Twenty-four hours in Zurich

My first experience of the city of Zurich was the central railway station, or Hauptbahnhof, and it did not endear me to it. I arrived on a train from the airport at an underground platform and was to meet my son and his partner somewhere on the station, but I didn't know where. I decided to follow the signs for those who wanted to catch a bus or a tram, but ended up in a street to one side. Going back inside the station, I was surprised how crowded it was; it was just after 5pm, but apparently it's always packed with people. I headed for the main entrance past an open market. I thought I'd better ring my son to see where they were waiting, but there was a man playing an accordion and I didn't think I would be able to hear. Making my way just outside the entrance, I quickly made the phone call and just managed to hear my son telling me they were beside the 'information bubble' when a police car came past, sirens blaring. Back inside I went, unable to spot the so-called bubble. Phoning once again, I said I would wait underneath the main departure board. A couple of minutes later, we found each other. I wondered what madness had brought me to such a noisy, crowded place, but fortunately my first impression of Zurich was not a lasting one.

From the railway station, the famous Bahnhofstrasse runs right down to the Burkli Platz, a square by the shore of Lake Zurich. On this street you can shop, do your banking, or take a break at the Sprungli Cafe. I merely stood at the doorway of a shop where chocolate was actually being made and was hit by the aroma; it was no good buying anything there as it would immediately have melted in the heat. The traffic on this bustling street is not as heavy as I would have expected for such a city, but there are trams as well. I couldn't quite fathom why there was often a zebra crossing on one side of the road but not the other, but crossing over was much easier than, for example, in a city such as Bristol.

Unless you are a shopaholic, I would recommend leaving the Bahnhofstrasse behind in favour of some of the narrower streets. It is easy to spot the spire of St Peter's Church, below which is the largest clock face in Europe. The interior of the church with its central pulpit is worth having a look at; I was surprised to see white net curtains at the upper windows. I believe the church is often used for concerts of classical music.

Many of Zurich's streets are cobbled, so a good pair of walking shoes will make sense if you want to enjoy the old town. Not far from St Peter's Church, up a rather steep winding way, is the Lindenhof. This is a kind of park that is popular with both locals and tourists. It's so high up that there are wonderful views of the River Limmat and the Niederdorf district on the east of the river, above which the twin towers of the Grossmunster or cathedral are ever dominant. The Lindenhof's trees offer welcome shade on hot, sunny days; people come to relax on a seat or the outer wall, and local men play chess and boules here. It is worth the climb up.

Heading back south, the Fraumunster or Church of Our Lady is the outstanding building to take a look at. Its spire is a distinctive green, and like St Peter's Church, it has a sizeable clock face. The cloister is now an open area with modern frescoes by Paul Bodmer – I made the most of the fact that photography is allowed in this area as it is prohibited inside both the Fraumunster and the Grossmunster. The modern windows by Marc Chagall inside the church are a joy to behold in their rich colours.

Equally impressive are Giacometti's windows in the Grossmunster or cathedral on the east bank of the River Limmat. I also loved the organ, which is decorated with golden angels. The smaller windows of plain glass were in the process of being replaced with more colourful ones at the time of our visit. It is worth going down the stone steps to the crypt, although the atmosphere is extremely musty and I wouldn't have wanted to stay down there for long. The frescoes are very faded, but there is a heavy fifteenth-century statue of Charlemagne with his gold crown. I wasn't able to climb the stairs in the towers that dominate Zurich's skyline, but if you can do so you will be rewarded with wonderful views of the city.

Zurich offers a huge choice of eateries, from oriental to traditional Swiss to other types of European cuisine; I even saw an advertisement for a Mongolian barbecue. The vegetarian buffet of the Hiltl had been recommended to me; we decided however on the Zeughauskeller, a busy and reasonably priced beer hall specialising in sausages and rosti but offering many other choices too. The following day we had a salad lunch at Cafe Wuhre, right beside the River Limmat. There are of course many higher-priced establishments than these, such as the Zunfthaus zur Waag on Munsterhof.

In the Niederdorf on the east bank of the River Limmat, there is again an enormous number of cafes and restaurants. My son and his partner had enjoyed Swiss sausages and cheese fondu one evening at Swiss Cuchi before my arrival. I can recommend the coffee at Cafe Henrici, where we sat outside in the morning sun. Had anyone shown me the rickety old metal chair I was to sit on there before I travelled, I would have avoided the place like the plague, but when we did sit down it didn't seem to matter. Henrici certainly seemed to be a popular place, and the interior was very stylish in comparison. I went down to the ladies in the basement and noticed a door with several dates on it, the earliest of which was from the fourteenth century. Henrici is actually a hotel but I cannot comment on it as we stated at the Helmhaus, just south of the Grossmunster. It was pricey but I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

By four o'clock in the afternoon we were sweltering and delighted to find that Cafe Kantorei in Neumarkt offered bottles of apple juice that were considerably more generous than the 200 ml servings of fruit juice that most restaurants seemed to offer. Kantorei has quite extensive outdoor seating, and our waiter there was British. He chatted about how expensive Zurich was but assured us that salaries were relatively high too.

My visit only lasted twenty-four hours, but I was able to fit in a boat trip on Lake Zurich. You could choose whether to have lunch on the boat or to sit outside, admire the view and take photographs which is what we did. The cost was ten Swiss Francs for a trip that lasted an hour. If you have more time you could, for example, take a boat to Rapperswil on the eastern shore and spend some time there.

A great part of Zurich's attraction for me is that it has something of everything: a lake, a river, a mountain, wonderful old buildings, museums, eateries, shops: the list goes on and on. Admittedly I was very lucky with the weather, but even if I hadn't been, I could have visited one or two museums or gone on a bus tour of the city rather than walking round. I was struck by the fact that it seemed perfectly acceptable for single people, women included, to go on a boat trip or have a meal out on their own. The city is very clean and we were surprised that there was relatively little traffic. Cycling is definitely encouraged. Although it is expensive in some ways, plenty of things are free, and there are a few places to stay that don't cost the earth. I would gladly go back for a longer stay.

Rosie's Vineyard

Who would have thought that just along from Tesco Express and Ken's Kebabs would lie one of Southsea's best restaurants? But close to Elm Grove traffic lights, five minutes from the shopping precinct and less than a mile from the seafront, Rosie's Vineyard nestles between Nico's Cafe and an office furniture shop. You would not suspect that the narrow, original shopfront with its stained-glass window panes was the entrance to a jewel of a restaurant that could outdo any on the more select location of Osborne Road or the waterfront at Portsmouth's Gunwharf Quays.

My first visit was on a Monday evening, and I would say that any restaurant that's full at the beginning of the week must be worth its salt. Deciding on the spur of the moment to have dinner there one Saturday, I suggested going early as I knew how crowded it would be later on. Five thirty might seem a strange time for an evening meal, and we actually had the place to ourselves for the first hour. I noticed that every single table had a reserved sign on it, but ours was free until 9pm so there was no rush.

We were given a table on the ground floor alongside the bar; appearances really are deceptive, as there is a raised level at the back of the restaurant as well as a good number of tables in the basement. The tables are very basic plain wood, and most of the chairs look as though they might be cast-offs from an old church, having a place in the back for a hymn book. It probably sounds uncomfortable, but after the two hours that we spent there that was the last thing on my mind.

The waiting staff all seem to be very young, possibly students; I haven't seen any sign of a manager on either occasion. They are relaxed, polite, friendly, never intruding or rushing you. Menus and a wine list were brought, along with a slip of paper detailing the day's specials. We had decided that we would limit ourselves to a main course, so I can't unfortunately comment on starters or desserts. Starters on offer included free range pork grillette with red onion and port relish, mussels, spiced Shetland Isle crab gumbo, mixed mezze with warm pitta bread, and roasted Capricorn goat's cheese with wild rocket and tomato and basil confit.

On a previous occasion for main course I had chosen roasted vegetable tagine with cumin and coriander couscous; not actually being a vegetarian, I decided to try fish this time. The choice was between whole roasted sea bass (one of the specials) or seared salmon fillet with saffron roasted potatoes and salsa verde. The salmon just seemed to have the edge. Since leaving home, my son has developed a taste for butternut squash (it's something I never thought of cooking), and liked the sound of the squash and leek pithivier with new potatoes. Neither of us had ever had pithivier, but I remembered seeing Rick Stein make an onion one once on his journey through France, so I knew basically what it was. My son's partner had no hesitation whatsoever in ordering the Spanish spiced free-range sausages with fresh herb crushed potatoes. We ordered a bottle of house red and sat talking to the accompaniment of Dido.

I should mention that Rosie's, being a winebar as well as a restaurant, has an extensive wine list and there were leaflets on the table giving details of bin ends. I have, however, only tried their house red up until now.

It was about half an hour before the food arrived. My salmon and potatoes were accompanied by mangetout peas, and the sausages on the bed of crushed potatoes were surrounded by baby carrots. I had thought the pithivier would be similar to a pizza base, but it was actually a puff pastry case. We each made approving comments as we started eating, and by the time we had finished, we were all in agreement that it was the best food we had ever had. I've never tasted such tender, well-cooked salmon, and the accompanying diced roast potatoes were crisp and golden. The sausages were perfect – and that's coming from one not easily pleased – whilst the pithivier was a new discovery and a huge success. Three completely different dishes, yet each one was a work of art that totally satisfied the palate. None of us could criticize in any way.

Dessert would be difficult for me on any occasion after such a main course, but among those on offer are spiced plum tarte tatin, Bailey's Irish Cream parfait, and English and continental cheeses with biscuits and Rosie's own chutney. Two more glasses of wine were ordered, but I chose instead to have decaffeinated coffee. This was the only disappointment of the evening for me, as it didn't honestly taste of anything. I am very hard to please where coffee is concerned, liking it strong and bitter, but I normally drink only decaffeinated coffee late in the day and know that I am likely to be disappointed.

The toilets are situated in the basement, so unfortunately this is not really a place for disabled people. I found the ladies to be perfectly clean, and I was then intrigued to hear about the gents. Apparently simulated tiles have been painted on one wall along with a display of slogans along the lines of 'a man isn't really drunk if he can lie on the floor without holding on'. Well that's what I was told, and there were no complaints about cleanliness.

One of the special aspects of Rosie's Vineyard that I have yet to experience is that they have live jazz on Friday evenings and Sunday lunchtimes, with a roast on the menu on Sundays. My son can remember once coming on a Friday and just having a drink whilst watching the jazz. Live music venues are very few and far between in Southsea, and I know Rosie's gets extremely crowded at these times. Another attraction during the summer months is the garden, and this is accessed through the basement. Something to look forward too.

By the time we left, just after 7.30pm, several couples had arrived as well as a group of six giggling ladies; you could tell it was going to be a lively evening. Jazz had replaced Dido by that time. I had noticed on my first visit that there were people of all ages: it's obviously a place that holds great appeal for a wide diversity of people, and I can certainly see why.

Our bill came to £55, so £20 each covered the tip as well. I can't remember when we have all left a place feeling completely satisfied with the food, the service, the atmosphere... I can easily forgive the coffee. I'm sure we'll be going back very soon. The icing on the cake for me is that it's less than half a mile from where I live. If I could give Rosie's six stars out of five, I would.

www.rosies-vineyard.co.uk/ gives details of the live jazz as well as menus, wine lists and opening times. Private functions can be booked.

Rosie's Vineyard

87 Elm Grove

Southsea

PO5 1JF

No longer the India Arms, but the Italian Bar

I wasn't filled with enthusiasm at the prospect of visiting Southsea's latest Italian restaurant, simply because it had taken the place of the Tiffin Room at the India Arms, considered by many to be the best local Indian restaurant. It seemed fair to give it a chance, however, so I met my son on Great Southsea Street early one Friday evening and we wandered down to give the Italian Bar and Grill a closer look.

This establishment is actually part pub and part restaurant. The menu is displayed in the pub window and at first did not encourage me. Alongside pasta, pizza and salads there was a section for burgers – not my kind of food and not what I had been expecting. We decided nevertheless that the prices looked reasonable and that we would probably find an appealing salad or pasta dish, so in we went.

The door leads into the bar area and I was surprised to see two bright red leather sofas that were a huge contrast to the old feel of the India Arms. A waitress led us through to the restaurant area on the left; as it was completely empty and just one table for six was reserved, she let us choose where we wanted to sit. We decided on a table for four by a window in one corner. It was a bit of a squeeze to get in and I felt that either the chairs were low or the table a little high, but I am only just over five feet tall. The tables looked quite striking with black tablecloths, a white runner down the middle and red napkins, although they reminded me more of the Egyptian flag than the Italian one. The chairs were stylish cane ones with high backs and wooden frames. I was not, however, so impressed by the general décor of the room, a particularly large and high-ceilinged one. It is painted in brown and beige, and the walls are as yet bare apart from one large canvas depicting a shopping centre. So much more could be done with the large expanses of wall.

A waitress brought us menus and asked if we would like to order drinks. We both asked for fruit juice, but only orange and cranberry were on offer. I picked the cranberry and felt when it came that it was rather a small glass, but later I noticed on the bill that it was only 60p. My son decided on Appletiser, which was £1.50.

The waitress told us that the day's special was a chicken, mushroom and salami calzone. There is a good choice of starters around the four-pound mark, but we decided to go straight for a main course. My son had been considering a salad, but then we both thought we liked the sound of chicken pesto with either penne pasta or spaghetti (£7.95). Purely out of interest, I ran my glance through the selection of grills; I am not much of a red meat eater and didn't think I would find anything I liked. I was wrong, as I found one of my favourites: fillet of salmon served with a green salad, cherry tomatoes and a choice of French fries, cajun fries or jacket potato(£8.95). In the end we both decided on the salmon with French fries.

It was around fifteen to twenty minutes before our food was served, during which time the restaurant slowly began to get busy. The music had seemed quite loud when we first arrived but I had the impression that it was turned down somewhat as the place began to fill up. The party of six arrived at the table next to ours, but there was a decent space between our two tables and theirs was at right angles to ours, so it was perfectly possible to have a private conversation.

A waiter served our main course on rectangular plain white plates. He asked if we wanted any sauces but we declined. My son had at the time of ordering chosen a chilli and oil dressing for his salmon, but I was quite happy with a twist of lemon on mine. I can't say that it was the best salmon fillet I have ever had, but then neither was it the most expensive. The fries were very slender and crisp; the serving was too large for me, but my son had no trouble finishing his. I did enjoy the tomatoes and the green salad. The salad consisted mainly of lettuce plus slices of green pepper and onion, a little watercress, and a herb dressing. I dislike cucumber, so its absence was an advantage for me. We felt that it was perfectly good food for the price.

The waiter was prompt in clearing our plates away and indicated the dessert menu, strategically placed to one side of the table. All desserts are a reasonable £3.95 and include tiramisu, chocolate brownie, cheesecake and pecan pie. My son ordered pecan pie with neither the whipped cream nor the ice cream that could accompany it. I liked the idea of the fresh fruit in the berry sundae, and decided that I would have it without whipped cream, just with vanilla ice cream.

My son's pie was served on a small, square black plate whereas my sundae came in a tall glass for which the waiter rushed back with a long spoon. Had I fooled myself into thinking that this was a healthy option? It was made with alternate layers of blackberries and strawberries, ice cream and fresh blueberry sauce. I thought I would try to leave some of the ice cream, but as I tried to dig to the bottom of the glass to find the pieces of fruit, I found the ice cream melting and mixing in with it. It was gorgeous. My son was just telling me that he was enjoying his pecan pie as he tried to cut into the pastry crust and the larger remaining piece of pie shot onto the table! Perhaps the pastry was a little hard, but he still enjoyed the pie.

We didn't want coffee so we just asked for the bill. This took a little while to come, but when it did the waitress apologised that they were a little short staffed. It didn't matter to us as we weren't in a hurry. The total came to £27.90 – no reduction of course for ordering desserts without cream! My son paid by debit card for which there was an extra 50p charge, and we left a tip in cash.

I went to the ladies before leaving and noticed on the way that there is still a snooker table, just as there had been at the India Arms. The sofas in the inner areas are black, which I preferred to the garish red ones. I also saw that it is still possible to eat in the bar area, as we had done once when the Tiffin Room was full of nuns and priests. The toilets were perfectly clean and satisfactory, and I was pleased that there is still a full-length mirror in the ladies.

Service was efficient, polite and friendly if not overly professional. The menu is extensive, although I would have expected to see at least one risotto on an Italian menu. There is, however, enough variety to suit a range of tastes, including chicken dishes with a New York flavour and at least one Mexican dish.

If the weather is good you can sit in the garden area. It has apparently been refurbished, but I did not get chance to have a look at it. Roast is added to the menu on Sunday with a discounted price for children. Special student offers are displayed on the wall outside, between the two restaurant windows.

Whilst not being on a par with Rosie's Vineyard or Abarbistro (both little more than a stone's throw away), the Italian Bar and Grill offers good value and a refreshing change from the Italian chain restaurants of Portsmouth's nearby Gunwharf Quays. Although a little out of the way, it is actually only a few minutes' walk from Palmerston Road shopping precinct, Southsea common and the sea front. Nothing can replace our beloved Tiffin Room, but the Italian Bar is worth a visit, especially for a group of people with varying tastes who don't want to spend a fortune.

The Italian Bar and Grill

30-32 Great Southsea Street

Southsea

Hampshire

PO5 3BY

Tel. 023 9275 3058

Contemporary Arts in Bristol

My second visit to Bristol was on a decidedly damp Saturday afternoon, so we were looking for places to spend some time inside. Having walked down the steep slope of Park Street and not being in any hurry to go back up, I suggested that the Arnolfini arts centre might not be too much further to walk. Situated on Bristol's Harbourside, it is easily reached by walking along the quayside from The Centre. From the south you can get there by crossing the swing bridge on Prince Street. Admission is free, so it is definitely worth a visit if you are interested in the arts.

The Arnolfini has no permanent collection of artworks, so exhibitions change from time to time. At the time of my visit there was a display described as an 'interactive shopping experience' entitled 'Far West'. Although not exactly my cup of tea, there was a degree of variety and an opportunity for visitors to participate in certain sections of the show – a particularly good idea during the school holidays. On the ground floor, for example, visitors could create paper fruits from templates; these could then be purchased or exchanged for a real piece of fruit. The paper fruits were exhibited in a stall similar to the way they would be in a market. In the same gallery, a number of unfinished paintings by artist Lui Ding are on sale at a price of £100 each; the idea was to complete the painting at home in whatever way you wished. Most of them featured trees or parts of a landscape. I'm afraid we didn't buy one, but it's a fascinating concept.

One of the busiest and apparently most popular areas of the exhibition was Yoko Ono's 'Mend Piece – for Merry England' on the first floor. Donations of unwanted or broken crockery are handed in by visitors, who are then invited to create a new item or miniature work of art from the fragments that are available. A gift is offered in exchange, although I'm afraid I don't know what this would be. The creations made by visitors are put on display and are worth taking a close look at: there are the purely abstract pieces amidst attempts at creating fish, faces, bodies, all sorts. In the same gallery, we admired Philippe Parreno and Pierre Huyghe's 'Skin of Light', a neon depiction of AnnLee, a character originally created by Japanese Manga illustrators.

The Arnolfini spans three floors and has a series of small but well-lit galleries whose walls are normally painted white. (Some of them are currently covered in a garish blue wallpaper featuring over-sized bunches of flowers as part of the 'Far West' display.) The ground floor also houses a shop offering a good selection of art books (including exhibition catalogues), greetings cards and postcards, as well as a selection of artists' prints and limited editions. The shop is open until 6pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, until 8pm Thursday to Sunday. There is a cafe bar which we did not visit; on fine days you can sit outside and have lunch (salad and pasta) or a drink and something light to eat, but it wasn't the weather for that on the occasion I was there. Fairtrade tea, coffee and hot chocolate are served along with organic produce. The cafe is open from 10am until 11pm Tuesday to Saturday, and until 10.30pm on Sundays.

On the top floor of the Arnolfini you will find a reading room with back catalogues and a wide selection of art magazines as well as books. We even noticed a copy of the 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' DVD which you could watch on a computer, so if it's pouring down and your children are on holiday, you could kill a little time here.

On Saturday 16th August 2008, the Saturday following my visit, the periodic 'Mash Up', a family-friendly event with workshops, activities and storytelling was due to take place. I'm not sure how often this 'Mash Up' occurs, but details can be found on Arnolfini's website.

Exhibition tours take place every Saturday at 2pm, and are led by an artist. Booking is not necessary; you just turn up at the information desk.

Events at Arnolfini are by no means confined to the visual arts. There is a theatre/cinema on the premises, and details of film showings and theatrical performances can be found at Arnolfini's website. The Bristol Poetry Festival is an annual event taking place in September with readings by contemporary poets such as Simon Armitage, and a poetry slam between Liverpool and Bristol. This type of event, however, is not always free; check the Arnolfini website for ticket prices.

The upper floors of the Arnolfini can be reached by either stairs or a lift, and there seemed to be quite a few people wheeling buggies around on the top floor. Toilets are available on the top floor as well as adjacent to the cafe on the ground floor, where there are also baby-changing facilities.

Considered as one of Europe's leading centres for the contemporary arts, the Arnolfini is worthy of a visit by anyone interested in visual art, film, poetry, or dance. It is, however, closed on Mondays, except for Bank Holidays. You can sign up at Arnolfini's website for their newsletter to be sent to you by either email or post; since events and displays are only temporary, this will enable you to plan a visit to suit your particular interests.

Arnolfini

16 Narrow Quay

Bristol

BS1 4QA

www.arnolfini.org.uk

Tel. 0117 9172300/01

Email: boxoffice@arnolfini.org.uk

Ask and you will be fed

Bath city centre has no shortage of restaurants to offer, but many of them close between 2.30pm and 6pm. We had to catch a train just after 6.30pm and realised that we would have to settle for a chain restaurant that stayed open throughout the afternoon. My younger son had taken his girlfriend to Ask a few weeks before and recommended it. I had never been to Ask as we don't have one locally, so I was all in favour of trying somewhere new.

When we arrived at 4.30pm that Saturday the place was fairly quiet and as there were three of us we were shown to a table that was intended for four. Before I had even had chance to sit down the waitress was handing out menus but warning us that several things were not available. These included all the main course specials, salmon and ciabatta. I was a little peeved about the salmon, but I presumed they had had a busy lunchtime and had run out.

The waitress was soon back to take our drinks order and I asked for a Fruitiser. She went off to check and came back to regretfully inform me that that was not available either. Not a good start. My elder son and I ordered Appletiser (£1.95 each) whilst my younger son went for a Peroni Gran Riserva beer at £3.65 plus a glass of water. These were soon brought by a different waitress.

Turning to the food menu, I didn't want a starter, not wishing to spoil my appetite for the main course, but my sons decided to share the prosciutto and mozzarella crostini at £4.65, which is served with fresh rocket salad and a balsamic glaze. We also ordered some marinated olives for £1.95. I noticed on the specials board that there was a king prawn starter that day for a whopping £7.95 as well as mushroom and marsala soup which was under five pounds.

The main course menu has sections for pizza (including calzone or folded pizza), salads, pasta and risotto as well as oven-baked dishes. My younger son had had a pizza on his previous visit and thoroughly enjoyed it but decided to try something different this time. He chose a Milanese oven dish, polpette al forno, made with penne pasta, beef meatballs, fire-roasted peppers, caramelised onions, chillies, garlic, pomodoro sauce and melted cheese (£8.25). My elder son is very partial to risotto and liked the sound of the vegetarian one made with cream and white wine, courgettes, caramelised leeks, peas, oven roasted tomatoes, artichoke and black olives (£8.95). Still lamenting the lack of salmon, I decided on ravioli burro e pesce – large ravioli parcels stuffed with crayfish, crab, smoked salmon and mascarpone cheese with a white wine, spring onion and dill sauce topped with fresh rocket (£9.25).

The starters arrived promptly and the crostini certainly looked very appetising, although I declined the offer of a taste. The green olives (of which there were eight, along with a couple of black ones) were huge – the biggest I've seen. The taste of them definitely lived up to expectations. When we had finished it was only a short wait until the main courses were served. The ravioli and risotto were served in round dishes whereas the pasta came in an oval-shaped oven dish. Grated parmesan and black pepper were offered, and the parmesan was a very generous serving if you did not ask the waitress to stop grating. The main-course portions were not overly large and anyone with a big appetite might want to order a side salad, but we all felt that our main dishes were just enough. My elder son said that his risotto was the best he had ever tasted, and I know he's sampled a good few. My younger son can be quite a fussy eater but he had no complaints, polishing off every last mouthful. I was equally happy with my ravioli, which had plenty of dill and sliced spring onions in evidence on top. The ravioli itself was just the right consistency and there was plenty of filling which tasted delicious. I was satisfied that I'd managed to get some salmon after all.

Perhaps the fact that we were celebrating my younger son's birthday a few days early encouraged us to ask for the dessert menu. It was a different waitress again by this time, and she explained that they were short of particular things that day because they had not had a food delivery for some reason. She said it would actually be easier to tell us what was on the dessert menu rather than what was not available. We had a choice between profiteroles, two flavours of ice cream, a tempting chocolate pudding with an orange sauce centre (on the specials board), chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream or lemon and mascarpone cheesecake. Two of us decided that the cheesecake, at £4.95, was the slightly lighter option and one ordered the chocolate cake (£4.75).

It was about 5.30pm by this time and the restaurant was filling up quite quickly. There was a slightly longer wait for the desserts to arrive, but we were happy to have a bit of a break after our main courses. The cake looked very indulgent, covered as it was in chocolate sauce with a scoop of ice cream to the side. The verdict was favourable except that the sauce could have been a little warmer to contrast with the ice cream. We did feel we had made a good choice with the cheesecake, which had a gorgeous lemon flavour and was topped with flaked almonds. We certainly felt full by that time and did not order coffee as we needed to make our way back to the station.

By 6pm the restaurant was almost completely full. My son said that on the previous occasion they had arrived about 8.30pm, again on a Saturday, without a reservation and had been asked to come back in an hour. (They had drinks at the Pig and Fiddle just across the road whilst waiting). Ask is obviously a popular place, serving good food at reasonable prices in very pleasant surroundings. One thing that did strike me was that the tables were not too close together in the area where we were seated, so it was possible to have a conversation without feeling that others could hear or being aware of conversations at nearby tables. The music was not so loud as to be intrusive either.

The décor is mostly white with arty vases on windowsills and the occasional abstract painting. The bar is a contrasting black, and bottles of wine are displayed in profusion. Potted palms dotted here and there provide more privacy between neighbouring tables. Lighting is provided by spotlights on a frame in the ceiling, and these were lowered quite a bit at around 6pm. One reservation I have is that the toilets are situated in the basement down two flights of stairs.

Ask does have a special children's menu and there were several young children there when we arrived. One tiny one, however, escaped and was playing with the chain in the middle of the two sides of the large specials easel – if mum hadn't come to the rescue fast enough, he could have pulled the whole thing over and perhaps been squashed in the middle. Not a pleasant thought.

Our bill came to £55.25, so you could say £20 a head after adding a tip. That seems very good value since my sons almost had three courses each, bearing in mind that they shared a starter.

I came away feeling that I wished there were an Ask restaurant in Portsmouth. (My nearest would be Chichester or Petersfield.) The waitresses were polite and friendly, the food was enjoyed by all three of us without a single complaint, we liked the place itself and felt that prices were very fair. Had there been a food delivery that day, we would have had even more choice on the menu. I am sure that I shall be returning to Ask when I have an opportunity, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Italian food.

Ask Restaurant

The Royal York Hotel

George Street

Bath

BA1 2AF

Tel. 01225 789997

London Pub Grub

In the autumn of 2008, I was tempted up to London for the day by the double attraction of Francis Bacon at Tate Britain and Mark Rothko at Tate Modern. Huge servings of culture that required a break in between for sustenance, to cleanse the palette if you will pardon the pun.

Doggett's is my favourite eating place when visiting Tate Modern: the restaurant at the gallery itself is on the pricey side, and with special exhibition tickets now at £12.50 and train fares ever on the rise, the food budget can be but a modest one. Doggett's is only a few minutes' walk from the Tate, by Blackfriars Bridge, and the fresh air was welcome after a stuffy (but very worthwhile) hour spent in Tate Britain. On this particular Saturday we arrived at Doggett's at around 5.30pm, and my impression on entering was one of crowds and noise. We ploughed through to the back of the ground floor and found that there was in fact a choice of two tables where the three of us could sit. We picked the one near the kitchen door, for no particular reason. It was a good-sized table that could easily seat four people, reasonably clean but not completely spotless.

I soon spied a drinks menu over on a shelf by a fruit machine, but the food menu took a little more tracking down. Pies are something of a speciality at Doggett's, and these were listed on a large board that I could easily see from where I was sitting. There certainly was something to suit every taste, ranging from steak and ale to woodland mushroom, or from shepherd's to fish pie. My son decided to try out the game pie, whilst his partner and I both hovered between sausage and mash and fish, chips and mushy peas. In the end we both went for fish and chips: the regular size we ordered was £6.95, but there was also the option of a large serving at £9.95. Ales and soft drinks are available in good variety, and I picked an apple juice that was specified as being made from good old British Coxes. In all we paid just under £30 for three main meals, two bottles of apple juice and a pint of Guinness. This seems quite amazing for central London.

We were desperate for our drinks and were glad of a little time to enjoy them, but we must have waited around three quarters of an hour for our food to arrive. We sat chatting and people-watching. All kinds of people seem to frequent Doggett's, some with young children just dashing in for a meal, others there for a good few rounds of drinks. Almost as soon as a table was vacated, another group or couple would instinctively know and seat themselves there.

When the food did eventually come, we were glad we had stuck to the regular-sized fish and chips – I dread to think how large the super-size portion would be. The fish was served on top of the chips, which were of the chunky variety, and to the side were the mushy peas and a generous serving of rather runny tartare sauce. Bottled of tomato ketchup and vinegar, as well as other condiments, had been provided on the table. My son's game pie was an individual one served with mash, carrots, green beans and cabbage. We were all perfectly happy with the quality of the food; I could have done with slightly less tartare sauce and fewer chips if anything, but that is not really a complaint as I have a fairly small appetite. My son left a little of his cabbage, and it was very noticeable that as soon as he put his knife and fork down a waiter whipped the plate from under his nose. Soon after that his partner had an empty plate and the waiter pounced on it at once, asking 'Finished?' as he grabbed it, to which the answer was, 'Yes, just about!' I expected the same thing to happen when I gave up on my chips and put down my knife and fork, but a couple of minutes passed before a waitress came and took my plate. Perhaps the waiter had been allowing time for me to eat all the chips, as he soon put his head expectantly round the kitchen door and looked most dismayed to find that someone had beaten him to it. I began to wonder if they were paid commission for each plate they returned to the kitchen.

We were all too full by then to even think about ordering a pudding and were itching to go and see the Rothko exhibition at Tate Modern, so off we went. If you are hankering after a dessert, however, these are again very reasonably priced at £3.65 and include such delights as chocolate fudge cake, banana caramel sundae and apple and rhubarb crumble. Ice-cream is a mere £2.65.

If you can't put up with the background music and football on TV, for fine weather there is a heated terrace as well as a number of outside tables at the front of the pub, overlooking the Thames. This would have been delightful, but it was just a little too chilly as the sun was going down on an October day.

Food is served at Doggett's until 10.30pm every day, starting with cooked breakfast (until noon) for £4.95, with which you can choose a free hot drink. There is a Sunday roast for £7.95; the most expensive meal I could see on the menu was a rib-eye steak for £9.95. Vegetarians are quite well catered for with risotto, pasta and savoury tarts. The full menu can be viewed at the website. Whether you are visiting Tate Modern, the Globe Theatre, the British Film Institute or the Royal Festival Hall and not wanting to spend a fortune on a meal out, Doggett's is just a few minutes' walk away.

Doggett's Coat and Badge

Blackfriars Bridge

London

SE1 9UD

Tel. 020 7633 9081

www.doggettscoatandbadge.co.uk

Art and History in Portsmouth

The Portsmouth City Museum and Records Office is barely a mile from where I live, so I decided one Sunday morning to see what sort of culture there was right on my doorstep. To my surprise, I discovered a small sculpture by Barbara Hepworth as well as a work by Victor Pasmore; I hadn't expected to see works by any major artists.

An imposing red brick building, the museum is not purpose built but a former barracks. It is situated on Museum Road, very close to the university as well as Portsmouth Grammar School, and only about five minutes' walk from Gunwharf Quays. There is an area of lawn with one or two seats in front of the entrance. On entering you find a reception desk in front of you, but admission is absolutely free, even for the temporary exhibitions.

The intention is that you turn to your right and walk through the shop area; you won't miss anything through the door you see on the left, as you will come back and finish your tour of the museum there. The room on the right on the ground floor is set aside for special exhibitions, and I was indeed lucky to make my visit on the final day of The Magic of Masks and Puppets display. I had heard about this and thought it was a children's exhibition, but I was charmed by what I saw. The puppets in particular were gorgeous, whether from India, Japan, Bali or from British touring puppet companies. The Russian ones were so big that it's hard to imagine they could easily be moved around. One or two of the exhibits had been specially made for BBC television shows, and I also saw Baby Dawn from the film 'Trainspotting'. I don't know if this is a touring exhibition, but if you see it advertised at a museum near you, I would recommend a visit.

Emerging from this room, you are then faced with a lot of stairs to climb. I believe there is a lift, but I did not actually see it myself. Having reached the first floor I found that the records office was to my left and was just about to turn right when an attendant greeted me and recommended the display on the second floor. So I climbed another flight of stairs and found the effort to be worth my while. The sight that greeted my eyes was an eclectic collection of traditional furniture, contemporary works of art and older pieces of porcelain. Reading the notices, it became apparent that to qualify for display in this collection, the work of art had to be either made in Portsmouth, made using processes that involved changes in temperature, or fitting the category 'under and over'. (I didn't actually find a definition for the last of the three.)

I was surprised to find here a few sizeable canvases painted by artists who had been lecturers at Portsmouth Polytechnic (now Portsmouth University), and I actually recognised the names of one or two of them, having attended as a student for a year many moons ago. It was here too that I found the small but delightful 'Figure in a Landscape' by Barbara Hepworth. Interspersed with these modern works were a grandfather clock, one or two contemporary chairs, a porcelain water fountain and various other treasures. A strange mixture, yet somehow I found it refreshing, and I certainly hadn't expected to find anything of this nature in my local museum.

I went back down to the first floor where the rooms are devoted to the history of Portsmouth and Southsea. There are reconstructions of rooms of houses from yesteryear, the oldest one being a seventeenth-century bedroom complete with sound effects of a mother and father breathing heavily but not quite snoring. There are illustrations of Victoria Park and Southsea seafront that each take up almost the whole of one wall, a reconstruction of a booth in Verrechia's ice-cream parlour, and an area given over to Portsmouth Football Club's history which may just need updating very soon. Emerging from this area, you find yourself in a room which again houses temporary exhibitions. At the time of my visit there was a superb collection of photographs entitled 'A Walk Along Portsmouth Seafront' that ranged from views of South Parade Pier to close-ups of the ebbing tide, mostly in black-and-white. I noticed that it was possible to order prints of these.

The final room on the first floor has a display of paintings of various genres, mostly by local artists or of local scenes. They range from the traditional and figurative to the contemporary and abstract, a wide variety but not quite so impressive for me as the exhibition on the second floor. If you are tired by this time, you can sit at a table and look at a handful of reference books while you get your breath. I looked up Portsmouth Museum in one of these books and found that the consensus was that it is more suited to the historical reconstruction displays of the first floor than to the display of fine art. That may be so, but the top floor was the area I personally appreciated most.

I was just about to go down the stairs when I noticed an embroidery of an area of Southsea based on an Ordnance Survey map and dedicated to Thomas Ellis Owen, the architect of many of Southsea's finest nineteenth-century buildings. It was of particular interest to me because the nursery where I work is in fact housed in one of these buildings. Moreover, Annie Stunnell, who had the original idea for this embroidery, worked part-time at the nursery a few years ago. I was surprised that I hadn't known of its existence sooner.

Back on the ground floor, I wandered through the final area which houses a display entitled 'A Study in Sherlock: Uncovering the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection'. This has been bequeathed to the city of Portsmouth by Richard Lancelyn Green, who is considered to be the foremost collector of Conan Doyle memorabilia. Here you can see posters, photographs, letters and other documents and objects relating to the author, as well as his actual desk. A film of a Sherlock Holmes mystery is playing on two screens simultaneously as you walk around, with narration by Stephen Fry, the patron of the collection. As a recent addition to the museum's collection, this exhibition is likely to attract a fair number of visitors.

You then find yourself back at the reception desk. There is a small cafeteria offering hot meals as well as drinks or snacks but I did not visit it. The shop stocks cards, postcards, books and gifts of various prices; on the whole the quality of what was on sale was high rather than tacky.

I would recommend a visit to the museum if you are in either Portsmouth or Southsea, especially if the weather does not entice you to the seafront or you don't find the prospect of shopping with the crowds at Gunwharf Quays attractive. The main toilets are on the first floor, but there is an accessible toilet with baby-changing facilities on the ground floor. Not a great deal here will attract very young children, but adults and families with school-age children will I'm sure find something of interest. As it is free of charge, it's worth setting aside an hour or so for a visit.

The museum is open daily from 10am until 5pm or 5.30pm from April to September. It is closed from 24 to 26 December. Groups and schools are asked to book in advance: telephone 023 9229 6905.There is a free car park, but coaches would have to park in nearby St George's Road.

In for a pound

If you want to sit outside and have a meal right at the Waterfront in Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, the choice is between Pizza Express, Zizzi, La Tasca and Tootsies. Zizzi would probably have been my first choice anyway, but the fact that I had a voucher whereby you paid for one main meal and got another for just £1 meant there was no contest. It was about 2pm on Sunday and, with the sun shining, the crowds were out. When we requested a table for three outside, we could see there was one empty but were asked to wait for about five minutes while things were organised. There was a small corner with chairs for those waiting, but it wasn't long before we were shown to our table. This actually consisted of two square tables pushed together, and the upright chairs were certainly comfortable. Some of the outside tables are shaded by a parasol, but ours was open to the welcome sunshine. Cutlery and paper serviettes were already laid, and there were salt and pepper pots at one end. A waitress immediately brought us our menus. She soon returned to take our drinks order. We each ordered fruit juice – either apple or orange are available at £2.25 a glass.

When it came to food, we ordered some mixed olives (£2.25) from the starter section to share between us. The main menu is divided into several sections: Pasta and Risotto, Pizza and Calzone, Carne e Pesce (Meat and Fish) and Insalate (Salads). I was tempted by both the grilled salmon fillet and the seafood risotto, but they were a little pricey so I eventually decided on Penne della Casa (£8.95) consisting of smoked pancetta, roasted chicken, creamy mushroom sauce and baby spinach finished with grated grana padano cheese and baked 'al forno' (in the oven). My son had had a Wagamama curry the day before and felt he should make a healthy choice, so he went for the Insalata Nicoise (£8.25) with yellowfin tuna, anchovies, hard boiled egg, olives, capers, potatoes, santos tomatoes and mixed leaves. His partner ordered a Trentino pizza (£9.50) whose toppings are smoked mountain ham, buffalo milk mozzarella, santos tomatoes, rocket and grana padano cheese. He asked for the rustico base which is larger, thinner, and crispier; it costs an extra £1.95 as there is room for more toppings.

Once we had placed our order, large bottles of olive oil and mayonnaise were brought to the table, each with a folded paper serviette around its neck to catch the drips. It was only about ten minutes before the waitress brought my Penne della Casa, but there was no immediate sign of anything else. I was urged to start eating so that my pasta didn't turn cold. We had actually expected the olives to be served before the main course, but this didn't happen. It was several minutes before the salad and pizza were served, with the olives coming last of all. The pizza was served on a board and looked huge to me, although the base was very thin, and the salad was also a very generous serving. We were all enjoying what we had ordered when, out of the blue, a passing waiter dropped a pound coin on the table and it bounced before landing slap bang in the middle of the pizza. I'm afraid I couldn't help laughing. The waiter was, of course, mortified, and asked my son's partner if he would like another pizza. Monetary coins are not the cleanest of objects, and the reply was a polite but affirmative one. This did, of course, entail a wait of perhaps another ten minutes, so my son and I tried to eat as slowly as we could. My son's partner nibbled away at the olives while he was waiting, and the replacement pizza eventually came. He managed to demolish it with no further mishaps.

I certainly enjoyed my pasta dish with its creamy sauce, roast chicken, whole spinach leaves and crisp grated cheese on the surface. Some pieces of the pancetta were a little chewy, but overall it was an excellent balance of flavours. All three of us were very satisfied with the quality of the food. We didn't honestly have room for dessert, but I noticed two ladies at the next table tucking into large portions of apple crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. This is the most expensive dessert at £5.25; ice cream is the cheapest at £3.50.

The waitress offered us coffee on the house, presumably as a gesture to make up for the bouncing pound coin. None of us really wanted coffee, however, and we felt that the fact that the pizza had been replaced quite made up for the accident. Our bill came to a total of just over £30; without the voucher it would have been about £38. We added a ten per cent tip.

Full marks to Zizzi for their toilets, in which a hand basin and drier are provided in each cubicle. This should avoid any likelihood of germs on the door handle, provided of course that everyone does actually wash their hands.

While I was in the ladies, the waiter apparently came over and apologised profusely for the unfortunate landing of the pound coin in the pizza. He was perhaps grateful that there hadn't been any angry outbursts on our part. As we were leaving, he made a point of shaking my son's partner's hand, and they parted amicably. So I would say that the accident was very well dealt with and I wouldn't level any criticism at Zizzi.

As pizza restaurants go, I much prefer Zizzi to Strada and also Pizza Express. I did particularly enjoy both Ask in Bath and Prezzo in Chichester, but I would say that Zizzi is the best of the bunch in Portsmouth. I would happily go again.