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:
3 out of 5 stars

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:
4 out of 5 stars

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:
3 out of 5 stars

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:
4 out of 5 stars

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:
4.5 out of 5 stars

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:
5 out of 5 stars

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:
2.5 out of 5 stars

The bruschetta was generously topped with fresh chopped tomatoes, although it had a little too much pesto drizzled on top. The olives that came with this starter were extremely salty; almost to the point where they were inedible.

The fillet of salmon was ok. The white wine sauce was not that tasty but it was nice that this dish came with green beans. The side dish of grilled vegetables were the best part of the meal. It was a selection of peppers, artichokes and courgettes. The vegetables came with Carasau bread. I’ve never tried this bread before and I would describe it like being a cracker bread. It was very thin and extremely tasty!

Initially, the dining area in Getti looked quite welcoming. It had pale wooden tables and chairs and deep blue walls. But after we were seated, I realised that the restaurant was fairly cramped with the tables too close to each other. This meant that we had to wait till one waiter was done serving one table, so that another waiter could get to our table.

The staff at Getti were friendly and quite helpful with our food queries. We were served our food quite fast. One thing that would improve Getti is if they had more vegetarian options, apart from pasta, on the set menu.

Getti is conveniently located in the West End, but I think that there are better Italian restaurants that you could go to in this area.

Getti, 16/17 Jermyn Street, London, SW1Y 6LT

Our Rating:
2.5 out of 5 stars

The soup of the day was lentil soup. It was a good bowl of soup in both size and taste! I was expecting the Sigara Borek to be triangle shaped pastry filled with feta cheese and parsley. Instead, I was presented with thin crispy rolls with the feta filling, cooked to perfection and served with houmous!

The last dish that made up my selection of meze was the Mantar Guvec. This dish consisted of mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers and onions in a red wine and tomato sauce. The flavours worked well together and was even better with the cheese that it was topped with! The warm pitta bread was great to dip into the sauce and also to go with the soup and the houmous!

The restaurant was so warm and welcoming! The staff were superb, friendly and gave service with a smile! The decor in Bakko was interesting; it had lots of original items and treasures from Eastern Turkey! The wooden chairs and tables gave a nice contrast with the plants and the colourful wall decorations! Bakko also has some comfy seats at the far end of the restaurant! This is truly a gem of a restaurant in the heart of Muswell Hill!

Bakko, 172-174 Muswell Hill Broadway, London, N10 3SA

Our Rating:
5 out of 5 stars

Seen as it is a pizza restaurant, it seemed wrong to order anything else other than pizza. The menu does have pastas and salads as well.

There were two pizzas that were especially appealing. One was the grilled vegetable and caramelised onion which had toppings of aubergine, courgettes, peppers, onions, mozzarella and goat’s cheese. I decided on the other pizza though which was generously topped with tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, roasted peppers, courgettes, olives, mushrooms, garlic and mozzarella.

The pizza base was perfect. It was crispy and still had substance to it as it wasn’t paper thin. The garlic with the tomato sauce made the flavour of the pizza really great.

Gourmet Pizza Company do a range of hot drinks including coffees and teas. The Earl Grey tea was served in a tall latte glass but I always prefer having tea served in a teapot. The fresh mint tea was also served in the latte glass. It was good that the mint tea was not made from a teabag but from fresh mint leaves.

This restaurant has an open kitchen with the dining area surrounding the kitchen. The decor is all wooden tables and chairs and there is also outdoor seating facing the river.

The staff were really friendly and very welcoming. They gave service with a smile and were not pushy in any sort of a way. It made the whole atmosphere relaxing and comfortable.

If you’re ever around Gabriel’s Wharf, then Gourmet Pizza Company is a lovely place to go for lunch or dinner. It would be great in the summer months too! 

Gourmet Pizza Company, Gabriel’s Wharf, 56 Upper Ground, London, SE1 9PP

Our Rating:
4 out of 5 stars