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Latteria

Latteria

56-58 Essex Road, London I-, United Kingdom

Cafe • Drinks • Brunch • Italian


"Latteria is open daily for breakfast and lunch from Monday and offers late dinner service from Thursday to Saturday. As a nod to Italy, we ordered an "Aperol Spritz" (£8.50), which we enjoyed immensely. The menu features other Italian-inspired cocktails like "Mojito Milan" and an extensive selection of Italian wines and coffee. It’s hard to beat Italian cuisine, and Latteria represents its country’s culinary tradition very well. We started with a delicious rosemary garlic focaccia (£5), which was crispy and flavorful. We also had a lentil salad with green apple, cucumber, and datterino tomatoes (£8.50) that was a delightful surprise! The combination of simple ingredients created amazing flavors, showcasing the essence of good Italian cooking. We particularly enjoyed how the fresh apple complemented the rich lentils. For our main courses, we tried the tagliatelle pomodoro, which is served in a classic tomato sauce with fresh basil (£7.50). This vegetarian dish can easily be made vegan by substituting the pasta. Once again, the dish relied on simple ingredients, resulting in a wonderfully fresh and tasty meal. We also opted for the chicken Milanese served with rocket salad and fries (£13). It was impressively large, but we polished it off quickly! The breadcrumb coating was crispy without being greasy, and the chicken was tender and flavorful. The salad was fresh, and the fries were excellent. We couldn’t resist trying the house-made profiteroles (£5), and we were so glad we did. They were perfect choux pastries filled with fresh cream and drizzled with chocolate—simply heavenly! Overall, Latteria is a bright and lively Italian restaurant in Islington, offering high-quality food and service. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. Just a short walk from Angel Station, it sits at the heart of Milan-inspired dining! I highly recommend it for a delightful meal."

Queens Head

Queens Head

6 Sandgate, Berwick-upon-Tweed, United Kingdom, TD15 1EP, Berwick-Upon-Tweed

Cafés • Seafood • European • Vegetarian


"Absolutely terrible! We were partly to blame for not recognizing the warning signs and continuing to order at this 'restaurant', despite all indications that it would be a bad experience. Even the lady at the lovely B&B where we were staying tried to warn us. When we mentioned we had booked a table at the Queens Head for dinner, she looked surprised and mentioned that if we didn't like anything on the menu, they could always make us sausage and chips. That should have been warning sign number one! We had booked a table based on the promise of 'quality' food and a fine dining experience, but when we arrived, the waitress seemed uninterested, didn't acknowledge our booking, and didn't even ask for our name. She directed us to a table with a chair practically on top of a fire hydrant and asked if it would be suitable. Warning sign number two! The laminated menu on our table had photos of cheap 'sharing nibble plates' for £2.50, and the rest of the menu consisted mainly of dirty fries and nachos. Warning sign number three! The waitress was clueless about the menu and unhelpful when we asked questions. When we asked about the chicken curry, she simply said it was 'just chicken' and when asked about side dishes, she just said 'vegetables'. When we asked what kind of vegetables, she gave us a confused shrug and said, 'they are just vegetables!' Warning sign number four! The carrot and coriander soup was the best dish we had, but the Salmon and Dill Fish cake starter was obviously a cheap frozen fish cake fried to death with a grey, fishless middle. The Vegetable Curry was flavorless and served so hot it was almost boiling, with a side of dry white rice. The Chicken Breast was cooked decently but served on slightly raw potato stacks. Most of the food seemed reheated. To top it off, the prices were astronomical - £10.95 for the fish cake starter, £23.95 for the chicken, and £17.95 for the curry - all steep prices for such poor quality food. We didn't stay for dessert. The bill came to nearly £70 for 2 courses and 2 drinks, which was the final insult. Not one waitress checked on our food, and when I left half of my main course untouched, she abruptly asked if I was finished and cleared our plates. Don't be fooled by the website promising a top-quality experience - steer clear of this place."

Cafe Grand At Grasmere

Cafe Grand At Grasmere

Red Bank Road, LA22 9PU, South Lakeland, United Kingdom

Food • Steak • Lodging • British


"Pros: -The facility is great. The hotel is very new, has air conditioning, and comfortable seating in the common area. The bathrooms and beds were all very comfortable. -The breakfast was of high quality with a lot of variety included in the breakfast package. -The location is perfect. It is a 3-minute walk from the town center, yet far enough away to offer beautiful views and peaceful mornings. Cons: -The establishment seemed to be understaffed or provide poor service. It was unclear whether the service was lacking or if they were simply short-staffed. There was never anyone at the front desk to offer basic tourist information. When we checked in late at 10pm, we found ourselves locked out with no staff visible, even though their email stated that check-in was possible until 12am. We had to call their emergency cell to get someone to the front desk. Additionally, during our first breakfast, we were questioned multiple times about our stay and room information. It seemed that the restaurant used to be open to the public, which is no longer the case. However, I did not see them questioning other guests as much as they did to us. We were the only non-white guests that I saw, which may have been a factor. However, the next morning, they recognized us and we had no further issues with the service. -There is no elevator. It is questionable to label yourself as "luxury" when guests are placed on the third floor and have to carry their luggage up two flights of very narrow, winding stairs. They did assist my elderly aunt, but did not offer help to the rest of us. Overall, it was an average experience. I enjoyed the rooms and the location, but I believe I could find better service and experience elsewhere. There are many charming inns in the area, so I would recommend choosing another option."

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."