Rate My Bistro

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:

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:

This is an average Italian restaurant conveniently located in the centre of Oxford. We really liked the map of Italy that was painted on the ceiling!

The food was ok and I wouldn’t call it outstanding. It was nice that the mushroom soup was more broth based than a creamy one. It had a good amount of sliced mushrooms in it.

When we asked the waiter if the soup came with bread, he said that it didn’t and that the only bread that they did was the garlic pizza one. So we had that to go along with the meal. There was plenty of it to share but it was a little overloaded with the butter/oil. We were disappointed though as we saw later on that they did have normal house bread on the specials menu.

The pasta dishes were tasty and they were of a good portion size. The apple pie served with cream was a real let down. It was more like a slice of apple strudel. The pastry was very soft and soggy and it had a gooey consistency as if it had been undercooked.

I was impressed with the range of Movenpick ice-creams that Gino’s had on the menu. I would recommend going for this Swiss ice cream if you were to visit this restaurant.

Gino’s Spaghetti House, 94 Gloucester Green, Oxford, OX1 2BU

Our Rating:

This Neapolitan restaurant is situated on the premises where the former sushi eatery Gili Gulu used to be! Rossopomodoro’s  menu is quite extensive ranging from the usual pizzas, pastas, salads to fried pizzas, grills and a selection of starters.

We were quite impressed with the quality of the food the first time we ate at Rossopomodoro. We had the A Tiella to start with. These are mixed fritters of fried breaded mozzarella, rice balls, potato dumplings and fried dough balls with tomato and cheese. It was a very filling starter even though we shared it between the two of us! 

The Padulese pizza was good with the fresh cherry tomatoes and two cheeses: Provola and ricotta. Although this pizza had no tomato sauce, it did not lack in flavour.

As for hot drinks, they only do coffees and no hot chocolate. The service was good and friendly. There is a very warm feeling to this restaurant, which is helped with the earthy tones of the decor and all the wooden furniture. Nice touches are the fairy lights and the hamper wrapped baskets dotted around the dining area.

Now onto the second time we came to Rossopomodoro. There was a larger number of us in our party so we had a two course set menu to choose from. The A Tiella starter was very greasy and not as satisfying as the first time that we had eaten it. The A Partenopea bruschetta was a better fresher choice with the tasty tomatoes.

The Cafuncella pizzas were a huge disappointment with many of the guests unable to finish them due to the saltiness of the cheese. We thought that this would have been a good pizza with its toppings of potato wedges and pancetta.

The Fru Fru, the three seasons oval pizza, was a lot better with its ricotta and salami, mozzarella and mushrooms, tomato sauce and mozzarella. The pizza base was also really tasty.

The best dishes that were had were the pasta ones. The quality of the pasta and the fresh vegetables and cheese worked really well together.

No complaints on the dessert front! The Nero Magna, hot chocolate souffle, was a great chocolate treat with its creamy chocolate centre and buffalo ice cream. A nice alternative and very moreish choice was the Calde Calde warm doughnuts with Nutella.

There was a bit of a language barrier that we came across with a couple of the staff.  A few times they really did not understand what we were asking for. As this party was a planned one, we would have expected one of the managers to be on the upper level overseeing the whole occasion and to have made sure that all was going to plan. Although saying that, most of the food was brought out together and only a couple of the guests were waiting slightly longer for their food.

We would return to this Rossopomodoro as we had no complaints when there was just a small number of us dining here. Some of the above points were taken up with the manager of the branch and hopefully they will have implemented some improvements.

Rossopomodoro, 50-52 Monmouth St, London, WC2H 9EP

Our Rating:

Walk straight past the crowded open area of Starbucks in Whiteleys and head to the calmer Bella Italia for your coffee break! There is plenty of seating inside or out on the terrace. The decor had that warming rustic feel to it!

The tea was served by the pot and there was definitely enough for two cups. Service was good and once we had ordered, we were left to our own accord. It wasn’t hard to get the attention of the staff when we wanted the bill though.

On a final note, there was a shady character who kept walking in and out of the restaurant, lingering for moments on end. It looked like he was scouting the area for unattended bags or valuables. So just keep your valuables close to you. It is a shame that not more places have the security hooks under the tables for bags.

Bella Italia, 2nd Floor, Whiteleys Centre, Queensway, London, W2 4YJ

Our Rating:

If you want to have good pizza while enjoying the views of the Seine and Notre Dame, then Pizza Marzano is the place to go. The waitress was really friendly and the service was great.

We had the Le Rosse Caprina pizza (pizza with a tomato sauce). It was a vegetarian pizza and was delicious. They also do Le Bianche pizzas which are pizzas with a white cream sauce base.

Even though we were sharing a pizza, the waitress brought it out already cut in half and on two plates. That was a nice touch! The baked mushrooms with mini dough balls were a good starter.

I would return to this restaurant because of its location, scenic views, the tasty pizzas and the great service.

Pizza Marzano, 2 place St Michel, 75006, Paris

Our Rating:

A great pizzeria tucked away from the busy streets of Covent Garden. This restaurant is quite small although it does have some tables downstairs. We were lucky to be seated upstairs!

The decor is pretty cool; nice artwork on the wall and strings of lights near the back of the restaurant. The staff were really friendly and the service was good.

Freshly baked pizzas with generous toppings is what we experienced. The food was tasty and it was nice that the atmosphere was fairly relaxed.

Sapori, 43 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5RT

Our Rating:

This has to be one of my favourite pizza restaurants. The pizzas are out of this world, freshly cooked in the brick ovens. I think it is the tomato sauce that is one of the things that makes this pizza so delicious and moreish!

The pizzas are huge and brought out on a metal tray and stand. The pizza stand is placed at the end of the table. These pizzas are definitely for sharing!

I’ve had various toppings on the pizzas including mashed potato, aubergine and mushrooms. These have been the red pie pizzas-ones with a tomato base but they also do white pie pizzas which have a Parmesan and garlic base.

This is a great restaurant with a fantastic atmosphere and a great vibe. There are a few sections to this restaurant and you are able to sit in the bar area and have your meal.

This restaurant is very popular and busy so I would definitely recommend making a reservation. The decor is really cool and as soon as you enter BAR, you know you have stumbled into a trendy place in New Haven! BAR is open 365 nights a year!

BAR, 254 Crown Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511

Our Rating:

A busy pizza restaurant which uses good quality ingredients for their pizzas. We were seated for quite a while before the waiter came over to take our order. Saying that, the service was good after the order was taken.

The waiter didn’t seem too impressed when we said that we just wanted to share one pizza. He perked up a little though after we said that we would have some garlic bread too!

The vegetarian pizza with its toppings of artichoke, aubergine broccoli and peppers was great and the tomato base was tasty. The cafe creme (latte) at the end of the meal was good too.

A word of warning though, don’t have the bread that they bring out in the bread basket. We saw that they took the leftover bread after the customers had left and emptied it into a bigger basket near the till. Then that same bread was dished out to other customers.

If you don’t fancy eating in the restaurant, they do a takeaway service as well.

Pizza Pino, 4 place de la Republique, 75011, Paris

Our Rating:

This is a pizza restaurant with a difference; it has the biggest range of pizzas that I have seen on a menu. They have pizzas named after places around the world and the names reflect the ingredients used on the pizza!

The Byron Bay pizza had great flavours with its toppings of mixed mushrooms, garlic and rosemary roasted potatoes, basil pesto, mozzarella, caramelized onion jam and smoked paprika.

Other pizzas that have been sampled were of equal tastiness! Imagine having a Thai green curry influenced pizza (Koi Samui) or a tandoori chicken one (Bombay). May sound a bit extreme but trust me, it works!  

The smoothies were quite good. If you like something a little sharp, then go for the Tutti Frutti Smoothie (melon, kiwi, raspberry, peach and apple juices). For something sweet, then there’s the Chocolate Brownie shake (chocolate brownie, chocolate ice cream and milk).

To top off the meal, the chocolate brownie with Madagascan ice cream was yummy! If you still feel like more pizza, then there is a dessert pizza on the menu!

Fire and Stone have good meal offers if you book online. The flaw with that is that you only have 2 hours at the table.  

Here is a great modern pizza restaurant in the heart of London which has the largest wood-fired oven in the Northern hemisphere! 

Fire and Stone, 31/32 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 7JS

Our Rating: