Rate My Bistro

Great quality pizza and a lovely atmosphere is what you get at Portobello Ristorante Pizzeria! The restaurant is fairly small and you can see the big dome wood burning oven situated at the back of the dining area. There is also an outdoor seating area, which looked like it would accommodate the same amount of diners as the inside of the restaurant.

The interior of Portobello Ristorante is quite rustic! It has big wooden beams along the ceiling and bare stone brick walls. It is good that the windows can be fully opened as well, so on a warm summer’s night, it is ok to sit indoors.

We were given some good thick slices of crusty bread to start with! The pizza here is served by the half metre which means that you can order and sample different types of pizzas!

The pizza is impressively served on huge wooden boards that take up most of the table! We had the Ortolana pizza and it did not disappoint. It was topped with grilled aubergines, peppers, cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, capers, olives and mozzarella. The base of the pizza was perfectly cooked: thin and crisp!

We were so full by the pizza that we did not have room for dessert. So, to end the meal, we had some fresh mint tea! This was served by the cup not by the pot.

The staff gave service with a smile and they all seemed like they enjoyed working together. Portobello Ristorante felt like it had a happy family sort of atmosphere!

Portobello Ristorante Pizzeria, 7 Ladbroke Road, London, W11 3PA

Our Rating:

The Mauve Lounge is so spacious and has luxurious purple seating! There are huge wall sized windows which contributes to the light and airy atmosphere. It’s nice that the “Mauve” theme is displayed through all the décor.

The afternoon tea at the Mauve Lounge is called TLSee! The TLSee is different to other afternoon teas at other venues. This is due to its plate of impressive novelty cakes and biscuits in the shape of London landmarks!

So, to set the scene, there are comfy seats that you can lounge and relax on, lots of light, stylish décor  and bright fresh flower displays! To start with, we were brought out tall shots of fresh strawberry smoothie. A great refreshing way to start off the afternoon tea.

There are a range of Twinings teas to choose from and also lots of different herbal blends. If you want something a little different, then there are also the pretty blossoming teas! I chose the classic Earl Grey tea.

Now, onto the food for the TLSee afternoon tea. The range of sandwiches that we were served with were Mediterranean vegetables, smoked salmon and cream cheese, egg mayonnaise, coronation chicken, cheese and pickle, cheese and tomato and ham. It was good as the sandwiches could all be vegetarian on request. All the sandwiches were fresh and tasty. My favourite had to be the Mediterranean vegetable ones!

The scones were of a hearty size; they were plain and fruity ones. Just one scone with the traditional clotted cream and strawberry preserve was quite filling.

The next stage on the tasty adventure was the delectable cakes! These ranged from mini macaroons, fruit tarts, bakewell tarts to chocolate mousse. The chocolate mousse square was heavenly; a combination of rich chocolate, orange fruit jelly and a thin layer of sponge. The bakewell tart had a lovely dense almondy filling with a thin layer of jam. The pastry was good too. The fruit tart was pleasantly surprising as it wasn’t overly sweet. The combination of the different fruit slices went well with the creamy filling.

The plate of the London landmark cakes was very pleasing to the eye and even more to the palate! There were different shortbread biscuits in the shapes of Tower Bridge, the London Eye, Temple underground sign, the Crown jewels, black cabs and ER postbox. The 3D cakes of Big Ben and St Paul’s Cathedral were very impressive! These cakes were based on white and dark chocolate and had fillings of marzipan and raspberry ganache. The Routemaster bus cakes were also very rich as they were white chocolate filled with hazelnut praline! All very yummy and indulgent!

The staff at the Mauve Lounge were really friendly and attentive, but not at all overpowering. They were helpful with all of our questions and various dietary requests. They kept clearing up the table once we’d finished with certain items, in order to keep the tables uncluttered and tidy! It’s great that the Mauve Lounge is prepared to pack the leftover cakes to take home. They have special little TLSee boxes to pack  the cakes in!

I would highly recommend the TLSee afternoon tea at the Mauve Lounge. The setting is not at all stuffy or pretentious and makes for a wonderful treat for a special occasion or just for a treat!

Mauve Lounge, Swissotel The Howard, Temple Place, London, WC2R 2PR

Our Rating:

As you enter Nem Nem Quan, some of the seating area is divided by lush green bamboo plants! This Vietnamese restaurant is a busy one! The first time we went there, it was full and the staff weren’t sure how long we would have to wait for a table.

So, we tried again a couple of days later and our luck was in. It was only a short wait till we were given a table!

The menu was in Swedish and they did not have one in English. Again, we were lucky as my friend was on hand to translate! It seemed that some of the waitresses could speak English, so they would have been able to help us too!

This particular evening, I was in an indecisive mood. I really couldn’t decide whether I wanted a rice dish or a noodle one. I was also considering a Pho dish (noodles in soup), that a couple of my friends were having. But there was no vegetarian Pho option. So that quickly ruled that idea out!

Finally, I decided to have the dish of tofu with stewed tomatoes and vegetables with rice. This was the first time that I was having Vietnamese food, so I wasn’t sure what sort of flavours to expect.

The tofu dish was such a good choice! It had big pieces of fried tofu, good sized chunks of tomatoes, onions, spring onions and coriander. All of this was in a rich tomato sauce. Even though I thought that there would be additional different vegetables, the dish worked well as it was.

There was a slight spicy heat to the dish but then this was balanced by some sweetness coming through in the sauce. The fried tofu was not rubbery; it was just right.

Nem Nem Quan had a decor of dark wooden furniture, bamboo placements, beige walls with nice artwork and lots of plants! The staff were friendly and the service was good!

Dining at Nem Nem Quan has made me want to try other Vietnamese restaurants!

Nem Nem Quan, Asogatan 90, Sodermalm, Stockholm

Our Rating:

Boston Pizza is a fairly big restaurant with the definite feel of a sports bar! As we were a big group, we were given a long table in the centre of the restaurant.

The chairs were dark heavy metal ones and they had matching tables. There were tv screens around showing various sports, such as golf, baseball and racing!

Boston Pizza had a big menu but we decided to skip the starters and go straight for the pizza. What I liked about Boston Pizza is that you could choose a multigrain base for the pizza or you could just opt for the normal one. Maybe some pizza places in the UK should look into offering such an option!

We had a selection of pizzas so got to sample quite a few flavours! By far the favourite was the Spicy Perogy! This pizza had a combination of sour cream, smoky bacon, potatoes, green onion, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. It seemed like a bit of a strange combination but it definitely worked!

The Vegetarian pizza was ok. This pizza had the multigrain base which was great. The toppings were onions, green peppers, mushrooms, tomato and mozzarella. The vegetables seemed raw, like they had not been cooked enough in the oven. This pizza could also have done with more tomato sauce as the taste of it did not come through.

The classic Pepperoni pizza was also a hit! It was generously topped with pepperoni and mozzarella.

The only pizza that was slightly disappointing was the BBQ Chicken. It was supposed to be chicken in smoky BBQ sauce with additional toppings of mushrooms, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. This pizza was that little bit too greasy and the taste of the BBQ chicken was not that great.

The staff were really friendly and helpful. They were efficient and gave service with a smile. They also didn’t mind turning off the ceiling fans when we said that we were feeling slightly chilly.

Boston Pizza had a relaxed atmosphere and it was a good place for a pizza gathering!

Boston Pizza, 2915 Eglington Avenue West, Mississauga, Ontario, L5M 6J3

Our Rating:

Belgo has a really lively and sociable atmosphere! There is the comfy seating at the front of the restaurant and then this extends to the dining area.

Although Belgo’s speciality is mussels, we didn’t fancy these for this evening meal! Instead, we had chicken and burgers and frites!

The half chicken was spit roasted and basted with Belgian blonde beer and apple juice. The chicken was really tender and the meat come off the bone so easily. It was served with a mushroom and cream sauce and a big bowl of frites.

The sauce was creamy, as expected and also had a good amount of mushrooms in it. The frites were thick and perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

My friend was impressed with her burger and frites. She asked for the burger to be cooked medium/rare and was pleasantly surprised when it was more rare than medium, just the way she likes it! Other restaurants seem to go the other way and overcook the burger so it is entirely medium cooked!

The waiter was great! He was really friendly and gave service with a smile. I asked for the sauce for the chicken to be served on the side. When the waiter brought out our meal, he told me that if I needed any more of the sauce, then just to let him know. It was a big portion of sauce but it was nice to know that Belgo didn’t skimp on these extras!

Belgo do a great Beat the Clock menu, usually between 5-7pm on the weekdays. This means that if you order any items on that particular menu then you pay the price that you placed your food order!

Belgo, 67 Kingsway, Holborn, London, WC2B 6TD

Our Rating:

There is no major sign indicating the property of Circus. All we saw were some black doors that were open and then looking inside, we could see that there was some sort of dining area. It’s only when we went inside the building, that there was the Circus sign in lights on one of the entrance walls.

The decor is quite cool and quirky. There was a main long dining table with a few hoops above it, which we were told was for the circus entertainment in the evening. The other tables were to one side of the main dining table. The chairs were a mish mash of plastic and material chairs, all in black, white or translucent. On the other side of the main table, you could see the kitchen area.

Circus reminded us quite a lot of the Sway Bar and Kitchen in Holborn:

http://ratemybistro.co.uk/sway-bar-and-kitchen-holborn/

There was also an additional area filled with comfy seats and seemed like a good place to be able to lounge! The walls and lights were glittery and shiny!

The menu had some variety but it only had one main vegetarian item. To start off the meal, we had the baby squid and the chicken wings. The crispy fried baby squid was ok; it wasn’t greasy. It was supposed to have a sticky coconut glaze but I couldn’t taste it.

The tamarind and chipotle chicken wings was a good portion. I was glad that it came with a hot sauce and a blue cheese dip, as the chicken wings on their own seemed to lack flavour. The chicken wings were tender.

I was hoping that the main dishes and the side orders were going to be tasty. The vegetarian parcels was like a big round puff pastry pasty! It was filled with cheese, sweetcorn, black beans and other vegetables. It was very filling and it also came with a pomegranate and pecan salad. Again, it needed the coconut dip to give it that extra flavour. It was nice that it was a baked dish.

The chorizo and king prawn pizette was average. It was quite dense with the toppings and also with the cheese. The pizette was enough for one person.

To go with the meal, we had cornbread and portobello mushrooms. The cornbread came with Cajun honey butter and it was four thick triangle slices. Unfortunately the cornbread was really very bland and only tasted  better when we dipped it into the coconut dip.

The portobello mushrooms were a better choice. They were presented in a little clay pot and were quite juicy. They had been flavoured with garlic butter.

For drinks, there was a good range of hot and cold drinks. I had the fresh mint tea which was served by the pot. The little teacup that came with it had some quirky circus related image!

The staff was friendly and gave service with a smile. We were served quite efficiently and it was good to see that the staff were knowledgeable about the items on the menu.

Circus had made the effort on the presentation of all their dishes. It is a shame that most of the food was bland and it just lacked that little something. It had seemed to have got everything else right, such as the decor, the service and the ambiance!

Circus, 27-29 Endell Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9BA

Our Rating:

This Chiquto was quite a big Mexican restaurant and it sure did not feel like it lacked on space. It felt a little dark though as it was quite dimly lit even though it was the daytime.

While we were deciding on what to order, we were served with some tortilla chips and a salsa type dip! It was nice to munch on these as we went through the many items on the menu!

We started off with a few starters as we were fairly hungry! The garlic flatbread tostades were a lot like quesadillas. They were filled with spicy chicken and topped with some cheese. The flatbread tostades were a little greasy but that may have been due to the cheese and the garlic base.

The calamari was a fairly small portion. They were cooked well and we enjoyed them with the chipotle mayonnaise. The last of our starters were the classic sticky barbeque chicken wings! These did not disappoint and were thoroughly enjoyed by all!

Surprisingly, after the starters, we did have some room for the main dishes! The spicy chicken burrito was a really big and filling dish. It was generously filled with the chicken, spiced rice, refried beans, chilli con queso and cheese. All the flavours went well together and it was good that it had additional toppings of guacamole, salsa, sour cream and tomato sauce.

If you’re wanting something quite meaty, then the chicken and ribs is a good option. The chicken was grilled and tender and the ribs were glazed with a smokey barbeque sauce. It was a complete meal as it came with chunky fries, coleslaw and corn on the cob.

I decided to have a couple of side dishes. The Mexican spiced rice was a big portion and to accompany it, I had the refried beans. I was expecting the refried beans to be fairly mushy but it was nice that they were a mixture of mushed up beans and whole ones!

Chiquito has quite a lot of non alcoholic cocktails and other drinks too. The virgin pina colada was perfect with its rich coconut milk combined with the pineapple juice.

The staff were fairly helpful and efficient. They did not rush us but asked us throughout the meal if everything was ok. We got service with a smile!

A cute thing to note is the gecko just inside the entrance of Chiquito! It has a little sign by it to say to rub its head for good luck! So, if you feel the need for some good luck, don’t forget to pay the gecko a bit of attention!

Chiquito, Hagley Road West, Warley, Birmingham, B68 0LH

Our Rating:

Pars is very deceiving when you see it from the outside as it looks just like a takeaway shop. Step inside though and you are transformed into a colourful Persian restaurant! The quirky environment sets the scene for sampling lots of Persian food delights!

The ceiling is draped with colourful fabrics, the tiled walls are decorated with artifacts and the cushioned seats are covered with patterned cloth.

The mint tea was served by the pot and served in cute little red glasses. Tea is always a good way to start and end a meal! There was so much choice on the menu and it was difficult to pick which items we should sample.

On this occasion, we started off with some classic houmous and fresh warm Persian bread. I was very impressed with the seeded thin Persian bread; it was very moreish! The bread was cooked in the clay oven near the entrance of the restaurant!

The cold dishes that we had were the Panir-O-Sabzi, Tabbouleh and Dolme Barge-e Mo. The Panir-O-Sabzi was a salad made of whole mint leaves, spring onions, radish, tarragon and Persian cheese. It looked like a whole bunch of vegetables were just presented on a plate, as none of them were chopped up! The Tabbouleh, made from chopped parsley, tomatoes and crushed wheat, was quite sour due to the lemon juice. I also found that the Dolme Barge-e Mo, the steamed stuffed vine leaves were quite tangy. They were stuffed with rice and herbs.

I preferred the hot dishes that we had! The Adas was a great bowl of well cooked lentils. They were really tasty and there was plenty in one bowl to share. Another dish that won me over was the Kashk-e-Bademjan. This was aubergines which were stewed with onion, garlic and spices. All of these dishes went well with the Persian bread!

Pars is a surprising restaurant with friendly staff. It has a really nice relaxed atmosphere and the decor of the place contributes to its authenticity! A great Persian restaurant that must be a hit with the locals but also with anyone else who has stumbled across it!

Pars, 370 Harrow Road, Maida Vale, London, W9 2HU

Our Rating:

Last weekend, I had the privilege of going out for dinner with my brother and spending some quality time with him! He chose the restaurant and I was not at all disappointed. I was introduced to Sen Nin: a Japanese tepannyaki and sushi restaurant in Angel!

Even though this was my first visit to Sen Nin, it definitely won me over! This was an evening of whole entertainment! We were lucky to be seated around one of the areas where the chef and the hot plate were. The food was fresh and cooked right in front of us.

Full marks goes to the chef who made the dining experience very unique. He was so talented in his cooking skills and also in entertaining us! The chef, apart from cooking the food on the hot plate next to the table, was able to accurately throw pieces of omelette into the diner’s mouths and also throw eggs up into the air and catch them in the top of his hat!

The chef at the start of cooking, dimmed the lights down, as he started off the hot plate with a huge flame! All very impressive! The chef was a jolly chap who made conversation with us while we were having our meal, but we also had time to talk amongst ourselves!

The food was delicious, filling and very moreish! I went for the Teppanyaki vegetarian set meal. This was a great combination of Japanese miso soup, vegetarian sushi, grilled vegetables and Sen Nin grilled rice. I chose the inoki mushroom dish as my main for the set meal.

The miso soup had good amounts of tofu in it and it was a good start to the meal. The mushroom dish looked like a plate of thin noodles! The sauce that the mushrooms had been cooked in gave the dish a lovely sweet taste. A perfect combination to go with the grilled rice and vegetables. I didn’t want to have the sushi, so asked the waiter if I could have edamame beans instead. He was fine with this suggestion!

Sen Nin have a range of drinks, from teas, cocktails and wines. The non alcoholic cocktail, Sen Nin cooler, was a good choice. I also had to have some tea and went for the classic Jasmine tea! This was served in a heavy metal teapot!

To go with the drinks, we had a couple of starters! I am a big fan of dumplings, so we had the Tori Gyoza chicken dumplings. These had a great flavour; the only thing was that they were a little spicy as they had some spice sprinkled on them. My brother loves his calamari, so his starter had to be the Calamari Tempura. The tempura batter was crispy and the calamari had been cooked to perfection!

The staff at Sen Nin were very friendly and the service was great! There was nothing to fault with this Japanese restaurant. Everything at Sen Nin was perfect: a clean, sophisticated restaurant, fantastic food, great chef and wonderful staff! All in all, a very unique dining experience and a place that I would highly recommend! On a practical note, it is always worthwhile to make a reservation if you want to be seated by the cooking area!

Sen Nin, 206 Upper Street, London, N1 1RQ

Our Rating:

Prezzo initially pleased us both with its food and service. It was towards the end of the meal that this restaurant failed us. On arriving at Prezzo, there seemed to be a nice atmosphere helped by the friendly staff. Wood panelling, nice decor and comfortable chairs made up the dining area.

The bruschetta was a good portion for a starter. Two triangle toasted pieces of bread topped with ripe cherry tomato halves, pesto and served with a bit of salad.

The bianca pizza had a nice crispy thin base and was topped with asparagus, semi dried tomatoes, mozzerella and tomatoes. It was supposed to have goat’s cheese as a topping as well but I asked for it to be left off. The only thing that I would say is that it would have been better if the knives had been sharper. Halfway through eating the pizza, it felt like a bit of a mission to have to keep putting in a lot of strength to cut through the pizza base.

The apple juice was fresh and you could tell that it was not from a concentrate.

Now onto the situation that we had after we had finished eating the main meal. We were given the dessert menu and only after about a minute, one of the staff came and asked if we were ready to order. After saying that we needed a bit more time, the waiter (or it could have been one of the managers) told us that seen as we had the menus closed, it meant that we were ready to order. We did try to explain to him that we had only just been given the dessert menu.

So, we now had the menus open and a minute later, another member of staff came and asked for our order. It looked like we just didn’t get the menu etiquette right: open menu means ready to order, closed menu means ready to order!

We decided to skip dessert as the staff had begun to irritate us. Shortly after, we were told by one of the staff, that as seen as we were not going to be ordering dessert, then we should leave. At this point, we had already got the bill, paid and were sorting out a tip. But after all the hassle and the pushiness of the staff, we decided that they did not deserve the tip.

What happened to the days where you could go and relax and take your time over a meal out?! It seems like more restaurants are like fast food places. The concept of order, eat, pay and leave as fast as you can. What we couldn’t understand was that there were free tables in the restaurant for other customers. Even if the restaurant had been full, we still shouldn’t be rushed to leave.

This same Prezzo on a previous occasion surprised us in a bad way. We wanted to go to Prezzo for coffee and dessert. After being seated, we were told that such an order was not an option. The staff said that we would have to order a main meal and not even a starter would do, if we wanted to have dessert.

It is a real shame that Prezzo gave such bad service and had rude staff, as the food was actually of a good quality!

Prezzo, 161 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BD

Our Rating: