February 5, 2016

Garson’s Restaurant Revisited

After attending the official launch of Garson’s Restaurant, I was so impressed and intrigued that I hurried back to see how it was on a regular business day.

As I’ve just blogged about it so recently, I won’t regurgitate the same thing again, but you can read the details of the new restaurant on my post Garson’s Restaurant official opening/

Daylight photos give you a much better sense of the space, of the glass ceilings and the impressive central glass lantern. (Bizarrely in the photo it looks like half the lights are burnt out, but I promise they were all on.)

In summer, the glass walls will fold back, blending the strawberry picking fields with the restaurant.

We visited on Sunday, probably arriving about one thirty. The restaurant was very nearly full. There was a nice background buzz but it wasn’t noisy, we could easily have a conversation and hear ourselves without having to strain, possibly because of the slant of the ceiling.

Outside is still a work in progress, which will no doubt be finished in time for summer. The area overlooks the strawberry picking area and fields to the right. (I didn’t photograph them because the work being done didn’t make for a pretty picture.)

There are tons of goodies to tempt you, for dessert or if you’re only coming for coffee.

All staff members we dealt with were cheery and friendly. A staff member was greeting guests at the door, to help people navigate the new restaurant. Tables seemed to be promptly cleared.

Order at the central cash area then take your fancy gadget to a table, it sends a signal out so the waitstaff can easily find you (the wooden spoon of the 21st century.)

We were shock when our food arrived shortly after we’d ordered it. I’d barely sat down from nosing around when it came.

For lunch, Jman had the Hot steak & cheese ciabatta erved with sweet potato fries & house slaw £8.95. He loved it, the beef was really tender, good slaw and nice sweet potato fries.

Being Sunday, I went for the Roast chicken & stuffing served with roast potatoes, carrots, green beans, Yorkshire pudding and gravy £9.95. Wow, I was really surprised at the quality of the food. Fresh thyme and even half a bulb of garlic was on my plate along with with food, and the flavours were definitely apparent. A real man sized portion, there’s no way I could have finished it. What excellent value for money.

Garson’s Restaurant definitely didn’t disappoint in the daylight. It’s a lovely spot with a great sense of light that serves up great food. I most definitely be returning.

Winterdown Road,West End, Esher, Surrey, KT10 8LS
http://www.garsons.co.uk/
Dogs welcomed in designated areas (inside and out)

January 22, 2016

Garson’s Restaurant

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the new restaurant at Garson’s Farm in Esher’s West End official opening. I don’t know if you’ve eaten at Garson’s in the past, but throw all those memories of boring out the window, this new restaurant is sure to become a destination lunch spot in Surrey.

Housed in a brand new show stopping building, the octagonal room reminiscent of a city market, complete with art deco steel framework. Highlight is the raised octagonal lantern in the centre of the room, punctuated with a huge chandelier.

Only a small section of roof over the entire room isn’t glass. Retractable glass doors on four sides of the octagon fully open in summer, giving access to the patio and views over their fields down to the River Mole.

Interestingly, they’d laid 8km of pipes underneath their fields, and that provides geothermal heat for the restaurant and heats the water used in the kitchen and restrooms.

It’s a huge space. Inside, seating is a mix of comfy booths and traditional country style tables, broken up around the large space with accented seating areas of banquettes and mood lit tables.

Outside is a huge patio area for al fresco dining in warmer months.

We sampled a variety of delicious canapes.

The menu changes seasonally. All food is prepared fresh onsite. Often using ingredients grown onsite and picked that morning. Most baked goods baked onsite, including scones and tray bakes. Even Scotch Eggs and some breads are made onsite.

What isn’t made onsite is sourced locally as much as possible (local bakeries, etc.) Meat is sourced form a local butcher.

We sampled miniature versions of several dishes form the menu, (fish & chips, macaroni and cheese, burger with stilton, beef brisket and mash.) They were all tasty, my favourite was the mac and cheese, it was nice and creamy with lots of flavour.

Garson's Farm Restaurant beef brisket

The menu offers an assortment of dishes, from salads (£6.95), sandwiches (£5.25-£7.45) and jacket potatoes (6.95-7.95) to full meals (£7.95-£9.75) and sharing platters (£11.25). Kids options are pick n mix lunch boxes (£4.55) and hot meals (£4.95).

Traditional Sunday lunches (£9.95), a selection of meats plus vegetarian option (can accommodate Vegans if advanced notice is given.)

Breakfast is served until 11:30, for which there’s a good selection to choose from, from a make your own smoothie bar (£2.95 adults) to a full farmhouse breakfast (£6.95 meat or vegetarian).

Order at the counter and food is brought to your table.

We sampled a few of the sweet treats, including a mouthwateringly delicious crumble.

Perhaps most exciting of all (for my Canadian guests anyway) is the Garson’s afternoon tea, three tiers of goodies, £12.95 for two people, or with prosecco £17.95 for two people.

There’s also a daily selection of all sorts of treats, displayed on the counter.

Garson's Farm Restaurant sweet treats, cupcakes

Unfortunately the local council won’t give them permission to open in the evenings so they close at 5.30 (4.30 in winter excluding Christmas) Monday through Saturday and 4.45 on Sundays (year round.)

I’ve got to say, I’m really glad I live ten minutes away and most definitely will be visiting. Even if you’re not so close, Garson’s is well worth an outing. I have every confidence the new Garson’s Restaurant will be a game changer for the local area.

Reservations accepted (and best advised if you have dietary needs – inform them ahead of time to be catered for.)

Winterdown Road,West End, Esher, Surrey, KT10 8LS
http://www.garsons.co.uk/
Dogs welcomed in designated areas (inside and out)

November 19, 2015

Naturally Chinese Restaurant

Intrigued by Naturally Chinese Restaurant’s boasts of healthy Chinese food, my husband and our two kids visited for my second birthday dinner (I know, right).

Far beyond claims of no MSG, Naturally Chinese in Surbiton, set menus have been put together with the aid of nutritionists for feel good, detox and natural balance. There’s a huge number of vegetarian dishes as well as a large gluten free menu.

Inside is huge. The back corner (pictured) is the most charming section of the restaurant. That big circular table in the corner under the huge light well is the prized place you want to sit, unfortunately our server wouldn’t let me sit there.

The menu is large and enticing, a mix of some standards and some more interesting sounding dishes. I would have liked more direction from our server in the way of recommendations but eventually we narrowed down our selections.

To start, Jman and daughter 1 shared the tasting platter with raw mixed vegetable salad, marinated chicken satay skewers, spare ribs in capital sauce, crispy prawn rolls, shredded chicken smoked with beechwood £17.80. I, of course, helped them eat it. One taste of the smoked chicken and it was impossible to resist going back for more.

For starters, daughter two and I shared the Steamed dim sum platter crystal prawn dumplings, prawn and chive dumplings, spicy mixed vegetable dumplings, salmon dumplings with grounded peppercorns £11.20 (prepared on site). They were lovely and light with no shortage of flavour.

In typical Chinese fashion, we shared several dishes for the main course.

I chose Chicken with shredded sweet peppers, spring onions and fresh chilli in satay sauce £7.90 This was absolutely delicious, the chicken was tender and moist and the flavours were great.

Jman chose a more traditional Crispy shredded beef £8.10. It might not have fit with my healthy Chinese restaurant choice but it sure was tasty.

Wanting vegetables for my family, I ordered Pak choy £6.40 stir fried in fresh garlic flakes. I was the only one that ate any. I love love pak choy and that’s exactly what it was.

Lastly we had an order of Special fried rice £6.60 peass, shrimps and roast pork and chicken. Yep, very nice special fried rice with good quality ingredients.

They did have some interesting sounding desserts but a birthday cake was waiting for me at home.

Overall I enjoyed the Natural Chinese Restaurant and would like to return for Dim Sum (they even run Dim Sum classes, if you want to make your own). It was definitely a cut above your bog standard Chinese.

59-63 Brighton Road, Surbiton, Surrey, KT6 5LR
www.naturallychineserestaurant.co.uk/
Street parking

November 6, 2015

Riverside Restaurant

I love the view across the Thames from East Molesey, forget the beautiful bridge or the palace in the background, it’s the boats and the Cartlon Mitre building with the grand semi circle of windows jutting out over the Thames I adore. I’ve often wondered what it’s like on the other side of those windows and now I was about to find out.

The Riverside Restaurant in the Carlton Mitre opposite Hampton Court Palace has a new chef and all new menu. I was excited to visit the restaurant for my birthday. The entrance is to the left of the main hotel entrance.

We sat in the big circular room overhanging the river, it’s a room rich in wood and cosy lighting, plus one of the biggest rot iron chandeliers I’ve ever seen. A roaring fire and light music completes the atmosphere and make it a perfect setting for a grey winter’s ay.

Outside a patio is tucked between the building, the hotel and the Thames. You could practically dip your toes in the water while you ate. This is one of the best riverside al fresco dining areas around, shame my visit was in November.

Downstairs is a brasserie with it’s own riverside patio if you are looking for more casual dining.

The restaurant also serves full afternoon tea, complete with divine homemade macaroons.

Service is friendly and sophisticated. The menu is modern English with a few twists. There’s lots of fish options and any dietary needs are catered for.

To begin we had Marinate olives with homemade bread, balsamic & aged olive oil £6.00. Our selection was (left to right) soda, Guinness and sun-dried tomato. One bite and we knew we were in trouble. The bread was outrageously good. Forget leaving room for more courses, we couldn’t stop eating it. The Guinness was my favourite, all malty goodness.

For starters, J man opted for the Soup of the day £5.95, which was Celeriac. He really enjoyed the soup once, it had a nice texture and flavour. Again was unable to resist eating the homemade bread.

I started with the Beetroot marinated salmon, capers, watercress, lemon alioli, homemade brown bread £8.50. This is one of my dream dishes and it didn’t disappoint. I loved it, though to be truthful I didn’t dare taste the bread for fear of being unable to stop eating it. I gave it to Jman, who ate it, silly boy.

For mains Jman had the Whole roast plaice, samphire, brown shrimps, beluga lentils, anchovy & Chervil butter £15.00. I don’t know why he was surprised when it came with a head, it clearly says whole on the menu. Nevermind, once he got over it the fish was perfectly cooked, nice and moist and the accoutrements made it a tasty dish. Most important of all he was able to finish the whole dish after all the bread.

For my main I was intrigued to try the Duck ‘Shepherds’ Pie’, seasonal vegetables £13.50. Wow, I couldn’t believe the size of it when it arrived at the table. Even if I hadn’t stuffed myself with bread, olives and salmon there’s no way I could eat this American sized portion. You may think the dish looks big enough but it was packed full of duck, no mash filler here. The price per pound of food is a steal. As for the food itself, the duck was tender and delicious and the steamed vegetables were lovely.

It was my birthday and I wasn’t about to let a little issue like being thoroughly stuffed get between me and dessert. Still, I had to concede something and we opted to share a Riverside Fumble, peaches, vanilla custard & marscapone, granola crumble, £6.50. What a perfect way to end the meal, it was light and refreshing, a real palate cleanser and exactly my kind of treat.

We throughly enjoyed our meal at the Riverside Restaurant. It’s a great option for both cosy winter indoor and sunny summer al fresco dining in Surrey.

Riverside Restaurant, Carlton Mitre Hotel, Hampton Court Road, Hampton Court, East Molesey, KT8 9BN
www.carlton.nl/mitre/restaurants-en.html
Small car park, can double park if you leave your keys with the concierge, also a few pay and display spots alternatively use the car park at Hampton Court station.

We were guests of Riverside Restaurant but this is no way biased my review.

October 14, 2015

Castello

Esher has yet another new restaurant. Castello has taken on the old Piccolo spot. Having made big improvements to the site, they opened their doors on September 18th. Some of you may be familiar with Castello as they used to have a location in Old Shepperton, which they have shifted to Esher. It’s an independent husband and wife team and they have one other location in Windsor.

The interior is now all on one level and it works so much better. Décor is bright and cheery. When we visited it was packed giving a great bustling feeling but we still able to have a comfortable conversation without struggling to hear each other.

Staff are friendly and welcoming.

The regular menu is pasta and pizza as well as standard mains, including a steak section. A specials menu has several choices of starters, mains and desserts – it could actually pass for a full menu on its own. There’s also a £9.95 daily lunch menu that includes a glass of wine/beer.

All food is prepared fresh onsite to order.

To start Jman ordered from the specials menu, New Zealand mussles tipped with garlic butter and parmesan – finished under grill £7.50 They were massive, which he loved because it was less effort on his part. You know they were tasty because he was trying to shovel one into my mouth before I’d even picked up my fork.

I’m boringly predictable and obviously couldn’t resist the Calamari served with tartar sauce and leaf salad £6.50. Lightly battered and tender insides plus an actual salad instead of a bit of lettuce for garnish. This would make a tasty complete lunch, yes, I think I will…

In the interest of not duplicating dishes, for a main we fought over who got the daily special of Pan seared cod wrapped in bacon served with garlic crushed new potatoes, Mediterranean vegetables & Pinot Grigio cream sauce with prawns £14.95. He won. And he relished every bite.

I chose another dish from the specials menu, Pan fried seabass fillets with saffron risotto, courgette and minted yoghurt £16.50. I didn’t feel too hard done to in missing out on the cod. The fish was perfectly cooked with crispy skin. I couldn’t get enough of the courgettes and the risotto was nice and creamy.

As much as I was enjoying the food and ambiance, this hobby is making me fat so I elected to pass on dessert, despite some yummy sounding home made ones.

Castello sits well along other restaurants in Esher. It’s a smaller, more intimate family affair serving up great freshly prepared food and an excellent choice for a grown up meal.

10 High St, Esher, Surrey KT10 9RT
castellorestaurant.co.uk
Sandown car park is closest car park

We were guests of Castello but this is no way biased my review.

October 4, 2015

Tante Marie

You may have heard of the esteemed Tante Marie culinary school in Woking, in April they opened a restaurant in Woking town centre. As it’s Tante Marie, this isn’t your regular restaurant, everyone working here has completed the Cordon Bleu diploma and is studying for an advanced hospitality management diploma. Meaning the cooking, serving, cleaning and admin is all done by students.

It’s a brand new building with a nice modern interior, a splash of colour and snazzy finishing touches complete the space. A good amount of other diners creates atmosphere. A large patio area is in front on the pedestrianised shopping street – it’s nice to see Woking town centre being transformed and this area now has a great bustling vibe.

Service is very professional and discreet, worthy of a much higher standard of establishment.

Shortly after arriving some popcorn appeared on the table, which we enjoyed munching on while making our selections.

Menus change constantly. The lunch menu features a soup of the day, salad of the day, a tart of the day, a dish of the day plus tapas syle dishes. We opted for the smaller tapas dishes in order to try more types of food.

Dishes arrived as they were ready. The first to come was the Smoked mackerel pate, croutes £4.50. It was tasty.

Next came the lightly dressed Caesar salad £3.50, although there was a splodge of dressing near the bottom.

We also had Spring vegetables beignets & caper mayo £4.50, I quite liked the mayo.

And super tender Chicken goujons, chive cream £6.00.

Lastly we had two portions of the Charred peach, crispy prosciutto, mozzarella £4.50. This dish was excellent, there were tons of textures and flavours that all complemented one another. I wished the other dishes, while good, were as exciting as this one. Possibly my choices were limited by my dislike of crab and my squeamishness about eating rabbit.

To finish we split a dessert – Pistachio meringue & fresh fruit £4.00. Again the dish was nice.

Overall the food was good, it’s well worth trying out. You might even be inspired to take one of the day or weekend courses offered in the display kitchen beside the dining area.

59-61 Commercial Way, Woking, Surrey, GU21 6HN
www.tantemarierestaurant.co.uk
Town car park

August 7, 2015

Emlyn Restaurant at Burford Bridge Mercure

I could scarcely imagine a more beautiful English setting. Snug in the beautiful Surrey Hills is an ancient hotel at the foot of Surrey’s crowning glory, Box Hill. Better yet, inside that hotel is Emlyn Restaurant, serving contemporary British cuisine.

It suffered badly in the floods of 2013/14, with water over a metre deep destroying everything. As a result the hotel and restaurant closed for nine months while the interior was completely resuscitated in very up to date, stylish furnishings and décor.

It’s a lovely sedate space with a few clever nods to its 760 years of history. Entrance chairs are printed in Keats’ poem Endymion, which was penned in the hotel. A quote from Jane Austen’s Emma on picnicking in Box Hill graces the dining room wall. Perhaps most interesting of all is a wall print at reception of one of the placemats Lord Nelson gave to the hotel during his illicit last stay with his mistress Lady Hamilton, immediately before departing to what became the battle of Trafalgar.

We started with a relaxing drink in the bar. Often old buildings are cramped and dark feeling, but all areas are open, airy and bright and the bar gets the last of the evening sun.

To the rear of the building is the al fresco seating area with superb views of Box Hill, the view that inspired so many of its poet guests in the past.

Emyln Restaurant is through a ‘tunnel’, giving it a sense of separation from the hotel. Nick Sinclair joined as head chef shortly after the re-opening and has lots of enthusiasm and big plans for making his mark on the Surrey dining scene.

The dining room is a bright space with well spaced tables and of course, all brand new furnishings.

Regarding the service, an old-school ornery couple sitting near us were challenging and it was interesting for me to see how the staff dealt with them. The servers bent over backwards to please them, despite the couple have no cause to complain they complained loudly and repeatedly about everything and anything.

Essentially the man was outraged that garlic bread wasn’t on the menu. Staff, always smiling, arranged with the kitchen to get him some garlic bread, at which point he loudly declared he also needed marmite butter – and they got him some. Clearly the staff are both friendly and accommodating, and more patient than I could ever be (this is admittedly a low bar.)

Menus change regularly and use seasonal ingredients sourced, when possible, by local suppliers. Head Chef Nick Sinclair has big plans for the hotel grounds and is in the process of creating a kitchen garden complete with beehives and a smoke house, can’t get much more fresh than that.

Everything is prepared onsite daily, including bread, ice cream and smoked items.

There’s a choice of an a la carte menu, a market menu (which is a weekly set two £19.95 or three £23.95 course meal) and a £55 six course tasting menu (regular or vegetarian). Check their website for special offers. As we were staying in the hotel we were both able to indulge in the tasting menu with wine matchings £90.

Bread arrived first, with regular, poppy seed and balsamic butters. Mmm, balsamic and butter is a new love of mine!

For a canape we were brought a ham hock terrine with pistachios, carrot puree and edible flower. It was certainly one of the more manly amuse bouches I’ve had and marked the first of a string of delightful surprises that evening.

First up was Peas & cheese Lanchasire Bomb gnocchi, variations of peas, hazelnuts paired with Faustino V Rioja Blanco Viura) I had to google what Lancashire Bomb is, it’s a cheese that looks like a bomb from a Road Runner cartoon. Lots of combinations of tastes and textures here. The gnocchi and parmesan sponge were a wonderful combo. A very tasty introduction to our meal.

The next course was Black Bream, cauliflower, coconut, crispy oyster, ponzu dressing paired with Dashwood sauvignon blanc. Somehow incomprehensible to me I don’t have any photos of it, despite my religion of taking photos of everything I ever eat. Let me describe it to you: scrummy. The cauliflower came several different ways. One of those was smoked in hay, it was beyond good, I would have been completely happy to have nothing but a giant bowl of it for dinner. And the wine was so nice that I went home and ordered a case.

Next came Quail, morels, black garlic, spinach, mustard seeds, baby turnip, onion popcorn. I found each of the dish to be treasure troves of different flavours and textures and this was my favourite dish in that regards. I hadn’t read the descriptions ahead of time, and had a moment of glee when I discovered the popcorn on my plate.

For the finale of the savouries, Hay smoked sirloin, Jacobs Ladder, onions, horseradish, ale paired with Vina Pomal Centernario Rioja Reserva. Again everything was super tasty and interesting. I’m getting really into this hay smoking, I hope it’s the next big wave in food.

The first of the desserts, Chai Tea Panna Cotta, honey, apricots, pistachios. Super refreshing and light, a perfect segue from the savouries to the sweets. It was one of those food tricks, where by appearance you were expecting savoury and you’re not familiar with the flavours but then it was sweet, but not too sweet. I loved it.

The nice thing about this point in the evening is that we were still feeling comfortable, not overly stuffed when the final course arrived. Strawberries and Cream, Champagne consomme, clotted cream, basil sponge paired with Muscat De Baumes de Venise, Cave des Vignerons. Another visual and yummy delight, with the most adorable little macaroons.

It’s apparent that each of the dishes had lots of complex cooking techniques put into them, it all came together to create a truly enjoyable meal. At £55 this tasting menu represents incredible value, you can imagine what a comparable meal in London goes for. I do wonder what will happen to prices when word gets around, you should go now before it’s found out.

Bonus, the breakfast the following morning was excellent as well, one of the better hotel breakfast’s I’ve had.

Dinner and a stay at the Burford Bridge Mercure is a perfect spot for a getaway in the countryside. Some nice hiking around Box Hill followed by a dip in the hotel pool topped by a superb meal, what more could you ask for? Even if you don’t stay over, Emlyn Restaurant is well worth seeking out.

At the Foot of Box Hill, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6BX
www.emlynrestaurant.co.uk
Hotel Website
Car park

We were guests of Emlyn and Burford Bridge Mercure but this is no way biased my review.

July 29, 2015

Strada Cobham

I’d eaten at Strada in Cobham a few years ago yet wasn’t drawn back for a second visit. When they invited me to come for dinner I admit, I was a bit dubious. But big changes have happened.

The hedgefund owners have sold to a passionate individual (Hugh Osmond, who famously floated Pizza Express). Upon taking over he said “The menu will be seriously up-dated. The quality of ingredients and food will be dramatically improved. And there will be a major investment in the premises, giving a very different ambience.” (more about the takeover) As part of the revamp, 43 of the 83 locations have been closed.

New improved Strada has wisely changed to using smaller, higher quality suppliers who make regular deliveries. Fresh fish arrives daily and beef is now raised on their own farm in Halifax. Everything is now prepared fresh to order

The interior hasn’t changed yet but the interior was never the issue. Décor is reminiscent of Mad Men, with lots of nods to mid century modern ideals. The space is huge – 140 covers – but broken into smaller areas that keep noise to an ideal level, not too loud and not too quiet.

It will be interesting to see what the “very different ambience” will be but it’s not know yet when Cobham will get the refurb. Regardless, it’s a easy space to spend time in.

Having already undergone a menu overhaul, another new, smaller a la carte menu is expected in October. There’s also a set menu that changes monthly. It’s Italian, offering pastas and pizzas along with a good assortment of meat and fish dishes.

Service is friendly and efficient.

We started with yummy warm Garlic flatbread with rosemary £4.95 and some plump olives.

We moved on to the mammoth Antipasti for two £12.95 Prosciutto di Para, Salami Napoli, speck, tomato bruschetta, rocket, buffalo mozzarella, artichokes and tapenade with a few additions for us to try-

crispy calamari (always a treat and this was no exception) and a Prosciutto Involtini Prosciutto di Parma, rocket, mozzarella and sticky balsamic (front corner). I’d never had a cold Involtini but I loved it, as a non tomato eater it was such a treat! It’s currently available on the set menu, and I highly recommend it as a starter.

The antipasti platter itself was feast, full of fresh tasting goodies and more than enough for two people.

For our next course the lovely, passionate manager brought us an assortment of dishes to sample:

(Front) Risotto Primavera (vegetarian & gluten free) £11.75 creamy risotto rice with peas, green & soya beans, courgette, mint, lemon and Grana Padano Creamy isn’t how I would describe this risotto, it was nice and light and not at all stodgy. The veg was lightly steamed tasting. Even Jman enjoyed it, and he likes neither rice nor vegetables.

(Left) Orecchiette Pugliese £11.45 “little ear” pasta with Luganega sausage, pancetta, chilli, tenderstem broccoli and Gran Padano Not only is cute little adorable shapes, it’s tasty too. A nice amount of heat and, again, a sense of freshness of ingredients.

(Right) Tagliatelle Bolognese £10.75 fresh tagliatelle tossed in a rich ragu sauce with Grana Padano and extra virgin olive oil It’s nice to get a more traditional tagliatelle over the spaghetti noodle in this perfectly good version of the spag bol.

(Rear) Rigatoni Carbonara £11.95 crispy pancetta, black pepper and lemon in a rich Grana Padano sauce This was utterly divine. We both loved it the most of the four dishes and this is what I will have on my next visit.

We were getting nicely full by this point but were enjoying the food so didn’t let that stop us from having another course (yes, I’m sacrificing my waistline for you.)

Jman opted for the 8oz sirloin Steak £17.95 with peppercorn sauce and fries which was tender and juicy, just the way a steak should be. It’s very good value for the quality of the steak.

I had the Sea Bass to test out the new, freshly delivered fish on the menu. Sea Bass £13.95 fresh sea bass, pan-fried and served on basil mashed potatoes, black olive, tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil. (I went with rosemary potatoes instead of mashed.) What can I say, it passed. Fresh tasting, perfectly cooked and, again, was good value.

We shared the Rosemary Potatoes £3.75. These, like the rest of our food, were really nice, good flavours and a generous portion.

At this point we were getting really full so decided to share one dessert. We were recommended the Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake £5.75, baked lemon, marscapone and crushed amaretti biscuits. Wow. And wow again. This was glorious. Possibly the best cheesecake I’ve had in the UK, and it comes from Cardiff. Who would have thought. The supplier is a small Italian family business and my goodness I hope they start selling at supermarkets. If you’re looking for an afternoon coffee and sweet in Cobham this is what you’re looking for.

Strada has really seemed to turn a corner. Take freshly prepared food with good quality ingredients plus enthusiastic staff and you really can’t go wrong. I’m a convert and look forward to seeing the new menu and interior.

13-15 Between Street, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 1AA
www.strada.co.uk/italian-restaurant/cobham
Town car park

Strada also has Surrey locations in Kingston and Richmond

We were guests of Strada Cobham but this is no way biased our review.

May 31, 2015

1907 Restaurant Bar & Grill

Another wedding anniversary – our second under the blog. This time I was keen to try out the 1907 Restaurant, Bar & Grill at Brooklands Hotel in the Brooklands area of Weybridge.

Opened in 2010, it’s located beside Mercedes Benz World and Brooklands museum. Perhaps appropriately, it features large windows overlooking the car park that did indeed hold a large number of Mercedes cars.

Inside is smart and stylish with large areas for the restaurant and bar. I love being greeted with fresh flowers, it automatically puts me in a good mood. The atmosphere was buzzing the Saturday night we were there and made for an almost exciting vibe.

The large bar area tastefully decorated with nods to the period of Brooklands’ heyday, including some big old shiny propellors down the middle of the seating.

The menu had something for everyone, with some nice sounding embellishments in each dish.

Service was near perfection. Our waiter was everything you could hope for – helpful, friendly, relaxed and professional. He definitely added immensely to our experience, plus he picked me a really fab wine.

To start Jman had the Seasonal soup freshly prepared vegetarian soup £6.95, that came with a show of pouring it into the bowl at the table. You may be aware of my note taking ability, so I don’t know what type it was but it was do know it was delicious with layers of flavours and a delightful cheese straw.

I obviously chose the Pan fried scallops & glazed pork belly puree of cauliflower & golden raisin £10.95. I wasn’t convinced by the pork belly, too well done for my tastes, but the scallops were super tasty, the puree and raisin added to the dish.

For his main Jman made the manly man choice of 225g 28 day aged sirloin steak, crispy chips, roast tomato, grill flat mushroom, red onion marmalade plus choice of sauce (he picked hollandaise) £34.00 . The steak might not look like much in the photo but it was seared perfectly and nice and juicy on the inside. The sauce was good, as were all the accompaniments.

For my main I went for the Pan roast loin of cod fennel & baby spinach, potato rosti, capers & lemon £18.95. OMG that was one huge piece of fish, incredibly generous on their part but there was just no way I could manage to eat it all even if I hadn’t just finished a starter course. The fish was nicely cooked, though the fennel was a little overpowering, more in texture than taste.

We shared dessert because, though full of cod, I wasn’t quite ready to leave. We opted to share Mille Feuille salty crunchy peanut butter & parline cream, orange & chilli compote £7.00. There was a bit of a delay but our exceptional server brought us some sorbet while we waited. Well this arrived it sure didn’t last long. For two people that were supposedly full we inhaled it and all its peanut butter goodness. Yum.

I really enjoyed the 1907 Restaurant at Brooklands Hotel. Lots of atmosphere and some great food made for a perfect place to celebrate a wedding anniversary.

Brooklands Hotel, Brooklands Drive, Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 0SL
www.1907restaurant.co.uk
Car park

March 8, 2015

Olivo

A family outing to see I need a Doctor: The Whosical at the Yvonne Arnaud theatre in Guildford (which I highly recommend to Dr Who fans) took me in search of a nearby restaurant. I settled on Olivo, as it’s smelt so divine every time I’ve walked past and it’s steps away from the theatre.

This is the type of olde worlde building that excites the foreigner in me. The building is a late Elizabethan timber-framed house, dating back to the early 1660’s. Nooks, crannies, beams, vaulted ceiling, stairs to various levels leading to variously sized rooms and wood floors a marble couldn’t stand still on. No decoration is need as the building shows itself but I suppose the owners feel no Italian restaurant is complete without photo montages of Italy on the wall.

The atmosphere was fabulous, Olivo was bustling but because of all the different rooms it didn’t feel loud or pressurised.

We were lucky enough to sit in the top room, where it seems the top little attic floor has been removed to create an airy vaulted ceiling obscured by horizontal beams.

I would love to have taken zillions of photos of the interior, however it was so busy and I’m too chicken to take photos with people in them. So I only managed one, in the room with the vaulted ceiling, sorry.

The menu is relatively small by Italian restaurant standards, no doubt because Olivo promises they only use fresh, quality ingredients. It’s filled with classics, but also some nice modern interpretations.

There were plenty of staff to meet its busyness. I had a little walk around to check out all the rooms and couldn’t move five feet without getting in the way of yet another scurrying server.

Jman can’t resist a calzone, particularly a meatball one. He jumped at the Calzone meatballs £10.90 folded pizza, tomato, mozzarella, spinach, onion, garlic, meatballs. It was generously portioned, could have used a wee bit more spice but overalls was quite good.

My kids each ordered the same thing, actually the same thing they order every time it’s on the menu (from the appetisers section), Calamari £5.95 deep fried, bread crumbed calamari rings, lemon, garlic and aromatic herb dressing, tartare sauce. It was tasty, a good portion considering it was a starter. Nicely flavoured dipping sauce. Of course my children didn’t let me try one, so that feedback comes straight from the mouth of a ten year old.

They did let me try their sides of chips, patatine fritte £3.00 chips. The were perfectly crisp on the outside and fluffy in the inside. And most importantly, they were the perfect dimensions – not too big and not too small, although they could do with fresher oil.

I had the Merluzzo £14.95 pan fried fillet of cod, pancetta (Italian bacon), chilli, garlic, sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes, served with crushed potatoes and leeks. The sauce was delicious, great flavours and textures with a good hint of heat, the fish was nicely cooked and the potatoes had a nice flavour that were super yummy when mixed with the sauce.

I wish we’d had more time to linger over some desserts in the great atmosphere but we had to rush off the to theatre. Olivo is a lovely gem of a restaurant that’s suitable for a myriad of occasions.

(tips, the online booking form told me the restaurant was full but it was no problem to get a table when I phoned. It’s an extremely convenient restuarant for the Yvonne Arnaud theatre.)

53 Quarry Street, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3UA
www.olivo.co.uk
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Olivo

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