Guest Review: Ronni Ancona

SCOTT’S 

MAYFAIR & ST JAMES’S

I love seafood & had some beautifully cooked fish here. My husband took me as a treat on a birthday & after the initial disappointment of discovering that they didn’t do fish fingers of the yellow, frozen variety, I had a truly fabulous time. The walls are hung with some wonderful works, & the atmosphere manages to be chic, yet warm & inviting at the same time.

COOL MONKEY NOTTING HILL

6 Clarendon Road, W11 3AA; 020 7727 3330

A simple little eatery that serves highly authentic & totally delicious Thai food. Unlike many Thai restaurants these days, it doesn’t compromise to fit in with blander European tastes. My personal favourite is ‘monkey seaview’, a sublime dish of seafood which is stir-fried with such an abundance of Thai herbs, lemongrass & basil that it just explodes with flavour.

OXFORD ARMS OXFORDSHIRE

Troy Lane, Kirtlington, Oxfordshire, OX5 3HA; 01869 350208

This is a lovely, cosy & unpretentious pub with a very inviting fire & excellent hearty, robust food. They use lots of fresh local produce & have a small but serious wine list. A particularly tasty Cornish mackerel stands out in my memory: it was chatting me up at the bar as I remember… as I say, a serious wine list!

Comedian, impressionist & actor Ronni Ancona is best known for her work with Alistair McGowan on the BBC’s BAFTA-winning sketch show The Big Impression. Ronni’s book (co-written with Alistair McGowan), A Matter of Life and Death, or How to Wean a Man off Football, is published by Faber at £12.99.