My Big Fat Greek

My Big Fat Greek – Elephant and Castle
When – 30th May 2011

Starter – Pitta Bread, Houmous and a traditional Greek Salad with Feta, Olives, Onions, Tomato etc.

Main – Keftedes - Homemade lamb & pork meatballs cooked with onions then seasoned with fresh herbs and rice

What I thought: I wasn’t expecting too much from this restaurant but I’d been wanting to go for a while because I love Greek food.  The food was really nice; freshly made houmous, a greek salad and pitta to dunk for starters, but we asked for it to arrive with our main.  I ordered the meatballs, expecting them to be in a sauce, but to my suprise they were little sausage like things.  They don’t look appetizing but they were quite tasty, basically like little kebabs.  There was so much food that we couldn’t eat it all so we carried home two little doggy bags which the waiters were more than happy to do.

Restaurant: The restaurant itself is quite big inside and decorated with some interesting Greek art.  We were sat next to a wall full of pictures with what looked like a George Michael impersonator, which was quite funny.  There is also a big chariot placed outside the restaurant which gives a nice touch!

Price: For two of us the bill came to around £35, which at just under £20 each, is fine.  This was without ordering any alcohol though (we stuck to soft drinks!).

Rate: 6.5/10
Lovely staff, nice food but nothing special!

Toulouse Lautrec

Toulouse Laurtrec, Brasserie and Wine Bar - Kennington
When - 5th February 2011
Drink - Colli Vicentini - Pinot Grigio Garganega IGT (Italy)

Starter - Chicken Livers - Panfried, with Baby Spinach & Beetroot Salad


Mains - Cassoulet for 2 - Served with a Side Salad, Flageolets cooked in Duck Fat with Garlic Sausage, Toulouse Sausage, Confit Duck Leg & Sweet Red Pepper Sauce


What I thought: The starter was incredible, in fact it was the best I've had in ages. Absolutely beautiful chicken livers, perfect salad with bits of beetroot mixed in. Absolutely delicious, I'd definitely recommend this and have it again! I decided to go for the Cassoulet for two for mains and shared it with my Mother because we wanted duck and this was the only course in the menu that particular night that offered it. I'll be honest and say the whole dish was too salty for me. I don't put salt on anything apart from eggs when I cook for myself, so this was a complete salty overload. It was fun to try all the different meats though and the sausage was nice. Couldn't eat much, but Mum enjoyed it!
This was my fifth time at Toulouse Lautrec and I always love the food and have a fab time, so I'm not too disappointed by my choice of mains, and I'm looking forward to trying something else next time. (Their duck is absolutely delicious - if you visit when its on the menu then have it!)

Restaurant: The restaurant is lovely and Toulouse happens to be opposite my apartment so I see it everyday! Inside its beautiful and atmospheric, very french and comfortable. Perfect for a bit of romance! The service is fab - Nolan served our table and he was very friendly; we were able to have a bit of cheeky banter with him which was funny. The bar upstairs is very cosy looking too although I haven't actually sat up there yet. They have live music playing daily (I think!) upstairs so you can listen to some jazz whilst you eat!

Price: I think the price is pretty great for the quality of food that your getting. Main courses are all £16, but you can get two courses is £20, or three for £25.

Rate: 9/10
Lovely, friendly restaurant with delicious food and a great interior!

Lussmanns Fish & Grill

Lussmanns Fish & Grill - Bishops Stortford.
When: Saturday 22nd Janurary 2011
Drink - La Brouette Rosé NV Plaimont, Vin de Pays, France

Starter - Western Isles crab linguine hand picked, white crab meat, fresh chilli & parsley



Mains - Rump steak & frites (8oz) & Garlic butter sauce


Dessert - Sticky toffee pudding toffee sauce and vanilla bean ice cream

What I thought: The food and service were both incredible. Our gorgeous waitress Natalie made the whole experience enjoyable and all the other staff were very friendly. Starter was amazing, in fact, I tried all of the starters that was ordered on my table - the mushroom bruschetta and the bubble and squeak soup were equally delicious. My crab linguine was perfect and is also available as a main.
The steak was one of the best I have had in a while - I asked for medium and it was cooked to perfection, lovely and pink inside and so juicy. Chips were served in a little tin bucket which was cute.
Dessert was lovely but I couldn't finish it because I was already stuffed! The sticky toffee pudding had little hints of raisens and marzipan (although I could have been imagining this?) and the ice cream was superb!

Produce - It was my first time dining at Lussmanns but I was so impressed with the produce - all fish is sustainable, and produce is all local, even the cider! Ingredients were fresh and flavoursome.

Restaurant: The layout of the restaurant is lovely, nice and spacious, a piano at one end and sofa's at the other. A big palm tree was in the centre of the space with nice little seats around it which was a nice touch. Upstairs was a bar but I didn't get to see that, but the toilets were nice and smelt like fresh jasmine flowers.

Price: I ordered off the A La Carte menu, and I worked out that for my three courses and glass of wine it came to approx £32, which isn't bad for three courses but is quite pricey for a student like myself. A set menu is available from 12-7, where you can get three courses for £13.95 - which is much more affordable, and the options still sound lovely!

Rate: 9/10
Would definitely go again. Romantic when the piano is playing, relaxed atmosphere, perfect for a date or a family meal out.