When both my friend and I said to other people that we were going for fish and chips in Finchley, all the people independently asked if we were going to the very well known Two Brothers Fish Restaurant. We had not realised until then at how popular this North Finchley establishment was!

There is always something comforting and classic about fish and chips! Two Brothers has a lot on offer including haddock, cod and plaice. They do grilled fish if you are not in the mood for the fried battered variety.

Two Brothers has such a lovely welcoming feel to it and feels quite family orientated. It is a restaurant for everyone: couples, elderly folks, families and friends. The service is personal, friendly, efficient and not at all pretentious.

The fish and chips was a really big portion; a lot bigger than I had expected. The battered plaice fillet made a nice change to the regular cod and haddock. The fish was fresh, tasty and had a light crispy batter. The chips were chunky and just perfect. Fish and chips is not complete without mushy peas. The peas were great too and the whole combination was good with a side of tartare sauce.

Tea was the way to go to end the meal as we were way too full to have dessert. The peppermint tea was great but I really enjoyed the refreshing lemon tea.

Two Brothers is a wonderful fish restaurant which has its fresh fish delivered everyday from Billingsgate Fish Market. This family run restaurant is a place that you should definitely try if you are in North London or even if you are further afield. They also do takeaway if you are in a hurry or just want to enjoy the meal in the comfort of your own home!

Two Brothers Fish Restaurant, 297-303 Finchley Road, Finchley, London, N3 1DP

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As you walk up Chapel Market, Dolcetto is a great unexpected find! The atmosphere is warm and it is one of those places that looks inviting and makes you want to go in.

The restaurant area is made up of beige chairs and wooden tables and has an open kitchen with the pizza oven in full view. The red brick walls give it a rustic feel but it also feels really modern with the funky framed pictures.

The Bruschetta Tradizionale was two thin slices of toasted bread, topped with plenty of plenty of chopped tomatoes. The Calamari Fritti starter was great. You could tell that the calamari was fresh as it was not at all chewy or rubbery. The deep fried calamari was served with some salad and a tangy tartare sauce.

The pizza menu was quite quirky. Some of the pizzas had been named after cars, such as Ferrari F40 and Lamborghini Gallardo. We went for something less adventurous and had the Pizza Vegetariana. We weren’t sure which vegetables to expect as the menu only said seasoned vegetables. This vegetarian pizza had a crisp base and was topped with big slices of courgettes, peppers, olives and mushrooms. It was nice that the pizza came already sliced, which made it a lot easier to eat.

My favourite dish had to be the Risotto ai Porcini. It had a wonderful rich flavour to it. Lots of sliced mushrooms together with the creamy rice made it a hearty dish. A really great side dish was the roast potatoes. These were absolutely perfect: crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. They were definitely very moreish.

The tiramisu was lovely and creamy and just what you’d expect from such a dessert. Layers of cream sandwiched between the sponge layers. The chocolate fudge cake was a big portion and had a dense texture.

Dolcetto, 18 Chapel Market, Islington, London, N1 9EZ

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A nice impromptu weekend treat was going for lunch with my neighbours! It is really great when you get to know your neighbours and they become close friends. It’s nice when you get to spend proper time with them. Staying local is a bonus; it takes no time at all to get to the restaurant and no time to return home after the meal!

Yellow tablecloths covered the dining tables at Nid Ting. This is contrasted by the blue theme going through the restaurant. There is a slightly raised level where there is a decorated bar like area.

A basket of crispy prawn crackers were given while we were deciding on our order. To start with, the Kang Chud Pak clear vegetable soup was chosen. This was a really light but flavoursome soup. The soup had slices of carrots, baby corn and mushroom in it. It was a small portion but that was okay as it meant that we would have room for the main meal.

The Tempura Pak was the other starter dish that we had to share. Broccoli, mushrooms, onions and peppers were deep fried in a light batter. It was nice enough but I always find that there is nothing too exciting about tempura.

After asking the staff which of the curries would be mild, the Green Vegetable Curry was chosen. This was a surprisingly spicy dish and I was disappointed as I had specified for a mild curry. It was hard to distinguish the flavours due to the spiciness of the curry. The vegetables that made up the curry were aubergine, carrots, bamboo shoots, mange tout and baby corn. It was a shame that the curry was too spicy, as it was a meal that I was looking forward to.  Plain steamed rice was had with the curry and this seemed to mellow it out slightly.

The Red Vegetable Curry was identical to the green one, except that it was even spicier. My friends were saying that even though they liked spicy food, this one definitely had some heat to it!

A better choice was the Tao Hu Ob Woon Sen. This dish was served in a clay pot and it was made of thin noodles, beancurd and coriander. It had a great taste to it and it is one dish that I would have again.

The staff were friendly but I wouldn’t say that they were too knowledgeable about the dishes. When we asked about how the soup was made, they said that they did not know. I guess it was better that they were honest rather than tell us something that wasn’t true.

A teapot of boiling water was served to me when I ordered the Jasmine Tea. I had to have a double take as I thought that surely I wouldn’t be just served water. The staff apologised when I told them about the error and they replaced it with the correct tea. All the plates, bowls and tea sets were matching with a blue and white design.

Nid Ting was an average Thai restaurant. Some of the food was enjoyable and maybe if we had tried some other different dishes, then we would have been more impressed. It is nice that at least we tried out a local place but the highlight was more the company than the food.

Nid Ting, 533 Holloway Road, Holloway, London, N19 4BT

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