Nataliabrau

I would certainly recommend Quinoa, a cereal that originates from South America, and that can be found in majority of health shop (even some Sainsbury's now have it). Although is a grain it has a very high protein content, particularly good if you’re trying to cut down on meat. You can cook it as you would with a risotto, and is particularly good if you ad some toasted pumpkins and sunflower seeds, e.v. olive oil, and a dash of soya sauce. In my opinion it is one of the tastiest 'healthy foods' I have ever tried, definitely worth to be on your menu.

I think you are talking about 'Questo' near Kettner's

There are many articles about the French paradox and the importance of bioflavonoids in red wine, and also about the 60 Minutes program aired by CBS’s in 1991, but an archive search for an UK newspaper article won't go back as far as 1991. Maybe someone else knows a way. Let me know if you want more recent links about the subject in European newspapers

The reason why restaurants (majority of them) ask for a deposit is not to pocket on the customer’s expense but to guarantee the courtesy of a phone call in the event of a cancellation. Ridiculous charges should be dismissed in the first place (by not making a reservation in that particular restaurant) and also the charge should be established and agreed beforehand (generally, it shouldn’t be more that £10 p.p, normally applied in the event of large parties). A restaurant should always consider the good will of the customer, as in the majority of the cases there is a valid reason behind the last minute cancellation. In this particular case, I think it was unfair being charged because the phone call was made 1 hour late from the time established, and also no charge should be applied if the table gets replaced. As far as the legal side, it seems a grey area. I have always known that customers can refuse to pay the charge, unless they have signed a form where they agree to pay the late cancellation fee (please correct me if I’m wrong). At the end of the day, I think it all comes down to ethics. It has to be said that those who find immoral a last minute/no show charge should also consider dishonest the same behaviour that attracted it.

Dear Dallardice, Thank you for your prompt reply. I do understand that you only wrote what you were told, but please understand our frustration when reading something that was untrue. Thank you for expressing your interest in how Paolo is evolving. To continue the quality tradition, we have hired Valerio Daros as the new Head Chef. Formerly the Head Chef of Timo in High St. Kensington, his past experience also includes 4 years at Zafferano, working with Giorgio Locatelli as his Sous Chef. Valerio style has a more straightforward and classical approach to Italian cooking. Traditional dishes like Ossobuco and Lamb shank now feature in the new menu. The pasta dishes, breads and desserts are still homemade. The management remains the same, and we are planning a refurbishment of the restaurant in the year 2004. We are most welcome to experience Paolo again. We have a page in our website where you can post your feedback, which will be gladly appreciated. Thank you, Natalia

Hi, My name is Natalia and I’m part of Paolo restaurant’s team. I find this site informative and very constructive for people in the restaurant business. I have been reading trough the pages of e-gullet for many months now, but this time I feel compelled to write. I am afraid the above paragraph contains few inaccuracies, due to the incorrect information that was given to Dallardice. Maurizio was NEVER asked to reduce the quality of the ingredients at Paolo. He had complete carte-blanche as far as the running of the kitchen was concerned, including menus, suppliers and the ingredients used. In fact, quality was the only guideline that had been given. Whilst I wish all the best to the Latium team, I find that giving out inaccurate information is both improper and extremely unfair. It is not necessary to throw mud at others in order to shine oneself.