Rate My Bistro

When a friend of mine suggested going to an Ethiopian restaurant for a dinner get together, I realised that I knew absolutely nothing about Ethiopian cuisine. But I trusted my friend’s opinion, who told me that the food is “yummy”!

Addis is a pretty cool restaurant but be sure to make a reservation if you want to dine here. They have normal tables and chairs, but when they are busy, they also have a more casual seating area with straw like tables and little drum like seats. These straw tables reminded me of upturned sombrero hats!

When we arrived at Addis a little earlier than the time booked and told the waiter that we had a reservation, he kind of looked a bit puzzled and seated us in the straw area! But we did not have to wait too long before we were given a table!

Onto the food now! The way that it works is that you order an injera. The injera is made from the tiny Teff cereal and this is part of the staple Ethiopian diet. An injera is like a huge spongy pancake which has a sour taste. It is quite an acquired taste.  Then, you order what fillings you would like. I say fillings, but these dishes are put in the middle of the injera and you just tear off parts of the injera and scoop the saucy food up with it. It’s a bit like when you have Indian food and you eat with your fingers instead of having any cutlery.

As we weren’t sure what  to order, the waitress suggested the Addis special mixed platter. This was a range of dishes that had chicken, lamb, vegetables and salad. This platter could easily have served three people! The other recommendation was the vegetarian Yetesom Beyaynetu. This was made of six different types of dishes! These were cabbage, green beans, spinach, mashed chickpeas and two different types of lentils.

All of the food was made with a unique blend of spices. One of the main spices was berbere. Here’s a little bit of info about this spice!

Berbere is a spice mixture whose ingredients usually include chile peppers, ginger, cloves, coriander, allspice, rue berries, and ajwain. Berbere sometimes includes herbs and spices that are less well known internationally, including both cultivated plants and those that grow wild in Ethiopia.rn

wikipedia.org

 

I would describe the food as not being spicy in the green chilli sort of sense, but it had more of a peppery heat to it. All the food was definitely “yummy” just as my friend had said!

To finish the meal, we had coffee and got to experience the Ethiopian coffee ceremony! Here the coffee beans are roasted in a little pot and then the pot is brought out to the table. So you get to smell the aroma of the freshly roasted coffee beans. The beans are then taken back to the kitchen to be ground and then you are served with fresh coffee from the clay pot! I was expecting the coffee to taste really bitter but it wasn’t. It was very pleasant and very drinkable. The coffee was served to us in little cups and we also given a bowl of popcorn to accompany our hot drink!

Addis is great restaurant and it really makes you feel that having a meal and drink is a ceremony in itself. The staff were all so friendly and helpful. The service was quite slow but we were fine with that as we were not in any sort of a hurry!

Addis, 40-42 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9DT

Our Rating:

The bright orange decor and the big wall sized pictures are striking when you go to Giraffe! The atmosphere was very warm and welcoming. It was great that the staff took the time to recommend dishes.

We ordered the nachos and asked for them to be made with less cheese and no jalapenos. They could have done with more refried beans. The guacamole was great and it was nice that it had sweetcorn in it. The red onion salsa also went well with the nachos. Seen as we were having finger food, it was nice that the staff gave us little wet wipes without us having to ask them for it.

Another item that we chose to snack on was the skin on fries. We were expecting a small bowl and were pleasantly surprised when we were presented with quite a large bowl of fries. The choices of dips that we decided to have were smokey barbecue and bloody mary ketchup. Both went well with the fries!

Giraffe have nice high window seats and they also have seating outdoors. The plastic seats can get a bit uncomfortable after a while. It would be nice if they had some cosy seats!

Giraffe, 19-21 Brunswick Centre, Russell Square, London, WC1N 1AF

Our Rating:

Deep reds and brown colours, sofas with lots of cushions, bowls of rose petals and a formal dining area sets the atmosphere for this Lebanese restaurant. The seating by the windows has a great view over Green Park.

It’s a shame that Fakhreldine seems to have put in a lot more effort into its decor than into its food. We were impressed with the menu but were greatly disappointed with the taste of the food.

We ordered a selection of mezze dishes and these were served with round pitta breads. The dishes of  okra with garlic, tomatoes and onions and the aubergine with chickpeas and tomatoes were the ones that we were looking forward to having the most. It took us by surprise when these were served cold. When we asked the waiter if we could have them hot, he took them back and warmed them up. But these dishes were served lukewarm not hot like we had requested.

In the aubergine dish, the tomatoes tasted better than anything else in it. The okra was average but not very flavoursome. Our favourite was the diced potatoes that had been fried in garlic and chillies. The five thin slices of grilled halloumi cheese were also really good.

The staff were friendly, the restaurant dining area was nice and we enjoyed the views over Piccadilly and Green Park. The only thing that was missing from this picture was the flavours of the food, which is what we had actually come to Fakhreldine for.

Fakhreldine, 85 Piccadilly, London, W1J 7NB

Our Rating:

An amazing Thai restaurant located just by Fulham Broadway tube. As we entered, we were welcomed by the friendly staff. They showed us to the really nice Blue Bar area where we could wait for the rest of our friends to arrive. What is striking straightaway is the oasis that surrounded us. A little river flowing through the restaurant, wooden bridges, lots of greenery, makes you forget that you are in a restaurant in London.

The food was authentic and every dish was delicious. All the dishes were beautifully presented. There were little wooden baskets filled with spicy prawn crackers for us to munch on while we decided on what to order. I liked that they had a separate extensive vegetarian menu as well as their classic menu.

We were given little cups of sweetcorn soup, complimentary from the chef. This soup was very creamy with the flavours of the sweetcorn coming through. The crispy jasmine rice crackers with peanut sauce was okay and it was quite a big portion. I preferred the Muak Lek corn cakes with its sweet sauce with carrots.

Now onto the main dishes! The Massmam curry was creamy with a bit of heat. It had potatoes, cashew nuts and Yod Phaeng. When we asked the waitress what Yod Phaeng was (as it was in most of the vegetarian dishes), she told us that it was like little rice balls. If you like Pad Thai, then Blue Elephant do these noodles justice with the right amount of sweet and sourness! It’s a shame that it is only served as a side dish and not as a main one.

The Emerald chicken was served in a basket. These were pieces of marinated chicken that had to be unwrapped from the Toey leaves. The chicken was very tender and tasty. The only issue was that this dish was quite greasy and messy and there was no where to put the leaves. This problem was overcome as the waiter came and cleared the leaves up while we were having the meal!

The service was fantastic, very efficient and really friendly. A good place to come for a romantic date or with a group of friends. Blue Elephant caters for both in its own unique way. There were tables by the carp filled ponds which makes a great romantic setting! 

Blue Elephant Royal Thai, 4-6 Fulham Broadway, London, SW6 1AA

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:

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:

Caffe Uno is one of those reliable restaurants that we used to visit quite often. But it now seems that they don’t have as many branches as they used to. We decided just to go for a range of starters and so then we also got the additional variety!

The light dough ball fritters were diamond shaped pieces of fried bread with Grana Padano cheese. There was way too much for one person but good to share. The soup of the day was minestrone and it was served with a few slices of ciabatta bread. The soup was tasty and light and we were pleased that it had lots of chunky vegetables.

The Funghi al Forno was really good. Big slices of ciabatta bread topped with mushrooms in a Gorgonzola cream based sauce. They had served the perfect amount of sauce so it didn’t make the bread soggy.

Caffe Uno had a nice cafe like feel to it. It was quite relaxing sitting and eating, while watching the world go by! The staff were friendly and quite efficient. It seemed that we were waiting a little while longer for the food than first expected but that was ok as we were not in any rush on this particular Sunday!

Caffe Uno, 28 Binney Street, London, W1K 5BN

Our Rating:

Sway is quite a trendy looking place from the outside and we were welcomed by the friendly smiling staff as soon as we entered. The restaurant area is on the same floor as the bar but is separated by a small divide. Take a look at the fresh fish fridge as you walk to your table!

The deep red tones and wooden tables sets the atmosphere. The open kitchen area is situated at the back of the restaurant. As for the music, it was fairly up to date with current chart songs playing. It was a little loud for a restaurant but I guess that is what you get for having the restaurant and bar sharing the same place!

The fish and chips was a good portion served with tartare sauce and mushy peas. It would have been nice for more mushy peas! The chips were not greasy and there were a lot of them! It was quirky that the fish and chips were served wrapped in paper with a slice of lemon on top!

The char-grilled chicken breast was tender and the dish was nicely presented. It went well with the additional sauteed potatoes, wild mushrooms and rocket leaves.

For dessert, we had the chocolate and hazelnut roulade. This was overly sweet. It was an amalgamation of ice cream with a biscuit layer. It was served with some chocolate sauce but it really didn’t need any more sweetness. Sway would have been better to replace the sauce with some plain vanilla ice cream!

The service was ok but not fantastic. The staff could have been more attentive. We had told them at the start of the meal that we needed to leave the restaurant by a certain time. Even though this had been mentioned, we were waiting a long time for our dessert. It got to the point where I had to go and approach one of the staff to ask if the dessert could be served soon.

Sway is a nice enough place to go for dinner, drinks or some snacks but I think that there are other eateries in the vicinity that could be a better option!

Sway, 61-65 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BZ

Our Rating:

Quite a small intimate Thai restaurant which can get busy at lunchtimes! As the seating area is small, the wooden tables are close together. They do have additional seating upstairs.

I was really happy with the friendliness of the staff at this restaurant. They did not rush us to take our orders and even when we had finished the meal, they did not make us feel that we needed to leave. All the staff were really attentive but not overpowering.

The taste of the food at Thai Square lived up to the aromas coming from the kitchen! We shared the Tod Mun Kow Pod corn cakes. These deep fried corn cakes were of a good size and were perfectly cooked. The sweet chilli sauce that they were served with was a tasty dipping sauce.

Thai Square does tempting set lunches. It was hard to decide whether to go for the set lunch, the Pad Thai or the green curry! We finally decided to have the Gang Kiew Wan Jay green curry.

This vegetarian green curry had lots of baby corn, mange tout, carrots and Thai baby aubergines. Even though this dish was stated as being spicy on the menu, when we asked for it to be made really mild, that’s exactly what was served. The coconut curry sauce had a lovely creaminess to it and it was really delicious. The portions of freshly cooked steamed rice and egg fried rice made the green curry a very hearty meal! All the dishes were nicely presented.

Dining at Thai Square was a very enjoyable experience and one that is highly recommended for the food and the service!

Thai Square, 19 Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, SW7 2HE

Our Rating:

One of the things that caught my eye as I looked at the entrance of this branch of Pizza Express was that it had been given an impressive five stars from Scores on the Doors. Scores on the Doors is the official local authority hygiene ratings for food establishments.

The Bruschetta con Funghi was not made with the usual ciabatta bread slices that you get in many Italian restaurants. The topping on this starter was mushrooms baked with cream and bechamel sauce. It seemed that the bread was swimming in the creamy sauce but apart from that, it was nice enough.

The Baked Dough Balls were just the right size to snack on and they were made even tastier with the garlic butter. They were actually quite nice dipped in the mushroom sauce of the bruschetta.

We had the Giardiniera vegetarian pizza on the thinner crispier Romana base. The pizza was generously topped with asparagus, artichokes, mushrooms, red peppers, olives and tomatoes. It had a rich tomato and pesto sauce and it was good that it had no cheese.

The banoffee pie was an ideal dessert with a thick topping of whipped cream. The combination of banana, cream and crunchy biscuit is always a firm favourite. We were pleasantly surprised that it was served with a scoop of ice cream even though this was not stated on the menu!

The hot chocolate was rich and a nice way to end the meal. They do not do soy milk. The tomato juice is from Britvic. One thing that I learnt about Britvic tomato juice is that it has added salt to the juice. I had always thought that this tomato juice would not have anything added to it!

The staff and service were great at this Pizza Express. They were really accommodating when I asked if the starter could be kept warm until my friend got there. They didn’t rush us in any way and were also helpful when asked about details of the dishes.

Pizza Express, Southampton Row, London, WC1B 5AA

Our Rating: