After making our wishes with our coins at the beautiful Trevi Fountain, it was time for dinner. Not far from this large Baroque fountain was where La Locanda del Tempio was located.

Even though it was the evening time, we were able to sit comfortably outdoors due to the big outdoor heaters. There were a couple of small tables, but as there were a few of us dining, the waiters happily rearranged the tables to make one that accommodated us. We dined by candlelight! The staff at La Locanda del Tempio were jolly and gave us good service.

Toasted slices of bread flavoured with garlic and topped with fresh, juicy chopped tomatoes made up the starter of the Bruschetta. A few main dishes were ordered including pasta, pizza and vegetables.

The Fettucine ai Funghi was pasta with mushrooms. The ribbons of pasta were really fresh and this made for a simple but tasty dish. Cheese and spinach ravioli with fresh tomatoes was what the Ravioli Amalfi was. The pasta was a bit heavier and we were slightly disappointed with the portion size. It looked more like a starter than a main dish.

Two pizzas were sampled. The Ham and Mushroom pizza and the Diavola pizza both had great crispy bases. The toppings were more generous on the Ham and Mushroom pizza. The Diavola pizza was tomato, cheese and hot salami but it only had two slices of salami on it.

A dish that went down well was the Melanzane alla Parmigaina. The soft baked aubergine slices with the tomato sauce and cheese was really delicious and cooked to perfection.

Now onto the sweet endings of the meal! You can never go wrong with Tiramisu, as long as it is done well! This was the case here at La Locanda del Tempio! The tiramisu was fresh, creamy and had a good strong coffee flavour.

The Cannolo Siciliano was a wafer tube filled with ricotta cheese, chocolate drops and candied orange peel. It was nice enough but it would be too rich for one person. So we were glad that we had shared it!

La Locanda del Tempio does fresh, authentic, great tasting food. We were glad that our first meal in Rome was a success and it made us look forward to sampling more Italian delights on our trip!

La Locanda del Tempio, Via di Pietra 85, Rome

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If you didn’t know that Joe Allen was along this very small quiet side street, it would not be the obvious place to look for a restaurant. It is hidden away from the all the main restaurants in Covent Garden.

Joe Allen is on the lower ground floor and the red brick walls leading to the the restaurant are full of framed posters. The same style of wall decor is continued throughout the whole of the dining area. The restaurant area is quite big with round wooden tables and there are a couple of alcoves as well. The service was good and the staff were friendly and professional.

The menu was interesting and varied with seasonal daily specials. The quinoa and garden pea fritters were just that, as in they were not mixed with any potato. Hence, the fritters had a very crumbly texture to them when they were cut into. The sweetness of the peas was lovely.

The heritage carrots and parsnips that made up some of this dish were roasted nicely. This meal was a vegetarian’s delight! The pea cress and the mint and coriander sauce completed the dish. The side of minted new potatoes were a nice accompaniment to the meal!

Our meal ended with some dessert! The combination of crumble and cake is a match made in heaven! The apple and blackberry crumble cake was a big portion. A thin layer of crumble topped the chunky fruit pieces. The cake portion was soft and light. It was served with vanilla cream.

The only thing that did bother me with Joe Allen was that the restaurant was too dimly lit. It may have just been to the particular place that we had been seated. It was to the point where it seemed that we were eating our meal with the aid of a single tealight. We couldn’t really see what was on our plates and what we were actually eating. So it was a kind of a hit and miss with each mouthful, wondering which vegetables were on my fork!

Apart from that, everything was nice at Joe Allen’s from the quality and freshness of the food, the ambiance and the friendly staff!

Joe Allen, 13 Exeter Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 7DT

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It seems like we all go through phases with certain things and that can happen when it comes to going out to eat! There are times when similar types of eateries are gone to.

Brunch was something that had not been done for quite a few months. So I was more than happy to try Jamie Oliver’s Recipease when my friend suggested that we go there on a Sunday.

Recipease do not have a reservation system so be prepared to wait for a table. The staff do not rush the diners even if there is a queue of people waiting. That is a good thing in my eyes as the last thing that you want when you have gone out to eat is to feel the time pressure. When we got there, we opted to wait slighter longer so that we could have the comfy seats instead of the wooden window seats.

The ground floor of Recipease has the shop area with lots of baked items, fresh sandwiches, cakes and gifts. Unfortunately there are all on open display. On both the ground floor and the upper level, there are big areas in the centre that are used for the cooking courses.

While we were there, there were several courses that were going on including a children’s party and a pasta making course. There were good aromas from the fresh cooking and surprisingly it was not too noisy.

The seating area for the cafe on the upper level borders the big cooking area. Huge windows look out onto the streets below. There are displays of books and cooking equipment on the shelves. It all looked very colourful and created a bright and happy atmosphere.

Both my friend and I were considering the Bacon and Egg Sandwich but then we thought that we might as well go full out and have The Works. I had the veggie version and my friend had the normal meat one. The only difference was that the mushrooms replaced the sausages and bacon.

The Veggie Works consisted of oven roasted garlic field mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, egg, toast, Recipease baked beans, spinach and potato tortilla. It was supposed to be a poached egg but I asked for scrambled egg instead. It was a great delicious brunch with a good variety of items. The eggs were softly scrambled and the Recipease baked beans were so tasty and homemade. The wedge of potato tortilla was a big portion. All the food was of a high quality.

Brunch would not be complete without a cup of tea. The Earl Grey tea was served by the pot, with a small bottle of milk on the side. There was plenty of tea for a good few cups.

The staff were friendly and gave service with a smile. They seemed quite busy and once they served us our food, they left us to enjoy it!

Brunch at Recipease was delightful in all aspects including the food, service, dining arrangements, atmosphere and staff!

Recipease, 92-94 Notting Hill Gate, Notting Hill, London, W11 3QB

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