The ground floor is the big bar area with some seating as well. It took us a short while to figure out how to get to the restaurant part of The Cuban. We spotted a small elevator with a sign above it with an arrow pointing to the restaurant.

The restaurant on the upper level had the music turned down a notch which was to our liking! We didn’t fancy having to have to raise our voices through our meal, especially seen as we would be chatting all evening!

Even though we were half an hour early for our reservation, we were given a table straightaway! There were wicker chairs, wooden tables and wooden screens sectioned off some of the areas. The staff were really friendly and were attentive.

Tapas was what we had in mind for this evening and the menu had a good range to choose from. The food at The Cuban seemed to have flavours from a few different countries. It was also a fusion of Cuban and Caribbean cuisine.

The tapas dishes were presented to us on two long wooden trays! This was quite different in comparison to the normal little clay dishes that I have had at other Tapas places! It was a good idea though to have these wooden platters, otherwise I think that we would have been struggling for space on our table!

It was such a colourful selection of food and it all looked very tempting! Nothing disappointed us; it all tasted great and worked well with the additional dips! The nachos were in a separate bowl and were generously topped with cheese, guacamole, salsa and jalapeno peppers.

The grilled flatbreads with hummous was a good way to start! Then onto the quesadillas filled with chicken and cheese! The highlight for me were the lollipop chicken wings! These were the ideal finger food! The chicken wings had a subtle coconut flavour coming through! The breaded chicken strips were also very tender and tasty!

If that wasn’t all filling enough, we still managed to have the grilled portobello mushroom topped with halloumi cheese, patatas bravas and chorizo! There was definitely a lot of food and it was a great selection!

As for drinks, I chose the peppermint tea which was served by the cup. The waitress wasn’t sure which tea they had, so she made the effort to go and bring me the selection that they had!

It was easy to spend a lot of time at The Cuban and as we were finishing our meal, the music started to get louder! We hadn’t realised that it was fairly late into the night as the hours had passed by real fast!

As the elevator doors opened on our departure, we were transformed into a Cuban dance place with a good vibe! This time round, we were done in for the night but I’m sure we’ll return on another occasion to dance the night away!

The Cuban, The Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, Camden, London, NW1 8AH

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Mezza Express opened out into a lovely organised spacious dining area. The back of the restaurant had a big glass front that looked out onto an outside garden area. I thought that this was part of the restaurant but the waiter told me that it was part of the coffee shop next door.

The staff and service were fantastic. They made us feel very welcome and comfortable. Even after we had finished our meal and didn’t want any coffee or dessert, we just said to the staff that we were having a nice catch up amongst friends! The waiter then said that that was lovely and that he was happy that we were there. It was all very genuine and it’s not often that you get that level of friendliness from the staff.

Mezza Express had a set menu which I chose. But on the menu, there was stuffed vine leaves and tabbouleh, both of which I am not keen on. So, I asked if it would be possible to change those dishes to falafel and the spinach filled pastry. The waiter said that was absolutely fine!

So as well as the two dishes mentioned, the starters were made up of hommos and grilled halloumi cheese. All were great and were served with warm flatbread.

My friend had the Lebanese sausages and the Samke Harra fish ratatouille, both of which she enjoyed! We decided to share the main course and went with the waiter’s suggestion of Mousakaat with rice. The baked aubergine with chickpeas and tomatoes was a big portion and all the flavours were good! There was plenty of aubergine and tomatoes in the dish!

Mezza Express gave us a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon meal! It is definitely a place that I would return to!

Mezza Express, 47 Parkway, Camden Town, London, NW1 7PN

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Funghi Ripieni reminded me of a Spanish tapas dish, just because it was served in a little clay pot! This starter of stuffed mushrooms was lovely and it was in a rich tomato sauce. I’m not too sure what the mushrooms were stuffed with but they were very tasty!

The deep fried calamari was another good starter. The rings of calamari were not greasy and went well with the tartare sauce and the sweet chilli sauce!

Now onto La Porchetta’s pizzas! The Vegetariana pizza was a tomato based pizza. It said on the menu that it had mixed vegetables for the topping, so I wasn’t sure which vegetables I would be getting! The pizza did not disappoint. It was generously topped with spinach, olives, artichokes, and peppers.

The tomato sauce was flavoursome and the pizza base was cooked to perfection.

The staff were friendly and helpful. They did not rush us and also did not mind when we asked if the pizzas could be sliced before they were brought out.

La Porchetta does great food and also has a good atmosphere! I’m never disappointed with the quality of the food at this restaurant and by looking at how busy the restaurant usually is, it seems that it has a lot of other customers who also enjoy dining here!

La Porchetta, 74-77 Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1 8AN

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars