Pizza Fiorentina Pizza Fiorentina
MACARONI

MACARONI

24 Darkes Lane Potters BarEN6 2HW, London, United Kingdom

Pizza • Vegan • Italian • Vegetarian


"Maaroni is my local as it is less than a 5-minute walk from me. Not only have I eaten here a countless number of times since it opened, I also get takeaways from here often. Unfortunately, this was the first time I had ever been left feeling very disappointed. To begin with, I was given a bottle of sparkling water with no glass, let alone lemon/ice/straw. Had to ask for a glass I was not going to drink out of a big bottle. It was difficult to explain things to our waitress, especially as we wanted to remove some pizza toppings and add on others; I had to show her the menu with toppings written down so that she could catch the spellings. Moreover, I requested for cacio e pepe, and the waitress confirmed that the chefs would be able to make anything off-menu. I had to explain what the dish was, and showed the waitress the list of ingredients for it. She went back and forth several times to the chef and I, and ultimately said that the kitchen did not have pecorino cheese. I said that that could be substituted for the next best thing, as long as the sauce was creamy, cheesy, buttery and peppery. When the dish arrived, it was a buttery spaghetti with a lump of cheese in the top. At this point, another waitress began to serve our table. Let her know that the cheese should be almost melted in; she took the dish back for it to be re-made which took a long time, by which point we had nearly finished our mains. After our mains we were told that we need to leave within 15 minutes, and we were not given dessert menus nor did we request the bill, it just arrived. I had brought my aunt and uncle to Macaroni for the first time and they were looking forward to dessert. It was highly embarrassing that this option was not even offered, and even more embarrassing that we were rushed off the table. There were 5 of us, 1hr 45mins is not enough time for a relaxed 3-course meal. If the restaurant is unable to honour a 3-course meal for 5 people, they should not confirm the booking."

San Marco Ristorante

San Marco Ristorante

198 Station Road, London, KT152PD, United Kingdom

Pizza • Pasta • Steak • Italian


"San Marco Review Friday 3rd April 2015 19:30 This is long but please read the review. Tonight my Wife I went for a meal in the San Marco Ristorante Pizzeria at 10 London Road, Paddington, London W2 1HL. I should say that I am an ex chef with some 20yrs experience in the trade, so I am VERY fussy when it comes to food and the environment it is served in. The restaurant is smallish (about 30 tables of various sizes) but cosy, well lit and very clean and well decorated. Tables are clean and neatly laid ready for you when you get to them, not rushed to be prepared once you have sat down. Italian style music. Some of the homemade desserts were on display in a clean tidy chiller cabinet. The staff are all smartly dressed in white shirt and black trousers, are attentive, very polite and it appears ALL Italian. One sign of good food is to find people of the same ethnicity eating in there and also to see a wide selection of other ethnic customers enjoying the whole experience as well. When we arrived there was a queue at the front door to get in. There was a young man who was asking how many people were in your group, then he was going inside and telling the staff what tables were needed. We only had to wait a few minutes before we led inside to a table in the middle of a crowded restaurant and given a menu. The staff were moving at a rapid pace but not so fast that they didn't have time to answer the odd question that was thrown at them. As soon as we were ready one of the Bosses (Murat) came over to take or our order. We found out from Murat that they ONLY use Fresh Meat (not frozen), Fresh Vegetables and make their own Pasta and Pizza Dough every day and that comes through in the taste of the end product The Food. The next bit is about the food, it's long but well worth the read. The drinks arrived very quickly and when I asked for more ice in my drink the waiter went away and came back with another glass filled with ice and a small spoon to serve it to me. We had to wait a few minutes for our starter, but that was understandable considering the number of customers in the restaurant. My Wife had the Antipasto and that was Salami, Parma Ham, Milano Ham, about ten Olives and Rocket and generous portions of all. I had Minestrone soup, this was the tastiest Minestrone I have had for years. Carrots, Onion, Leek, Zucchini, Cabbage? and Chopped Tomato, topped with Parmesan Cheese and Black Pepper. As I said this was the tastiest Minestrone that I have had for years and when I had finished, there was no greasy residue you get with a lot of self made soups. For our main course my Wife had Penne changed to Linguine Gamberetti on request, once again a very generous portion. It looked a bit dry when it arrived, but once the top layer was moved you could see that it actually was moist and had perfectly proportioned ingredients and very tasty. I had Veal Escalope with a Cream Mushroom sauce served with Roasted Potato segments and Green Beans. The Veal was cut into small segments and was perfectly cooked and the sauce was just so tasty and just the right consistency with small pieces of mushroom in it. As a dessert we shared a slice of Tiramisu. Too small really for two people, but it was just right for us. We rounded the meal off with a cup of espresso coffee and a Limoncello on the side. Yes at times you may wait a little for the first courses, but when you get food that is, as good as it is at San Marco, a short wait is a small price to pay for great food. I live in Poole, Dorset and would happily travel from there Just to visit the restaurant for another meal the whole experience was so good. A BIG thank you to ALL the staff, the Waiters, the Chefs, the Pot Washer, the Poor Guy outside at the front of the restaurant in all weathers and to the Management, all one happy family that help you to enjoy your visit. Try it you won't be disappointed."

The Chartwell

The Chartwell

London RoadDunton Green, Sevenoaks, United Kingdom

Fish • Wine • Cheese • French


"Booked for New Year's Eve. £69.99 per head. Service adequate but I have to say the food was not good. Pre prepared and not fresh. The amuse bouche was a piece of French bread with smoke salmon, more like a badly done canape. The Starters were accompanied by limp salad, the plates they were served on very cold evidencing they had just been sitting uncovered in a fridge. Very odd rock hard goat's cheese, and for others, 3 tiny pieces of dry sardine. As for the main, beef wellington, the fillet of beef overcooked and resembled a piece of shoe leather, I doubted it was even fillet. The pastry was raw on the inside and undercooked, and soggy on the outside. Think had been pre cooked and microwaved. Worst beef wellington I have ever seen. We all sent back and chef offered rack of lamb.Sadly this was presented raw, not rare, with huge chunks of broccoli, soggy roast potatoes and carrots. Those who ate fish said was adequate, but the spinach and ricotta filo main had by one was also raw and underdone. As for the apple tart, again some received ice cold from the fridge, others luke warm although the flavour was good. Actually spoilt New Year's Eve and we left hungry. What was even more annoying is that I believe we were not charged for 2 bottles of wine, but were expected to pay for the nasty food. I would rather have paid for the £60 wine. I will be contacting the restaurant owner for a full refund, minus the wine. I can't believe we were actually charged £75 a head for the meal, pretty disgraceful in my opinion. We actually doubted whether there was a chef in the kitchen......"