Two huge wooden tables and long benches make up Papa Del’s communal dining area! There are also a few window seats!

Papa Del’s has a very natural feel to it. The tables are uneven so that slate placemats are used to keep the plates level! It was nice to have such a dining area with all the wooden surroundings! The painted walls and wall lights gave a soft ambiance!

The food was cooked fresh in the open kitchen and so we were waiting a short while for it! The Vegetariana pizza had a thin crispy base and the tomato sauce was tasty. It was topped with tomato, mozzarella, sweetcorn, onions, peppers and mushrooms. We had an additional topping of aubergine! The vegetables were all cooked perfectly!

The Penne Arrabiata was a big portion! The pasta was topped with a sauce of garlic, tomato, olives and chilli! The sauce had a good flavour and it definitely had a spicy kick to it!

The staff were friendly, but there was a slight language barrier going on. A few times when we asked the staff questions, they just said that they did not understand! Luckily, we had the patience to try and explain what we meant in several different ways!

Papa Del’s does a good evening deal between 9pm and 11pm! It is also open in the morning for breakfast!

Papa Del’s, 347 Archway Road, London, N6 5AA

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Konoba Varos has to be my favourite restaurant that we went to on our Croatia trip! Again, it was tucked away on one of the back streets but this didn’t mean that it was any less busy. Actually on both occasions, we were lucky to get a table as we hadn’t prebooked.

Konoba Varos had a really quirky interior with a fish theme! There were fishing nets decorating the ceiling and various fish and shellfish hanging in the nets! The restaurant had several sections to it.

We were given a huge square table and thought that it was way too big for our group. What we didn’t realise was that our meal would be quite an orchestrated event!

One of my friends ordered fish. Three fish on a plate were brought out to her and she was given the choice of which one she wanted. When the fish had been cooked, the waiter kindly prepared the cooked fish for her at the table.

Before the food was brought out, a few food warmers (with the tealights) were put on the table. The waiter then brought out our plates and let them warm up on the food warmers!

We were served with a couple of baskets of bread. The bread was nice and fresh. The bread selection was brown, rye, white and corn.

Once all the food was ready, our plates were given to us and all the dishes were put on the warmers. At this point, we were grateful for the big table. The waiter was really attentive and friendly!

On the first occasion, I had the tomato soup and a side of boiled vegetables. The tomato soup had rice in it and it was a smooth tasty soup. The boiled vegetables were carrots and courgettes.

The next meal that I had at Konoba Varos was spaghetti in tomato sauce. It was supposed to come with ham but I asked for it without. The spaghetti was a fairly big portion and quite tasty.

On our second evening meal at this restaurant, we ordered a few portions of the chargrilled vegetables. Instead of giving us lots of individual portions, we were given one huge platter of hot steaming vegetables. These went down a treat: big slices of aubergine, peppers, courgettes, carrots and mushrooms!

Some of the other dishes were also ordered more than once, and again, these were brought out as one big portion. This meant that we could just help ourselves and share the food out!

Dining at Konoba Varos was an absolute pleasure. We received faultless service and fantastic food! Service with a smile and a great relaxed atmosphere! Just perfect for a meal out with friends!

Konoba Varos, Ban Vladenova 7, Split, Croatia

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Benito’s Hat has a colourful and vibrant interior with an orange and green theme! These fresh and striking colours are reflected in the food! There’s a funky mural on the back wall towards the bar area of the restaurant. All these elements set the theme of a relaxed eatery!

The restaurant is made up of a long communal high wooden table with many high chairs. There are also seats against the wall with scattered cushions and some window seats, if you fancy watching the world go by!

At the counter, there is the vast array of rainbow coloured fillings to choose from! These include rice, beans, chicken, pork, salad items, sauces and garnishes! The food is all fresh and locally produced where possible.

A vegetable burrito makes for a filling and satisfying meal! The fillings that I chose for my vegetable burrito were refried beans, cilantro lime rice, grilled vegetables, guacamole and salad. The vegetables were a good mix of peppers, courgettes and chayote.

There are a choice of sauces depending on how spicy you would like your meal. Or for something mild, there is always the option of sour cream. The other choice of fillings are grilled chicken, tender chicken thighs, grilled steak, braised pork and some seasonal specials.

I’m always surprised at how much is packed into a burrito and also how the staff manage to wrap it all up into a neat tight roll! The burrito was served with some lovely fresh tortilla chips!

Benito’s Hat does fantastic tasting burritos but if you fancy something slightly lighter, then they also have smaller tacos, homemade soup and salads! The salad is basically all the fillings and toppings, without the tortilla wrap!

The staff are extremely friendly and gave us lovely service. We were definitely given service with a smile! All throughout the meal, the staff came to see if everything was ok and if we needed anything else. They also made sure that the dining area remained clean and tidy by clearing up the tables straight away.

Even though the burrito was extremely filling, after a while, we decided to share a dessert! The bunuelos were crispy cinnamon tortilla strips and vanilla ice cream. It was served in a martini glass! A lovely dessert, not too heavy, and it hit the spot just right!

Benito’s Hat has some interesting drinks on offer! One of them was the horchata which was a sweet milk based drink. The drink that I preferred was the hibiscus one. It had the strong purple colour like blackcurrant but its taste and flavour is a lot softer!

Benito’s Hat does great quality fresh tasting Mexican food! All the elements of Benito’s Hat are just right, from the food, the atmosphere, the drinks to the service and staff!

Benito’s Hat, 19 New Row, Covent Garden, London, WC2N 4LA

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