular Med Kitchen in Islington!

The roasted Mediterranean vegetables with couscous and chickpeas was very filling and tasty. It had plenty of strips and chunks of courgettes, peppers, red onion and aubergine. It was supposed to have harissa  in the dish but I wasn’t sure if it would be too spicy for me. So the waitress kindly suggested that I could have it separately on the side. That was great as I could add it to my suit my taste buds. The whole dish and the flavours worked well together. I was glad that the couscous was not coated in olive oil, as it did not need it at all.

My friend had the slow roasted lamb, feta and onion stew and she thouroughly enjoyed her meal too. The chunks of lamb were perfectly cooked and were tender. This dish was served with sesame and onion flatbread. This fresh bread was perfect to dip into the gravy of the stew!

The waitress that was serving us was really honest and we truly appreciated this. When I asked her if the fish was fresh, she told us that it was on some days but on other days, it could be a day or so old. Also, when it came to the coffee, I was originally going to order a mocha. I asked her if this was going to be a big drink, like a latte usually is, but she told me that it was more like an espresso. So, I had a cappuccino instead.

As I mentioned I had the cappucino to end the meal. It was a really good rich, creamy hot drink. A nice touch was that the hot drinks were served with a little biscuit! The tea was served by the pot which is something that I always prefer!

Med Kitchen was a relaxing place to come for our evening dinner. But I can see it being a good restaurant to come to for breakfast or lunch as well. The atmosphere was nice with the soft music playing in the background. There was a range of seating with the cosy cushioned seats along the back wall. I also liked the open kitchen area making up part of the restaurant area. It was great that the waitress was so truthful and didn’t just give us false information so that we would order quickly. It made a huge difference to our whole evening dinner. It made us feel that it was a more of a personal and friendly evening out.

Med Kitchen, 370 St John Street, London, EC1V 4NN

Our Rating:

This is Carluccios flagship restaurant and it is spread over two floors. The entrance and interior reminded me of a grand home. It has high ceilings, stone floors and a big spiral staircase. We were seated on the upper level, which looked like the private dining area. There are huge windows that overlook the surrounding streets of Covent Garden. It felt like we were dining in a stately home!

The starter of foccacia bread was a big piece. It was a little heavy and plain to have as a starter dish even though it was served with olive oil to dip in.

The Arancini Di Riso Siciliani are two fried rice balls served with a red pepper sauce. One of the rice balls has a mozzarella filling and the other has meat ragu. I found that even just one of the rice balls is quite filling but what would complement this dish would be a salad.

The Pasta E Fagioli soup is described on the menu as being a thick soup with vegetables, borlotti beans and pasta. It was more of a broth based soup and not as rich as I would have expected it to be.

I have tried two different main dishes at Carluccios and definitely have a preference. I would recommend having the Penne Giardiniera. The pasta is served with a nice mixture of courgettes, fried spinach balls, chilli and comes with Parmesan and garlic. The flavours and textures of this dish really work together!

I really did not enjoy the homemade ravioli. The filling was spinach and ricotta. This dish was not at all filling. It tasted really bland even though it was served with butter and sage. Also, the side dish of spinach with garlic was average.

The Tiramisu is a fantastic dessert! It has the perfect combination of coffee, cream and chocolate. The portion was enough to share!

If you fancy something sweet, but don’t really want a dessert, then you should try the Ciocolatta. This is a satisfying thick hot chocolate with frothy milk on top. If you don’t want the spoonable hot chocolate, then you can always ask for extra hot milk on the side and dilute the chocolate down a bit!

The cappuccino is good and creamy and a nice drink to have at the end of the meal. Carluccios do not serve soy milk.

The staff were really friendly and the service was good. Carluccios have a shop on the ground floor where you can buy lots of Italian goodies and treats!

Carluccios, Garrick Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9BH

Our Rating:

Melanzana was one of those places that we weren’t sure whether to go into or not. This was only because we thought it may just be a take away deli and we wanted somewhere that we could sit in and have hot drinks.

As soon as we entered, we were impressed with the colourful displays and the range of food in the deli. Little did we know that Melanzana was a restaurant as well! It’s a shame that some of the food was open on top of the counters. They had a range of breads, pastries, cold meats, olives and roasted vegetables.

The staff were friendly and allowed us to sit anywhere that we liked in the dining area. One of the staff didn’t speak/understand English very well, so when we asked for a hot soya milk, she brought us a hot chocolate made with soya milk instead. The mango fruit tea was served by the cup not the pot.

The foccacia bread was good and was topped with onions. It all tasted fresh and was a good portion. There was a lot of pizzas and pasta dishes being brought out to the other tables and they all looked delicious. If we are in the area again, then we will return to sample some of their hot dishes.

Melanzana is a little gem of a place in Battersea! It felt like it was run by a nice tight knit family group. All the food seemed to be fresh and looked like it was made on a regular basis on the premises.

Melanzana, 140 Westbridge Road, London, SW11 3PF

Our Rating:

Leon is quite a small casual restaurant! I liked it and think it would be good at any time of the day! On this particular occasion, I was there in the evening. It had quite a quirky feel to it. When I first entered, I wasn’t really sure what to expect and didn’t know if they would have much seating.

The waitress was really friendly and recommended lots of things on the menu including the Moroccan meatballs, sweet potato falafel and the original superfood salad! Although it was a busy time in the evening, there were a couple of tables free. I chose to sit in the middle part where they have the high chairs and this particular area separated the two halves of the seating area.

It was very dimly lit with some tealight candles! There were random books on the shelves, which I’m not sure if they were there just for decoration. It felt quite cosy and was the perfect place to warm up on a cold rainy day together with some hearty food! The atmosphere was very relaxed and there was some good jazz like music playing in the background.

I was more peckish than wanting a full blown meal so I was happy to see that Leon had a Kids menu! Some restaurants have age restrictions on their Kids menu but this was not the case with Leon.

The Leon Gobi was really good and as it was from the Kids menu, it was served with rice and peas instead of with fresh slaw. The Gobi was like a curry and consisted of chunks of cauliflower and sweet potato. The taste of the coconut milk definitely came through in this dish with the flavours of the spices being milder. The nutty taste of the brown rice was great and it went well with the peas, edamame and green beans! Even though it was a smaller portion than a main meal, I found that it was quite filling.

Leon is good if you have dietary restrictions. They specify on the menu which items are gluten free, wheat free, dairy free, low GI, vegetarian and low animal fat.

The way that it works in Leon is partly self service. Quite a few eateries seem to adopt this idea. The waitress gave me the menu and she also gave me a small paper with the menu on it. She told me that I just filled out my table number and specified which items I wanted. I should then take this to the counter and hand it there. I sometimes prefer this method as then you are not waiting around for the attention of staff and usually it is a quicker way to get your food! This was the case with Leon as in the food was served pretty fast!

Leon has a great range of salads, main dishes, wraps, snacks and desserts. They also do smoothies, juices, coffee and tea. The soups change daily and they also have a daily main special. In the time that I was there, the type of soup that they were serving, changed a couple of times! It’s nice that they have such a variety. All the food seemed really fresh and healthy and you can tell that Leon takes pride in its meals.

Leon, 73-76 Strand, London, WC2R 0DE

Our Rating:

Richoux had a French feel to it with it dark wood decor, deep reds and green seating. This is slightly strange as it describes itself as “the home of traditional English food”. It reminded me a little of Cafe Rouge.

The tea and coffee were both served by the pot. The tea was served in a ceramic pot and the coffee in a metal one.

Richoux has its own blend of tea. This was an average tea and I don’t think that it tasted very different to other black teas. It was nice to get quite a few cups of tea from a single pot!

You can go here for breakfast, lunch or dinner as the menu includes soups, salads, sandwiches, meats, fish, pasta and risotto. They also do afternoon tea and have quite a few pastries, cakes and ice cream sundaes for people who have a sweet tooth!

The service was a little slow and we were there for quite a while before any of the staff came to take our order. On the other hand, it was nice that we did not feel rushed while we were having our drinks, even though the cafe got quite busy at some points!

The staff were pleasant enough but they just seemed that they were there to do their job. The service did not feel very personal.

We were seated at the front of the cafe which meant that there was the constant opening and closing of the door. Also, there were always people walking past and queues of people waiting to be seated. I think that the busyness of Richoux had a lot to do with its central London location.

Richoux, 172 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9EJ

Our Rating: