Gazpacho Gazpacho

A refreshing cold soup with ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, olive oil, and vinegar, perfect for a light summer appetizer.

Worton Organic Garden

Worton Organic Garden

➤ Worton, Near Cassington, Cherwell, United Kingdom

Vegan • Coffee • Ice Cream • Vegetarian


"What a unique and wonderful sensory experience, a hidden gem! Fabulous garden, fresh 3 course late lunch for two on Friday 2nd August. The passion and love for their ingredients was self evident but to be clear this place is big on “character” and “slow food”, the antithesis of modern chain restaurants and more authentic and in stark contrast to the more formulaic and manicured “farmshop garden centre” restaurants typical of the area. It’s like eating in someone’s private kitchen garden or giant allotment. Talk about field to plate provenance, ingredients don’t get fresher than this! We were fortunate to visit on a warm summer afternoon and our table for two, shaded by parasol and fruit trees, was alfresco rambling kitchen garden summer perfection. Other tables for 2, 4 and 6 are spaced so far apart around the restaurant sheds and out into the abundant gardens that we didn’t notice half of them until we explored later. For seating at other times of year there appeared to be rustic tables in two parts of the shed and one high ceilinged greenhouse. The menu is short and, as advertised, seasonal. To start we shared decadent pork crackling with a mirabelle chutney and beautifully sweet tomatoes in a caprese like salad. For our mains we chose the house mezze principally homemade babaganoush (fabulous), hummus, tomatillo salad with crusty white house baked ciabatta style bread and then whole mackerel (bbq chard) and beetroot. It was a crime not to try more than one of the three fabulous looking puddings something chocolate, an amazing sounding cheesecake and a mixed fruit frangipane. We had the latter a taste sensation. We made the most of the suggestion to explore the gardens and there appeared to be no limitations to this. There are a number of huge greenhouses bursting with tomato plants, vines and other veg. These are interspersed with combined vegetable and flower beds and fruit trees. We found chickens, geese and turkeys but must have missed the pigs. On our way we came across friendly gardeners and Stacey Gledhill, the artist in residence for the summer. To be clear these are not manicured gardens, they are beautifully wild and at this time of year watering and harvesting takes priority over weeding or meticulous tidying up. Since our visit I’ve read back through reviews on the usual platforms and have noticed occasionally severe criticism of this establishment when it comes to service, speed of service and pricing. We have no such complaints but it is possible to imagine how they might occasionally arise. Staff are surely not drilled to corporate style rulebooks; some tables are hidden and further from the hub; for this quality, prices are understandably at the high end of gastropub levels; and this is a working kitchen garden. In the end it’s a matter of taste, preferences and expectations. For us this was genuinely a five star exceeded expectations experience in all respects."

Camellia South Lodge

Camellia South Lodge

➤ Brighton Road, RH13 6PS, Horsham, United Kingdom

Pizza • Seafood • European • Fast Food


"My mother and I had been following the Masterchef Pro comp ' last year and were really keen to sample some of the winner, Tom Hamblet 's, food. We travelled a 4 hour round trip for the experience. We don 't eat at fine dining restaurants often but we are foodies. Firstly, the setting of the restaurant is very lavish and comfortable with warm low lighting. That said, the dinner experience was a little too dark for my mother so that 's something to think about if you struggle with eyesight and low lighting. The service was friendly, attentive and speedy/efficient. The food: I 'll start with the dessert because that was a real pleasure for us. We both loved the flavours of Tom 's end of series winning dessert so the meal ended on a high (we ordered the Olive Oil sponge with lemon curd). I recommend not ruining your palette with the overly sweet petit four that are placed in front of you following dessert unfortunately ours were more sugar flavoured than any other identifiable flavour. Our starters and mains were very VERY underwhelming. They arrived looking beautiful, neat and tidy but failed to deliver on taste. I had wanted the celeriac themed starter but the waiting staff told me the vegan/veggie starters and mains were created by their head chef and not Tom. That was disappointing as his 3 month residency was the reason we 'd visited the restaurant. We ended up both having the lobster starters after the waiting staff recommended it highly as either a starter or an additional dish to share. The claw meat was minimal and tough and the foam mousse took centre stage on the plate. Whilst the plate had lots of textures to it, we felt it was unbalanced and generally with no 'wow ' to it. We enjoyed the coffee and rye bread with butter and pollen/fennel that came prior to this thought. I ordered the Guinea Fowl as a main after the waiter described it as a gamey, dark and tender meat. I feel like a better description to someone that hasn 't had guinea fowl before would be 'it 's like a chicken breast with a different flavour '. This is what arrived in front of me and I actually found it was quite dry and not dark at all! I would never have ordered anything that resembled chicken breast anyway so I felt ill informed about my choice. I also thought the girolles were overwhelmingly tart. I didn 't enjoy my main. Mum 's Hogget was nice but average for her too. Last comment I 've never in my life paid ÂŁ6.50 for less than 1.5ltrs mineral water beware! I don 't care how much money you have it 's water!!!"

Eckington Manor

Eckington Manor

➤ Hammock Road, WR10 3BJ, Wychavon, United Kingdom

Cafés • British • European • Vegetarian


"I visited Eckington Manor to celebrate a milestone birthday for my better half. I had booked in for the 7 course taster menus and over night stay. The location is a a must, gorgeous surroundings and a fantastic location close to the town of Pershore, surrounded by the Malvern Hills in the county of Worcestershire. We arrived at Ekington Manor for around 5pm. Check in is on the ground floor of the restaurant building but not obvious, but was eventually greeted by one of the staff who were more than happy to help. Our evening meal was booked for 7:30pm which was perfect as this gave time to have a wonder around Elkington village before getting ready. The 7 course taster menu was a great choice. Giving great variety and tastes. I had opted for the accompanying wine flight which again is well worth adding to your experience to compliment the food through each of the courses. The accommodation was very well laid out and perfectly in charge yet for the building period. Our room was in the main building surrounded by original beams and signs of when the building would have been used with a central fire place back in its original time. Breakfast included lunch with the accommodation was a delight and a perfect finish to a great weekend. We even had time to pop over to Stratford on our way back. Thank you to all the staff for a delightful time and superb meal."

21212

21212

➤ 3 Royal Terrace, EH7 5AB, Edinburgh, City of, United Kingdom

Wine • Soup • French • Drinks


"On our first night in Edinburgh we decided to try 21212. The service was outstanding, but unfortunately most of the meal left us underwhelmed. We were greeted by two very friendly and hospitable hostesses, and the service throughout the night was equally friendly and hospitable. There seemed to be some confusion over where we were to be seated, but it was cleared up quickly and we were seated at a table in the dining room. The dining room is well appointed, and the tables are not too crowded. However, if you are shy about having the table next to yours being able to hear your conversation, this might not be the place for you, as the setting is very intimate, and several tables share a common bench as one side of the seating. The dinner menu was straightforward, and we were informed that the menu changes weekly, which impressed us both. The wine list was good, and, although I wouldn 't describe it as extensive, they offered a variety of bottles, as well as a pairing for each course. The sommelier however did not offer any suggestions to us, which was a bit surprising, considering this is advertised as a haven for wine lovers on the restaurants website. I would have expected the sommelier to approach us and offer a suggestion, or, at the very least, speak to us, but he did neither. The amuse bouche was creative, but the texture was not appealing. For our first courses, my husband and I each tried a different dish, but neither of us were impressed. The textures for both dishes were off (both dishes included a foam type element that was very sour, and one dish included raw onion, which wrecked our palates). Our second course, a spring vegetable soup, was also not what we hoped for. My husband described the soup course as very foamy and acidic. For the third course, we both opted for the steak dish. My husband 's was modified to exclude shellfish, but the portion size was equal to mine. Although we were not given any option as to how our steak was cooked, it was tasty. The fourth course was a delicious cheese plate, but we commented that the cheese itself was probably not made in the restaurant, so we weren 't really eating the chef 's creation. The fact that we were most impressed with the cheese plate was unfortunate, considering it most likely wasn 't the chef 's creation, and we believe the price of the meal warranted more in terms of flavor. Dessert, the fifth course, was tasty, but didn 't blow us away. For a restaurant with a Michelin star, we expected more. All in all, the service was excellent, and we enjoyed our third, fourth and fifth courses. The first two courses though were not at all what we expected, and we were disappointed. We would not go back, but we would not discourage others from trying the restaurant. It is advertised as being unique, and that is certainly what you get."

Kota

Kota

➤ Harbour Head, Porthleven TR13 9JA, Redruth, United Kingdom

Asian • Seafood • Ice Cream • Restaurants


"We were staying in Porthleven, so booked Kota in advance, as we were aware of this interesting restaurant from previous holidays in Porthleven. We had the six-course dinner menu with the wine pairing, for which my food allergy was well catered for as most dishes were the same as my partner’s. The initial three “snacks” were a delight, as the flavours and textures made them delicious. The second course of BBQ leeks and mussels were an amazing combination of flavour and texture. The third course of beet curds, molasses, and chia seeds was a delightful combination, and I say this as someone who doesn’t really like beetroot. It made the beetroot the sweetest I have ever tasted without overpowering its flavour. The fourth course of brown crab sauce with the seabass was delicious. The fifth course of pork belly with accompaniments was superb. For dessert we had “Milk and Honey”, a white chocolate mousse, Porthleven honey, caramelised milk powder, and soda bread ice cream, which was a wonderful blend of flavours and textures. The wine pairings were very well matched to the dishes. I also appreciated the nicely laundered large linen napkins that we had. The restaurant had a nice ambience, with interesting subtle music which we enjoyed. Our waitresses were very friendly and informative, carefully explaining the dishes and the wines to us upon arrival. The service was excellent. We had a very enjoyable experience, and after this first visit will go back again when next in Porthleven."

Les Enfants Terribles

Les Enfants Terribles

➤ 19 Custom House Quay, Weymouth I-DT4 8BG, United Kingdom

Mexican • Asiatic • European • Fast Food


"We were in Weymouth! It was the last evening of October 2023! It was raining and blowing a hoolie! That is until we entered ‘Les Enfants Terribles’! We were met by Chef Eric and immediately transported to a sultry romantic evening somewhere in France! It was warm and inviting, with the lighting, the music and the aroma of French cooking! We were shown to our table by Kieran our brilliant waiter for the evening, where we ordered a beautiful bottle of Merlot. My partner chose the seafood soup from the 3 course set menu starters and I opted for the grilled squid on a bed of chickpeas! Both starters were cooked to perfection and delicious. Another glass of Merlot and on to the main courses! My partner choosing the Portland crab with tomato salad and fries which she adored! My choice was Chef Eric’s signature dish of whole Seabass fillets with leeks, carrots Fennel and white wine, cooked and served in foil, which was the finest fish dish I have ever eaten! Desserts were chocolate cheesecake and a calvados based liqueur coffee to finish off a fantastic experience, with the stars of the show being the Seabass and Grilled squid! Chef Eric was on hand to answer our questions regarding his food and showed genuine interest in us! Kieran, our waiter, being so attentive and professional made our dining experience a joy! Thank you again Chef Eric and his team!"

Hispania

Hispania

➤ 74 Lombard Street, London, EC3V9AY, EC3V 9AY, United Kingdom

Tapas • Vegan • Spanish • European


"Bang average overpriced food unfortunately. Nice location and very clean with good atmosphere I was looking forward to bringing one of my best clients here for lunch. We ordered two glasses of Albariño with our dinner. Waitress came back to say they had run out so we ordered her recommendation instead. She re appeared with a magnum sized bottle and poured my clients glass first then started my glass only for it to run out after a few short dribbles……she apologised and then came back with another Magnum sized bottle only for it to run out AGAIN before my glass has reached the right level. Watched her serve other people before finally returning to complete my glass I asked if she could also top up my guests glass as she had taken a few sips whilst we waiting ages for my glass she refused saying she will have to charge extra!! So this set the tone for our meal embarrassing stuff. Then the waitress took our napkins away before the food came I only realised this half way through when I wanted to dab my mouth. The food was nice enough but maybe the above soured the taste my client did remark the food can remarkably quick for a restaurant it is like to have been ready in a selection on the pass which is maybe understandable but with fish it’s not good enough. We will not be back and I still owe my client a decent lunch there are countless in the area but I wanted to try somewhere I had not been my mistake."