French Fries
Cacciari's Restaurant Sth Kensington - Old Brompton Rd

Cacciari's Restaurant Sth Kensington - Old Brompton Rd

United Kingdom, SW7 3LQ, London

Pasta • Pizza • Steak • Indian


"My wife and I were down in London to see a show and stayed over in Hammersmith and I'd found this place beforehand and had booked a table and good job I had, every table was taken and they were turning people away all evening. We shared the pizza focaccia bread to start, which was lovely, soft and warm and served with olive oil and balsamic, to dip into. My wife then had the seafood tagliolini dish and said it was the best pasta dish she's ever had and she loves pasta and regularly has it when we got out, so that is high praise. The prawns were proper big and meaty and the crab soft and she said every mouthful was a fishy taste sensation. Often with this type of dish the primary taste is tomatoes and the fish plays second fiddle but not here. I had the fillet steak in a peppercorn sauce with rosemary potatoes and a rocket and parmesan salad. I'd asked for my steak medium and it was spot on, cooked to perfection. Peppercorn sauce probably wouldn't be my first choice (blue cheese would) but this sauce was lovely, yes it had peppercorns in it but it was a hint, not overwhelming and detracting from the steak. The rosemary potatoes were lovely too and whilst a rocket and parmesan salad might be a simple dish and difficult to get wrong, it is possible but this was great too and went perfectly with my meal. My only slight criticism, and I haven't marked them down over it, as that would be unfair, because the meal was good, is that my Cacciari's handcrafted beer wasn't cold enough, barely cold even and it needed to be, so a tip for them, try to make sure your beer is cold. My glass of Chiaretto Del Garda on the other hand, was perfectly chilled and quaffable. Also, the service was impeccable, attentive but not intrusive, just how it should be. We've commented to ourselves about restaurants before, that those that seem to have a maitre d or someone who just has that all seeing eye, are so good and stand out from the crowd, well done. Would I go again, too right I would, would I recommend it, without hesitation but make sure you book. Dined 25th November."

County Hotel, Samphire Restaurant

County Hotel, Samphire Restaurant

The County Hotel Rainsford Road Chelmsford, Essex CM1 2PZ, CM1 2QD, United Kingdom

Beer • Wine • Coffee • British


"My wife and I have been to the County Kitchen a few times for their Sunday Carvery. So why, you may ask have I only given the County Kitchen 3 stars and entitled my review as lacks consistency? Well the title does say it all, it isn 't that the food and service and surroundings are bad its just that as a complete package it...........lacks consistency. Perhaps I should explain rather than repeating myself Our table was crammed in with others in the small conservatory/veranda area. It felt cramped as we were against a pillar and so close to at least 6 other diners that it felt uncomfortable and unwelcoming, especially as the rest of the restaurant was empty. Moving on to our food. We opted for starters, followed by the carvery. My wife 's starter crab haddock fishcake, with chive hollandaise was presented nicely and according to her very nice but lacked flavour . Mine was pork belly terrine and chutney my comments mirror those of my wife 's. Lacked seasoning and flavour, but looked nice. I echo Greg Wallace 's thoughts on Masterchef the other day..... ...would rather have something that tastes good rather than a dish that just looks pretty... Now the carvery you have a choice of at 3 roast meats plus vegetables and if you feeling really hungry there isn 't a limit to the number of times you can go back. But for most appetites 1 visit is enough. Being a little greedy I had a couple of slices of port with yummily crisp crackling) and some beef. The carver described the beef as medium rare my preference) but it was more like medium to well done so it was a bit tough and chewy shame as it looked a fantastic joint of beef). That finally put an end to our meal, we paid our bill £59.95 incl bottle of wine, and starters) and left. I have to say that this hasn 't been our experience on other occasions, so perhaps its was just an off day. Will we go back? Probably, but we won 't be rushing back. Its not a bad place, it just.....lacks consistency!"