Try Thai in Manchester

Try Thai is a very good restaurant in Manchester even if I'm not an expert of thai food I really enjoyed it.
The environment is nice, there are many people from Asia eating there which makes me think food is good.
Starters were great, I had crispy noodles with king prawns and it was delicious. As main course I had yellow curry with beef. The dish is just a little bit spicy but you can feel chilli only a minute after you tasted it, like a background taste. The portions were really big and I couldn't finish mine. They also have a good selection of wine and we ordered a bottle of Gavi from North of Italy. Everybody was happy with their food, a friend of mine had a dish with seafood and it looked amazing, I didn't try it but he told me it was tasteful. The only thing someone complained about was that all dishes were too sweet and actually mine was sweet too.
We spent 25£ each for four starters, four main and a bottle of wine. When I was going out of the restaurant I was glad to see there was a dog sitting next a customer.
Rate: 8 out of 10.
Link: Try Thai

Cesena, Italy

On a Sunday morning we went to Cesena and a local suggested us to have lunch at 3 Papi. This restaurant is located in Cesena main piazza, it opened more than 20 years ago and I think I have been there when I was child. I had tortelli pasticciati which is home made filled pasta with bolognese sauce, cream and parmesan cheese. It was delicious. Other people at the table had tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms which was very good, tortellini soup and capellacci. I think the only dish which was not great is capellacci, the filling was too little and they sauce not very tasty. All dishes were homemade and overall very good. If you go to Cesena I really  recommend this place.
Rate: 9 out of 10.

Week End in the countryside, Italy

One of the best places for eating in Italy is Emilia Romagna. If you want to find the best traditional homemade food you have to go to the country side. The "Week End" restaurant is located in a small town called "Osteria Nuova" and it is well known by local people for its cuisine. I hadn't been there for many years and I wanted to go again. Well the food was great. As starter we had piadina which is a traditional homemade bread typical from my region with different kinds of salami, ham, and a regional cheese. After I ordered ravioli pasticciati (homemade filled pasta served with ragu and cream sauce). My dish was delicious and my friends were quite pleased by their pasta as well. We also ordered profiteroles as dessert which was amazing. All desserts were homemade, and they also brought some ciambella, some limoncino and other liquors, for free, at the end of the meal.
The total bill was 75€ for 4 of us.
Rate: 9 out of 10.
Link: Week End

Sufi, high expectations

Sufi is the name a Persian restaurant where we decided to go. Apparently this place has very good reviews and it won a prize as well for timeout. So expectations were high. I booked a table for 8 people and they gave us a circle table and a rectangle table arranged together. It was difficult to sit one in front each other and I think it wasn't a very good choice considering the restaurant was not crowded at all.
We had home made bread with combination of starters. Bread is made in front of people in a traditional oven, it comes warm and it was very good.
The combination of starters was ok quite normal, there was aubergine mashed, hummus and something else.
I had lamb fillet with rice, meat was really tender and tasty. I asked them to bring me some yogurt for the dry plain rice but they didn't. At the end it took a while for them to bring the bill and they added a bottle of wine we didn't order which was 48£. Fortunately we noticed that and we asked to cancel it from the bill.
At the end we spent 23£ each. The food was quite good but the service not really.
Rate: 7 out of 10
Link:Sufi

Sofra, ok but expensive.

It was Friday night and after a few drinks we went to Sofra restaurant in Covent garden. The environment is nice and quite big with white table cloths. They bring a good home made bread with olives and hummus while you wait to order. It was 4 of us but there were 3 pieces of bread with hummus and olive oil and only 3 olives.
We had main courses and 2 bottles of wine. My mussaha was ok, I have had better mussaha. We spent 40£ each.
Rate: 6 out of 10

Link: Sofra

A Turkish restaurant in front of Hammermsith station

I passed by this restaurant a hundred times and I have never noticed it. Well I finally tried it on Saturday at lunch time. It's a quite elegant environment and nice staff. We ordered aubergine smashed and hummus with homemade bread as starter and an hamburger and lamb grilled as main. The food was good, the best dish was the aubergine starter which was great, full of taste, the meat was not too good though, the grilled lamb was fat and the hamburger was not cooked very well but we enjoyed it.
The restaurant is very nice inside and it has got potential, they should put a bit more effort in quality.
I wouldn't invite my friends here for dinner but it's ok for lunch. We only spent 15 pound each and we ordered 2 starters and two main courses with tap water.
Rate: 6 out of 10.
Link: Lala brasserie

Quiet and delicious Indian place

Many people recommended the Karma restaurant, some of them Indian, some Italians, so we finally decided to give it a try. It was Saturday night and the restaurant was not crowded. The environment was elegant, soft music, white table cover everywhere, at least 2 glasses for each sit plus 3 cutlery and napkin folded in a nice shape. 

We ordered a non veg starter to share and samosa as starters plus chicken and lamb araki tandori as main. The starter was really good. The 2 pieces of lamb were absolutely delicious, some chicken, a nice kind of flat meatball and fried chicken. The 4 different dressings were very flavoursome. The grilled lamb was what I liked the most, it was tasty and tender, when the waiter brought my main I was really glad to see it was the same lamb I was tasting before. I really loved it and chicken was fantastic as well. I can say this is the first time I enjoyed eating Indian food so much.

We spent £22 each and got a 50% discount for the next time we will eat there.

Rate: 8 out of 10.
Link: Karma

The Princess Victoria

The Princess Victoria

The Princess Victoria is a gastropub on Uxbridge Road set in the original Shepherd's Bush tram stop. Recently refurbished, with some nice decorative features, it provided pleasant surroundings for us to enjoy our meal.

A group of friends and I went on a Wednesday evening and ate in the bar. The staff were very friendly. We had a dog with us for which the barman offered to bring a bowl of water. During the meal the waiting staff were very attentive. We took a while to order but the waiter was very patient and offered suggestions for side orders.

I ordered the rib-eye steak with triple cooked chips and a side order of broccolli. The steak was cooked to perfection and the chips were delicious. The broccoli was a little salty but that's the way I like it. I ordered sticky toffee pudding with ice cream for desert which looked and tasted fantastic. On the downside the portions were a little small and it was a little pricey.

Overall it was a nice meal in pleasant surroundings and the staff were very helpful and attentive. Despite the small portions and the price I would definitely go again.

Rate: 8 out of 10
Link: The Princess Victoria

Sardinia sweet sardinia

Coming soon....
Unique traditional sweets from Sardinia in London markets this Christmas ...

only from Mendula, the new sardinian brand

The Pix, good but too expensive

Tonight we went to a tapas bar, we already knew this place and we knew it's a nice one. They have good quality food, you can grab many small tapas from the bar and pay at the end based on how many you have had. There is good music as well and young people. It was 9 of us and we ordered 2 bottle of Rioja wine. We were quite happy with the food and the environment until the bill arrived. We spent 30 pounds each which doesn't make sense considering it's not a restaurant and they don't even bring you food at the table. If we went to a proper restaurant we would have spent the same and this place is not a restaurant. At the end we were a bit disappointed because of that.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Link: ThePix

Hidden cosy pub in Hammersmith

After a period of inactivity I'm back with my reviews. Apparently recently I fell in love with English culture and English cuisine more than I would have ever expected. So have my choices, in fact I quite often prefer English gastropubs to Italian restaurants.
The Stonemasons Arms is a cosy hidden pub in Hammersmith with a nice local atmosphere, it's a typical English pub with wood floor, wood tables and low lights, there is a dining area and a drinking area. They also have a patio outside with a few tables. I had just a quiche with mushrooms and spinach, it was served in a bed of salad with caramelised onions, tomatoes,, small pieces of crunchy bread and rocket. The dish was delicious. Some people at the table had a steak with chips and it looked like something I have to try next time.

I'm sure I will go back to this place because food is really really good.
I also had a beer and I paid less than 10 pound and I think it was good money for value.
Rate: 8 out of 10
Link:  The Stonemasons Arm

The Havelock Tavern

Quite a popular pub in brook green, raccomanded by the Michelin guide, this is a
dog friendly gastropub. We were quite lucky because we found a table available
without booking, in fact even if it was only Tuesday night, the pub was crowded and
very noisy but it made for a vibrant atmosphere.

We were 4 people plus my little dog, we had fishcake, pasta, steak and lamb. All
dishes were very good, big portions.
Pasta was very well cooked and the fishcake was one of the best I have ever had, moreover the lamb was very tender and tasty.

We also had a drink each and a couple of deserts. We spent only 22 pounds each, which is
quite cheap as well considering we had a lot of good food.

Rate: 8 out of 10.
Link: The Havelock Tavern

Rosso in Manchester a bit over rated

We had to pick up a place to eat and we had no idea of where to go, that's when internet become handy. We checked reviews and we selected Rosso restaurant. The menu looks quite nice they have handmade past, not the usual dishes, you can find ravioli filled with seafood and tagliatelle with rabbit ragu', that's what made me choosing it.
When we arrived the restaurant was fully booked so we waited drinking a glass of wine. Just 15 minutes later they gave us a table. The environment looks elegant, it is inside an old building with some wonderful high and decorated ceiling from the previous century. The building was great but the arrangement they did was not so good. I didn't like how they arranged tables and furnitures. There was also a singer singing all night with a very nice voice.
 
I ordered mussels as starter and seafood ravioli. The starter was great I really enjoyed it however ravioli was not as good as expected. There was oil or butter on the top of them with a few cherry tomatoes, the taste of ravioli was good but the butter had been cooked to much, it tasted like burned butter and it ruined the dish.
Other people had different dishes and they said everything was good.
We also order Nero Davola wine and it was ok but without a wood cork though. We spent quite big money, the bill was almost 200 pound for 4 people. We ordered 4 starters, 3 pasta portion, a steak, the cheapest wine, expressos, deserts, included 4 glasses of Limoncello. Quite expensive to be in Manchester, I would rather expect that price in London.
Rate: 6 out of 10
Link: Rosso in Manchester

Indian Zing if you like it spicy or not

Indian Zing is a very nice restaurant in Hammersmith with elegant environment and good service. They brought us some starters with their crunchy bread with different flavor and small pots of nice coloured sauces to add to the bread.
We all ordered different kind of chicken, spicy and not spicy. If you wonder how much hot the chilli dishes are, well we couldn't taste more than one little piece of the spicy food.
The no spicy dishes were very good also for italians, very different indian food from my point of view comparing to the restaurants in brick lane. We also had rice and naan bread which they make also with coconut which is soft and tasty.
Someone told me this place is expensive but actually we spent less than expected, it was 24 pound each and we also ordered wine. They also make non alcoholic drinks and these are light and fresh.
Rate: 7 out of 10
Link: Indian Zing

Chicken Makhani

Samoa

Crown and Ancor in Chiswick

I'm glad there are so many dog friendly pubs in London, the Crown and Ancor is one of them.
It's a really nice pub and they serve good food. I had carrot and broccoli soup which came with nice bread, it was very tasty and dense, just a bit too salty though, after that I had pork roast on Sunday afternoon and it was quite good, it was served with patatoes, broccoli and beetroot.
The environment is nice and clean, there are wood tables, and sofas as well, it's bright inside but unfortunately they don't have an outside space but just a few tables on the high street. There is music in backgound and for me it was a bit too laud, the service was a bit slow but waitresses were friendly. Desert were okey, not something to remember but okey.
Rate: 7 out of 10
Link: Crown and Ancor

Elegant turkish restaurant in Victoria

It is known as one of the best turkish restaurant in London and a friend of mine loves it so we tried to book on Friday evening and we were luky because we found just one table.
We arrived and the waiter kindly showed us the table, it was actually a very big and comfortable one, with a soft bench plus some comfy chairs on the other side.
The environment is elegant and the atmosphere soft. We were with our parents and I think it was a really good choice.
We ordered some starters to share plus 4 different dishes.
The starter was a typical turkish share platter, there was falafel, hummus, tabouleh, little sausages and more. It was really good, one portion is perfect to share between 2 people.
I had meatballs in tomato sauce, other people ordered grilled chicken, mixed grilled meat and grilled lamb. Everybody were happy with their meals, they kept saying the meat was really good and well cooked, my meatballs were great. We also ordered 2 glasses of wine and expressos.
We couldn't try any desert because we ate too much. We spent 32£ each.
Rate: 9 out of 10.
Link: Kazan

Starter

Meetballs

The Albany pub in Regent Park

This is a really nice English dog friendly pub. I didn't know where to go with my little puppy and I found out through a web site that this place allows dogs so without knowing anything about it we went there. It was a nice surprise, the owner was very kind, he brought some water for my dog immediately and then we ordered food. 

It was 3 of us and we ordered three different dishes. An hamburger, a pie and gnocchi with mushroom and spinach. 

The food was very good, gnocchi were well cooked, the sauce was a bit heavy, with a lot of cream but overall good. My friends enjoyed their meals too. We drank only tap water and we spent 13 or 14 pound each.

Rate: 7 out of 10.

Link: The Albany

Polish restaurant in Shepherd's bush

We went to Tatra restaurant a year ago, at that time we liked it and we decided to give it another go. 

It was on Saturday evening and the restaurant was almost fully booked but we were lucky because there was a table left for us. 

The environment is nice and elegant even though the music was a bit too laud. 

We had two starters and 4 different main courses. We enjoyed everything, the food was good quality, the best dish was goulash, the meat was tasteful and tender, they serve it with a pancake or without it and the simpler option is the best one.

Deserts were nothing special but good, I tried the one in the picture below with apples, crumbles and ice cream on a side. We also order wine and espresso, we spent 30 pound each.

Rate: 7 out of 10.

Link: Tatra

The place where you want to be

Well this is the place where you want to go if you are travelling in Italy. You will be overwhelm by a wave of amazing seafood smell, you will be delighted by the food so much that your day is gonna turn to one of the most beautiful ever. 
The view is stunning and the sun hits the sea in front of you, while you are tasting amazing cooked seafood, like only traditional Italian cusine can make. The all five senses experience is superb.  

We had mussels cooked with a bit of peppers in tomato sauce and seafood pasta as main course. All of it accompanied with a special house wine for a very happy afternoon.
Rate: 10 out of 10
Link: Cavalluccio, Abruzzo, Italy