Fried Calamari Fried Calamari

Crispy fried calamari served with a side of marinara sauce for dipping.

Dieci Restaurant at No. Ten Manchester Street Hotel

Dieci Restaurant at No. Ten Manchester Street Hotel

10 Manchester Street London, W1U 4DG, United Kingdom

Beer • Wine • Indian • Italian


"I arrived on time and presented my self to the receptionist saying I had a reservation for afternoon tea. A waiter immediately popped out and greeted me by name and led me to my prepared table. As well as a dessert plate with cutlery my table had a small side plate and butter knife, a selection of 6 jars of jam (raspberry, strawberry, apricot and marmalade (all Wilkin , salt and pepper mills and a bowl of sugar.My order was taking promptly and the requested glass of tap water and pot of tea arrived promptly. A small jug of milk and some pats of butter were also brought.Soon my sandwiches arrived. There were six sandwiches; two each of grilled aubergine and cream cheese; chicken and salad; smoked salmon and cream cheese. The grilled aubergine and cream cheese isn 't something I would have thought of creating my self but it was surprisingly tasty. Along with my sandwiches were nine fancies; a small pastry cup of vanilla custard with strawberry, a small pastry cup of vanilla custard with a fresh mint sprig and a small pastry cup of chocolate custard with cranberries as well as two each of three different biscuits. All were excellent with the chocolate custard being particularly memorable.A few minutes later my scones (one plain, one fruit arrived fresh from the oven along with two little pastries and some cream.A requested hot water top up for my tea was no problem and I was offered more sandwiches which, as the food originally brought was so plentiful, I regretfully had to decline.This was an excellent tea and I enjoyed it very much. The food was very good and the staff attentive but discreet.My only niggle is the discretionary service charge . It 's not mentioned on the website and it 's not mentioned on the menu posted outside. I 'm not sure if it 's on the table menus as I didn 't really look at it, knowing already what I wanted. In the UK I 'm used to paying the price quoted for goods and services so to have 12.5% added without warning is a step in the wrong direction. I 'm guessing management will say that, as I don’t have to pay it, they don 't have to mention it beforehand.Anyway, the meal would be good value at £26 service but I had a offer so got it for £16 service which made it exceptionally good value."

Sizlers Italian Restaurant

Sizlers Italian Restaurant

18 Shrewsbury Walk Isleworth London, TW7 7DE, United Kingdom

Thai • Pizza • Asiatic • Italian


"The food was of excellent quality and very authentic. However, the service was subpar, as the waiting staff were not particularly attentive. For instance, one of my guests follows a gluten-free diet and informed the waitress of her allergy. She ordered the chicken liver, but it was served with gravy. When she asked if there was flour in the gravy, the more senior waiter confirmed that there was. My guest then began discussing with another guest, who had ordered a rib-eye steak, the possibility of swapping dishes. The waiter overheard their conversation and must have recognised the awkwardness of the situation, yet did not offer to rectify it. Discreetly, I approached the waiter and asked if the chicken liver could be served without the gravy, but he insisted that the dish would not taste right without it. I explained that my guest really wished to have the chicken liver without the gravy and offered to pay for a replacement if necessary. As the waiter agreed my guest returned the dish (untouched), yet I was still charged for both meals. Despite this, we left satisfied, as the staff were generally friendly and I did offer to pay for the replacement! However, in most restaurants, the dish would have been replaced, especially given that my guest had specified her inability to eat gluten. The price was reasonable for eight guests, even though I paid for ten mains, along with some starters and desserts."

Malvarosa

Malvarosa

262 Portobello High St, Edinburgh, EH152AT, EH15 2AT, United Kingdom

Tapas • Spanish • Ice Cream • Chocolate


"Malvarosa is a relatively new challenger to the Portobello High Street. It brings tapas much closer to my house, and for that I thank Malvarosa. And indeed, I thank and praise it highly, for not only does it bring tapas closer, but it brings gooood tapas closer. The service last night was excellent, great banter with the guy front of house (Vegetarian? What kind of monster are you? I think in Spain, I might be burned as a witch (I jest, I jest . You are made to feel welcome, and not rushed, even when the restaurant were heaving, we were one of the first to arrive and one of the last to leave, supping on tasty sangria and enjoying a good catchup. To the food the menu is quite small, but not in a bad way just don't go in expecting a book of tapas. Malvarosa keeps it succinct but there is still a good amount of choice across meat, fish and vegetable spectrums. Patata bravas good, smoky paprika flavour with a good kick, although could do with a bit more of a hit of the sauce on the potatoes. A warm ensalada of broad beans, artichoke and spinach was delicious (also available with meat, the Spanish vegetarian option, hur hur hur . I'm still enjoying the thought of chickpeas, spinach and sultanas a tagine y style tapas which I couldn't get enough of. I could go on I'll admit, I forgot to ask my dinner date how the meat dishes were so I can't comment on those. I was too busy enjoying mine to think of anything else. For dessert, we tucked into chocolate cake (super rich, bit too heavy for me, with a stomach already groaning from our mains and flan (I got the last one hurrah! flan had a bit of an odd texture, so a little less enjoyable than I had hoped for. Overall, Malvarosa is a lovely place to spend an evening catching up with good friends. No rush, no stress, just good food and good times."

Zizzi Bexleyheath)

Zizzi Bexleyheath)

28 Broadway, Heath, DA6 7LL, Bexley, United Kingdom

Pizza • Sushi • Pasta • Seafood


"Some days ago, my mother and I dined at Zizzi’s to celebrate her recent career progression. We arrived without prior booking at 5:50pm on a Monday evening, at which point it was quiet and cavernous, with a choice of seating. We ordered the mozzarella garlic bread and fried calamari with aioli, drizzled with lemon for starters, to share. They both arrived promptly and were flavoursome without compromising quantity. Not only, was the mozzarella garlic bread simultaneously crisp yet fluffy, oily and salty, and heated to a pleasant degree. But also, the fried calamari was battered aptly, without sacrificing the quantity of the calamari. Soon after, we were met with our own generous dish of prawn linguini, topped with rocket. The linguini was twirled into a neat formation, with a mix of textures. While, the the tomato sauce was smooth and subtly rich, ample for the multiple hot linguini strips, the shaved courgette added a fine crunch, and the prawns constituted to a meaty density. However, within an hour, the restaurant was almost full, with the multitude of loudening conversations making it difficult to hear. Therefore, I would recommend eating early if you are someone who prefers a quieter experience. Also, although I was a student with a discount card, giving me access to 30% off on that particular instance. It is worthy to note that this is likely to be a somewhat costly evening, if you are someone who will order more than one course, or if you are a family, paying for multiple people."