Fiona's Reviews

We stayed at The Scarlet for a week recently, and had breakfast, lunch, supper and dinner in The Scarlet on various days.

The restaurant is beautifully positioned with fantastic views out over the beach and cliffs at Mawgan Porth, and a lovely terrace outside for sunny days – for views this place definitely competes with places like Vertigo, Oxo Tower, etc.

The menu changes daily for dinner, with an emphasis on fresh, locally sourced produce. It's £42 for a three course set menu, with an imaginative wine list and tonnes of wines by the glass. Breakfast also changes daily and lunch and supper are both served from an “anytime, anywhere” menu which you can have by the pool, in the bar, on the roof terrace or as room service.

I would definitely go back.

I went to B&L with a work contact who had already been on numerous occasions. As they have a no reservations policy we turned up at 12.10 and there were plenty of tables available. The crowd is a mix of work people and shoppers and there was a good buzz. The food and decor is very American.

B&L is suitable for a relaxed work lunch with a contact you know well or for dining with friends or a date with someone you know well, but not for a formal lunch or with someone you don't have an existing relationship with – cracking the claws and sucking out the meat while wearing a plastic bib is not the best look if trying to cement a new relationship!

I had the lobster and my companion had the lobster roll, which looked much easier to eat and is perhaps a better choice for dates / work lunches. Both arrived on a metal tray, mine with a reasonable portion of chips and a smallish side salad. I had my lobster steamed and it was nicely cooked – not overdone. I usually prepare my own lobsters from scratch and have a real thing about over-cooked or dried out crustaceans. The tables are very close together and the tin tray was difficult to eat from, my food kept sliding around. This isn't a big issue, just a minor frustration.

I was horrified however to hear that the lobsters are from Nova Scotia. The waitress went on to say “that's seasonal, now we're coming into Spring we'll be buying them from…” Here I waited to hear “Scotland, Ireland, Norway”. But no. Maine, New England. It is TOTALLY unnecessary to fly our tasty friends across the Atlantic and I was unimpressed. It does genuinely make me think about whether I will go back or not, which is annoying as everything else would encourage a return visit.

We went to the Nut Tree for lunch after a morning shopping in Bicester. It's about a 15 minute drive away, but feels a million miles from the hurly burly that is Bicester on a Saturday before Christmas.

Driving down winding lanes through pretty Oxfordshire villages totally erased all the shopping-induced mania , and we were thrilled when we saw the Nut Tree's pretty thatched roof and cosy interior.

The pigs in the sty in the garden are very friendly, rushing over, squealing, to be fed. Some people may be squeamish knowing that they will end up in the Nut Tree's kitchen, but it's all about provenance, and how better to know that the pork is top quality and not pumped full of antibiotics?

We were a bit disappointed to be seated in the modern extension rather than the more atmospheric original pub, but on the plus side the extension is very bright and airy so we could see the beautifully presented food better than we would have in the dark but cosy pub.

The Nut Tree's tasting menu looked lovely; the pick of the best things from the a la carte, and at £55 per person (plus £35 for matching wines) is pretty well priced compared to London.

We ate from the a la carte, with the girls having two starters after gorging ourselves on the fabulous bread (the walnut and raisin was particularly good).

The pan fried terrine of pigs head and black pudding, served with sauerkraut, piccalilli dressing and fried quails eggs was delicious and beautifully presented; meltingly soft and the gutsy piccallii cut through the dense pork flavours really nicely. The parfait of chicken livers with fig chutney and toasted brioche was rich and creamy. The grilled diver caught scallops with butternut squash puree, cavalo nero and ras al hanout caramel were plump and juicy, perfectly cooked – not at all rubbery or overdone. Lastly, the pave of Nut Tree smoked Loch Duart salmon with whipped horseradish cream, Avruga caviar and salmon skin biscuit was really good – the horseradish cream was a nice light… More

We went to the Walnut Tree for a Friday night dinner on a walking weekend in Wales. We booked at the last minute and were lucky to get a table – the Walnut Tree clearly has a great name locally and it was full and very buzzy when we were there. Unfortunately I was wearing my “stylish” walking gear – the rest of the ladies looked suitably glamorous. Next time I'll have to dress for the occasion.

We had a drink in the bar on arrival, along with a tasty appetiser (home made cheese & sesame biscuits and a warm spinach and goats cheese parcel) we had a very nice carafe of crisp Alsace pinot gris. The wine list by the glass or carafe is pretty good here – good news for drivers as it's in the middle of nowhere. The wine list is broken into three categories to help diners choose whether to try something unusual or stick with the classics.

We just had mains and dessert; I had seabass, potato cake with anchovy and green vegetables (leeks, samphire and green beans) and he had skirt of beef. The seabass was lovely and fresh in a light buttery rosemary sauce, but unfortunately the potato cake was over-salted and I couldn't finish it. The beef was melt-in-your-mouth soft and beautifully cooked.

For dessert we shared the chocolate marjolaine, which was utterly decadent, with coffee and petit fours.

We were very pleased that when the waitress noticed my potato cake wasn't eaten that she asked why. She came back from the kitchen shortly afterwards to say that they had tasted it and it was over-salted. Our dessert and coffee was on the house, which we appreciated.

We would definitely go back or recommend the Walnut Tree to friends.

We went to the Wild Garilc during a bank holiday of glamping & eating in Dorset, where fish featured heavily.

We were about half an hour late for our lunch booking as we were driving down from London and going straight to lunch in Beaminster. Being the bank holiday, traffic was woeful all the way south and we got stuck beind every caravan or tractor in England. We called the Wild Garlic in a tizzy to tell them we'd be late and asking them not to give our table away – they were a touch surprised and we remembered with glee “we're not in London anymore!”.

The restaurant is set in the pretty main square in Beaminster, and is charmingly simple inside – scrubbed table tops, fresh colours, lovely and airy. Within 5 minutes of arriving we'd forgotten all about the nasty A321 and the caravan-rage and were sipping on a lovely Chablis (the wine list is in reverse order by price, so the first thing I saw was a Puligny Montrachet – I got a bit over excited, but was persuaded that £79 a bottle wasn't a great plan as we were all expecting a long, leisurely lunch).

We had the onion tart tatin with fennel sauce and the chorizo and bean cassoulet for starters. All lip-smackingly good. The tart tatin was unusually presented – I expected the usual round flat tart with slices of onion, but it was an onion cut in half and wrapped in pastry, so a half globe on the plate. The onion was meltingly soft, and the pastry flaky and golden – yummy. I didn't notice the fennel taste, but perhaps I was too busy enjoying the chablis. The chorizo and bean cassoulet was earthy, gutsy and flavoursome.

For main course we had the whole lemon sole with seaweed, rocket and new potatoes, the whole plaice with capers, and the lamb, which I think came with a pesto and vegetables. The fish was super-fresh and super-tasty. The lamb was scoffed so quickly I didn't get a chance to taste any, but The Husband declared it “delicious”.

For dessert we shared a cheese board, and the dessert sharing platter. The dessert… More

We drove to the Crooked Billet last weekend from South West London, pooh-poohing reports of how difficult it is to find. I don't know what our SatNav was thinking but on the way there we drove down single track lanes, with grass growing in the middle, through a forest. I was dying for a bit of country air and definitely got what I asked for. On the way back we managed to stick to tarmac roads and were in Henley in about 10 minutes so I think it was just our SatNav being adventurous on the way out.

The pub is very charming, and really nicely decorated; cosy and olde worlde, but not chocolate boxy. There are picnic style tables out the front for when the English summer decides to make a fleeting appearance, and indoors has a few different areas. We had two small children in our party and were in a largish room with two other biggish groups with kids. The other areas were all grown-ups. I don't know if this was on purpose but if so it was very sensible to have all the kids in one room so no-one else was bothered by the little monsters.

Food-wise I was very pleased with the menu and our friends, who hadn't read the SquareMeal reviews, were thrilled as they were expecting Fish ‘n’ Chips pub grub. There was a prix fixe with about 5 or 6 options for each course, and a lovely à la carte with international flavours; my seared tuna with tapenade tasted very Sicilian, my husband's Moroccan lamb was lovely and spicy and the lemon sole with seared scallops had a summery Gallic touch. Decent wine list with a well-priced prosecco and a reasonable number of wines by the glass. We paid £42 per couple for starters, mains, coffees and a bottle of prosecco (no other booze as driving back to London).

I would definitely go here again. It would be a lovely haven to visit for crews/families who are in Henley for a few days and fancy getting away from the madding crowd in a very English country pub.

We went to Galvin Café a Vin for lunch on Sunday after a wander around Spitalfields Market. There are so many places to eat in the area, lots of them yummy (Canteen, S&M, etc) but all very very busy, noisy, big queues, etc.

Café a Vin is just to one side of the new modern shopping centre which leads into the old Market, opposite Patisserie Valerie. There was a good buzz but it wasn't crazy noisy, so it was a bit calmer to eat in than some of the alternatives.

Sunday lunch is exceptional value. It's 14.95 for two courses from the set menu, which has 3 choices per course. I had the fennel, tomato and anchovy salad for starters. It was lovely and light, very fresh. My husband had butternut squash soup with parmesan and pine nuts which was really rich and creamy with a lovely toasted taste. Very warming and seasonal.

For main course I had the red mullet with roasted potatoes, roast tomatoes and black olives. The red mullet was BEAUTIFULLY cooked – not dry at all, and the black olives gave it a very Mediterannean taste. He had the roast lamb which was served pink in the middle and was melt-in-the-mouth good.

Definitely worth a visit if you are in the Liverpool Street/Spitalfields area. A great way to sample the Galvin cuisine without paying Galvin prices!

I work in Lincoln's Inn Fields and often bemoan the lack of restaurants for lunch nearby. It's all chains like Strada and Cafe Rouge. Asadal is a real find for lunch or dinner and is excellent value.

The food is really tasty (try the Kan Poong Gi Bab; marinated fried crispy chicken. Not fatty or covered in thick nasty batter, just really light and crispy. Amazing) and the lunch deal includes a bowl of miso soup and a slice of melon for dessert. Excellent value, particularly when most of the lunch dishes cost about £8. The Korean root tea is also really good – similar to ginger tea but with a slight hint of spice.

The Korean barbecue menu for dinner is also excellent value and great dining theatre; the tables have a gas barbecue recessed in the table and after you've gorged on 3 rounds of starters a chef comes to your table with marinated meat/fish/similar, as well as lots of vegetables, sauces, rice etc and cooks it in front of you. Great fun and the smell of barbecuing food is really appetising.

Service is prompt and discrete.