nicola

Always difficult to know what someone means when they say "not too pricey" but how about Timo. It is on Ken High St (but about 10 mins walk from either High St Ken or Earls Court tubes). Was there the other night. Being Italian you wouldn't have to worry about the spiciness. It certainly does fish and whilst I wasn't looking for vegetarian, they have a range of pastas and risotto which I'm sure would include veggie options. Desserts are very good too.

Went here for dinner last night. First the good news - the food was fabulous. I had a game terrine - chunks of meat and root vegetables compressed together with a cabbage surround - followed by partridge. Followed this with the cheese, which although excellent quality was slightly disappointing as you were presented with a pre-cut selection - I prefer to select my own favourites from the cheese board. And the bad news - the service! I said to my boyfriend this morning that the service had been dire - his comment was that it wasn't that good! I see from past comments that the service is not considered great but either I'm less tolerant than the previous posters or it has gone even further downhill. Basically we were never made to feel welcome from start to finish. My boyfriend and I were early and we sat at the table and had an aperitif. We were also offered bread. The next two arrived on time at 8.00. About quarter past someone came round and offered them aperitifs. They said they would just get some water and please could they have some bread. Eventually the water arrived and was all poured into our glasses - they then whisked away quickly without asking if we'd like another bottle. It then took us twenty minutes to attract someone's attention and order wine – 1 white, 1 red. By the time the wine arrived the last person in our group had also arrived. She had been running late and rang the restaurant to ask them to pass on a message to us. Their reaction was that they were very busy, it was a very big restaurant (it is not) and they would see what they could do. They had passed on no message to us. The white wine was dispensed between the five of us who wanted it and a glass of red poured for the sixth person. We were not offered another bottle of white. The waiters disappeared again and it was impossible to catch anyone’s eye. After a while the amuse arrived – still no bread. We asked for it again. The waitress barely acknowledged our request. After the amuse had been finished and still no bread appeared I went over to the top of the stairs leading to the kitchen to try to have a quiet word with the head waiter (or at least the one who appeared to be in charge). By this time some of our party had been in the restaurant for one and a half hours without being offered any bread. The waiter (who declined to accept the title maitre d’) said that they had run out of bread and were just baking some more (a bad error on the part of the restaurant but why hadn’t we been told this sooner). He then didn’t seem inclined to listen to any more concerns re the level of service and instead suggested I talk to M. Meunier. I said OK, he went in to the kitchen and then came back and said that he was too busy to talk to us now (understandable) and would come up after service. From then on service improved very slightly but was still pretty poor. M. Meunier came and talked to us while we were having coffee and just seemed to think these things were inevitable when one first opened a restaurant. Given they have now been open for over a month I would expect them to have the teething troubles (if that is what they are) sorted. We were also disappointed that when the bill came they had included the “optional” 12.5% service charge. As they had forgotten to charge us for one bottle of wine (although this was less than the service) we decided to just pay it. Sorry for the rant! There were innumerable other problems (missing bread plates, glasses not cleared etc) but I suspect you are all bored with this by now. Go there for the food which is excellent but personally I won’t go back until I hear the service has improved.

If you are looking in the Victoria area, this thread: Reasonably priced restaurants nr Victoria might help.

My neck of the woods too but I've never heard of Ebury on Pimlico Rd (although I know the Ebury Wine Bar on Ebury Street - good for drinks but not so impressed with the food) - Circeplum do you have any more info? Oliveto is indeed on Elizabeth St and serves good pasta and pizza plus a few more traditional Italian mains. It is the little sister to Olivo on Eccleston St (a few doors from the Boisdale) which is great but probably a little more expensive than you are looking for. We love the Boisdale but whether it would work for you might depend on the time of day you are going as they have jazz playing every evening from about 10 so it becomes quite noisy. La Poule au Pot on Ebury St is a good old fashioned French restaurant. If you get the house wine they bring you a very large bottle and charge you for what you drink - a good marketing ploy as you tend just to keep going! Near to Grumbles is Chimes which specialises in pies - haven't been in ages but I used to like it and it is very reasonable. Mimmo d'Ischia also on Elizabeth St is a traditional Italian, probably at the top of your price range but has a good buzz.

Just seen wgallois's reply so maybe Hibiscus might work after all. Will do some more investigation.

Thanks Bapi Given the veggie/fish restrictions, is there any other good restaurant in Ludlow that people think might be suitable?

Does anyone know if Hibiscus has a website showing their menu? Am going to be in the Ludlow area with a vegetarian and a couple of non-fish eaters so wondering if they have sufficient choice to make it an option. Many thanks.

Tony, you are in a minority of two. Have been to Hunan twice and am not inclined to go back. While the food was good, I don't go out to eat to be bullied by the owner. Last time we went there we asked if we could have duck included in our meal. He said that we didn't want duck. We said we did. He then proceeded to have a succession of dishes brought to the table until we told the waiter we were full and couldn't eat another thing. At that point he came back to the table and smirked "You still want duck? See, I told you you didn't want duck". On a more positive note (and in a similar part of town), Noura, near Victoria, is good and can be quite reasonable. I like the mezze and we have been known to have two courses, both comprising a selection of mezze.

In Clapham, Pizza Metro would be good but I don't know if you'd get in at short notice. Agree with the comment about Stepping Stone - last time we were there they were having a power cut in the front of house so we dined entirely by candlelight which was very romantic but did make it quite difficult to read the menu

And if you want to know how to make scones, here is a recipe from St. Delia! How to make scones

The latest from the Evening Standard David Dempsey article

I stayed at the Parador in the Gredos mountains (near Madrid) a few years ago. It is an old hunting lodge and apparently was the first Parador created. Rooms comfortable but functional (I think they were an extension) and the public rooms were great.

I like Aperitivo in Beak Street (off Regent Street) - Italian food served tapas style for sharing.

Just back and I thought I'd give some feedback on where I went. Tried Azul Mariono in the harbour at Puerto Banus where we had excellent fish. Didn't make it to San Pedro but instead was recommended to go to Benahavis. This was a pretty town in the hills with cobbled streets and lots of restaurants. We went to La Sarten (which I had found recommended in the Guia Campsa (sp?)) and had barbecued chicken which was very tasty and came in a huge portion (I had a starter of Gambas Pil Pil and the other starter we tried was a scrambled egg dish with beans). The best restaurant we went to was Zozoi (there is an umlaut type accent over the i but I have no idea how to do that). It is in the old part of Marbella and is owned by Belgians with a Belgian chef. They have a very pretty inner courtyard in which you can eat. Had a starter of spinach salad followed by an assortment of fresh fish (which comprised salmon, a white fish - very soft - don't know what it was, mussels and prawns) served with tagliatelle in a white sauce. Bux - if you end up in Marbella this is one I would suggest you try.

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions - I shall definitely try going to San Pedro and also head for Azul Marino on the harbour. As for eating late - I find that works just fine, especially because of the heat and the hour's time difference!

I was there this time last year. It was my second visit and both were very enjoyable. The decor is a bit offputting - pink satiny tablecloths with frills if I remember correctly - but the food was excellent. Can't remember most of what I ate but I do remember a great pasta dish with courgettes fresh from their vegetable garden (or so we were told!).

I am off to stay near Puerto Banus this weekend. Last time we were there we found some good fish/seafood restaurants but they were generally rather touristy and I suspect therefore overpriced. Does anyone have any recommendations for places that are slightly off the tourist trail? We will have a car (but are more likely to take a taxi due to the combined problems of parking and drinking and driving) so the suggestions don't have to be in the town centre. Have looked at past posts and there wasn't much but I hope someone can help. Thanks

What about Aperitivo in Beak Street. It is Italian but you order like tapas, i.e. you order lots of dishes to share. Atmosphere is quite busy so they won't mind a crowd. Alternatively, for a traditional Italian waiter experience try Caraffini on Lower Sloane Street. They love to make a fuss of their customers, especially the girls, so I think you would have a good time. Food is standard Italian fare and very good.

My biggest hate is cloves. I always ask before ordering apple pie whether it has any cloves in but occasionally get caught out when I order ham and it turns out to have been studded with cloves. The taste permeates the whole of the meat - yuck!

A friend of mine recently got married in Auckland (where he now lives). I couldn't make it to the wedding (I am in the UK) but would like to send him some wine as a wedding gift. Can anyone recommend a good on-line wine store where I can buy wine for delivery to him. Any suggestions as to what to send would also be appreciated! I was thinking of Champagne but I guess the French stuff will be expensive over there - which good NZ sparkling wines would you recommend? Thanks in advance.

Poilane article There is an article about Poilane in today's Guardian. I have no idea whether my link will work as it is the first time I have tried this!