Liz's Eats and Arts

Ryde Tandoori Restaurant - Isle of Wight

2010-06-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

After negotiating countless stone steps at Carisbrooke Castle one Saturday afternoon, we had worked up a good appetite and had just enough time for a bite to eat in Ryde on the Isle of Wight. Having gone for Italian on the previous occasion, I agreed that Indian would be worth a try and we headed for the Ryde Tandoori restaurant on Union Street. As soon as we went in I admired an over-sized Arabesque coffee pot in one corner and a delicate floral display in another. A large photo of a Bengal tiger on one wall seemed quite unusual and more striking than the Bengal landscape on the opposite wall.

We were seated at a table for two in a front corner of the restaurant. Although it was a small table, we did at least have room on the floor in the corner for our belongings. I noticed that all the other tables already had mango chutney, lime pickle and chopped raw onion ready and waiting on them, but ours didn't. Each table also had a pink carnation in a small vase, and ours had unfortunately seen better days. The waiter handed us a menu each and handed us our linen napkins to put on our laps straight away. We ordered a fruit juice each and started to have a look at the menu.

When our drinks were served, the waiter asked if we would like any poppadoms so we ordered three. As it was approaching 6.30pm and we had to catch the last hovercraft back to Southsea at 7.45pm, we asked if we could also order our main dishes then. I'd had a quick look at the specials, but then I'd noticed tandoori trout (£7.95) on the menu. I love trout and had never seen it on an Indian menu before, so I looked no further and decided that it would be my choice. My son had previously tried and very much enjoyed the moglai chicken (£8.45) amongst the specials, and he picked this again. We also order a portion of pilau rice (£2.15) and a vegetable stuffed paratha (£2.45), deciding that we would share everything between us.

Having finished our poppadoms, I hoped the main course would soon be served so that we wouldn't have to rush too much. A few minutes after we had arrived, a couple came in with their two grandchildren. It was obvious that they were regulars from the way they were greeted and chatted to after they had sat down. I was rather peeved that they were served before us, especially as we had been so quick in placing our order. We wondered if it was because tandoori trout takes longer to cook, so perhaps I should give them the benefit of the doubt.

It was nearing 7pm by the time the heater was brought to our table and the waiter brought the food on a trolley. The chutney and pickle had been left on the table, and there was just enough room for everything else. The whole trout was served alongside a salad consisting of two slices of cucumber, two tomato quarters and some finely sliced iceberg lettuce with red cabbage. A slice of lemon was also added. The fish looked gorgeous; I cut it down the middle and passed the tail end to my son. I started of with some rice alongside the trout, which tasted as good as it looked having been cooked to perfection. After a while I tried the moglai chicken, which comes in a creamy almond sauce with pieces of mango. It wouldn't be the right choice for someone who likes hot, spicy curries, but we both enjoyed the fruitiness and the smoothness of the sauce. The chicken was very tender, but nothing could quite compete with the trout for me. I realised that I was neglecting the paratha so had a few pieces of it as I finished off the moglai chicken.

When the waiter came to clear the dishes, we asked if we could have the bill straight away as we were in a hurry. There was no time for dessert – perhaps one day we'll go back on the ferry instead of the hovercraft so that we can have more time to linger. Orange segments and hot towels were brought first, followed by the bill with After Eight mints. The total was £26.90 which we paid by card, leaving a tip in cash.

My son told me that on the previous occasion he had been there, the Ryde Tandoori had been full, although it had been later in the evening. This time, there were plenty of customers coming in to collect takeaway orders, but not many eating in. It's hardly fair to judge, however, as England were playing in the World Cup that evening. I did feel that the tables were a little close together and there wouldn't be much privacy if all of them were occupied.

In terms of food I would say this was one of the best meals I have had in any Indian restaurant. The service was polite, but our waiter did seem a little lacking in confidence. I liked the restaurant itself; it is small with stylish furnishings and décor. Indian music is played at a fairly low volume that does not intrude on conversation.

Not everyone would enjoy the main dishes that we chose, but for those who like spicy Indian food the usual curries are on the menu. I noticed that one of the children who was with her grandparents was having chicken and chips, so there are options for members of a group who don't go for oriental food.

The toilets were perfectly clean, but there were one or two tiles coming away from the wall in one corner. Paper towels were provided rather than a hand drier.

I would definitely recommend the Ryde Tandoori on the basis of food, but I would prefer to go early before it gets too busy. If I lived locally I can imagine I might use the takeaway service rather than eating in. I should mention that the staff were very friendly and welcoming towards the children who were there. The restaurant is just five minutes' walk from Ryde Esplanade, and therefore ideally located for anyone travelling to the Isle of Wight by ferry or hovercraft.

The Ryde Tandoori is open for lunch but closes between 2.30pm and 6pm, seven days a week.

Ryde Tandoori Restaurant

45 Union Street

Ryde

Isle of Wight

PO33 2LF

Tel. 01983 563165

Wagamama, Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth

2010-06-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Having visited Wagamama in Bristol a couple of times, I was enthusiastic about going to the branch that opened in Gunwharf Quays at the end of March. It took me a few weeks to get round to doing so, but I eventually did on a Sunday afternoon in early June. Wagamama is located on the upper level of the waterfront, above Zizzi's and sandwiched between La Tasca and the Slug and Lettuce. The weather was fine and warm enough to sit outside where there is a view of Gunwharf Marina and the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour.

We chose a table that was partly in the sun; there are large black parasols to give shade on the hottest days. The tables have wooden slats and a matching bench either side – there is no back rest, but surprisingly I find this a comfortable way to sit. I did find the bench a little heavy to move back so that I could actually get in, but once there I was fine. Before leaving I went inside the restaurant to the ladies; I was surprised to find several tables on either side with seats that had quite high backrests. Everyone was sitting at the tables that had those seats. They might be pleasantly surprised to find that the benches are more comfortable than they look.

A waitress had to attend to a couple who arrived seconds before us, but she then brought our menus. There was a small printed specials menu which I think is always the same; the crab cakes and kedgeree on this were no longer available. I might well have chosen the kedgeree as I love smoked haddock. The waitress put paper serviettes and a pair of chopsticks each beside a container that held soya sauce, chilli oil and packets of sugar.

It wasn't long before the waitress came to take our drinks order. We both decided on apple and lime juice – my son order a large one (£4.05) but I decided the regular size (£3) would be enough. The drinks at Wagamama are rather pricey, but they are not just juice from concentrate out of a carton. They have a layer of real fruit pulp at the top, and you can tell that they have a lot more goodness in them than run-of-the-mill fruit juice. The tables have a panel down the centre that the waitress writes the numbers of items as you order them with an erasable marker. My son could see the impressions of some numbers that had previously been rubbed off, and said to the waitress that it would tell you what the most popular dishes were!

We continued to study our menus and decided to order some yasai gyoza (£4.90): five steamed, grilled vegetable dumplings, served with a sweet ginger soy dipping sauce. These were from the side order section, and our idea was to share them.

Main dishes are priced between £6.45 and £10.45. They are divided into several sections, the majority of which feature noodles: big bowls of noodles in soup, noodles in a coconut based soup, noodles cooked on a hot, flat griddle or noodles in a spicy sauce. There are thick udon noodles as well as thinner ramen noodles. If noodles really aren't your thing, you can choose a rice-based dish or one of three salads. There are quite a few dishes that are suitable for vegetarians, but surprisingly few fish options. Unlike most Indian restaurants, Wagamama offers no western dishes such as steak and chips or omelette, so stay away if you have no desire for Japanese food.

One of my sons was with me and decided to order Miso ramen (£8.45) from the big bowls of noodles in soup section. This consists of 'noodles in a chicken and pork spiced miso soup topped with stir-fried chicken, carrot, leeks, garlic and bean sprouts, garnished with wakame, menma (pickled bamboo shoots), mixed sesame seeds and chilli oil' (quoted from Wagamama's menu). I had in the past few months tried udon noodles both at Wagamama Bristol and Sakura in Southsea, as well as salmon teriyaki at Yo! Sushi. I wanted to try something slightly different this time, so I chose chicken tama rice (£7.65), grilled chicken breast stir-fried with courgettes, mushrooms, red onions and spring onions in an oyster, garlic and wine sauce, served on sticky white rice.

We then sat and waited, knowing that at Wagamama individual dishes are served as soon as they are ready, and that our main courses might not be served at the same time. So we waited, and we waited. Half an hour passed, which I know is not unheard of, but it is unusual for Wagamama. Fortunately we were not in a hurry and there were some mildly interesting events going on to commemorate D-Day down below on the waterfront.

Eventually the waitress came to apologise, explaining that not one but all the computers had crashed. Apparently it is impossible to prepare and serve food when the computer system is not functioning – that's progress for you in our technological age. I suppose we were lucky to have got our drinks just in time. The waitress assured us that the problem had just been fixed and that food was just beginning to be served again. Sure enough, I saw plenty of it arriving a couple of tables away, and then our yasai gyoza was brought on a stylish curved rectangular white dish. There were five of them, and I decided two would be plenty for me. They were nicely crisp on the bottom and softer on top. The vegetable stuffing was slightly crunchy without seeming undercooked and very tasty. I did enjoy them, but didn't find it very easy to hold on to them with the chopsticks and so didn't really take advantage of the dipping sauce.

It wasn't long before my chicken tama rice arrived, along with a spoon and fork in case I preferred them to the chopsticks. The chicken and vegetables sat on top of a dome of sticky rice, with a sauce the consistency of a clear soup around it. I did of course need the spoon for the sauce which was delicious, although I couldn't honestly detect much of a taste of garlic. The chicken was quite thinly sliced and very tender. The pieces of courgette were rather chunky but well cooked, and there were plenty of slices of red onions and spring onions, again perfectly cooked. The mushrooms were sliced into quite small pieces. I ate all the chicken and vegetables, but the rice proved too much for me and there was so much sauce that I left a little of that as well. Perhaps I shouldn't have had the dumplings, but they were more interesting than the rice.

My son's miso ramen was served soon after I had started eating, and it certainly was a big bowl. I was fascinated by the wooden ladle that came with it – you obviously use that for the soup but have chopsticks for the noodles, meat and vegetables. It was apparently quite spicy but definitely a good choice. Once again, though, it was such a large serving that my son couldn't finish it.

We were both far too full to even consider dessert and had waited longer than expected for our food to be served, so we asked for the bill. It came to £28.05, not including a tip – quite reasonable considering the price of the drinks.

The toilets were very clean and well appointed; the restaurant had of course only been open for just over two months, so I hope the high standard of cleanliness will be maintained.

I am no expert on Japanese food, but I would say that the dishes at Wagamama seem quite similar to those at Sakura, Southsea's traditional Japanese restaurant. The most striking differences are the lack of sushi at Wagamama and, as I mentioned, the limited number of fish-based dishes. If you are in Gunwharf Wagamama makes a change from the ubiquitous Italian chain restaurants and is in an ideal location if you enjoy looking out over the sea. I was happy with the polite and friendly service, although I think we could have been told a little sooner about the reason for the delay in serving our food. Presumably this is not a problem that occurs frequently. Wagamama may not be the favourite for families, although they do have a special children's menu for those who enjoy Japanese food. I loved the food and hope I will have many an occasion to go back.

Opening hours:

Monday – Saturday 12 noon – 11pm

Sunday – 12 noon – 10pm

Wagamama

North Promenade

Gunwharf Quays

Portsmouth

PO1 3TR

The restaurant is located on the upper floor at the waterfront; disabled access via the lift next to Vue cinema

Tel. 023 9286 1128

www.wagamama.com

Royal Oak, Havant

2010-05-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

The Royal Oak pub in Langstone, near Havant, is located in a row of three terraced cottages that date from the sixteenth century. It has been a pub for more than three hundred years, and some of the original beams and fireplaces still remain. It is situated at the north-eastern end of Langstone Harbour, with Hayling Island just to the south. There is a fine view looking towards Thorney Island and Chichester Harbour, with Langstone Mill just a few yards away. You can see swans, ducks and perhaps white egrets by the shore and on the mill pond nearby. It is a beautiful spot.

We arrived at about 6.45pm one Sunday evening in May, having walked from Havant railway station along the Hayling Billy trail – the old railway line that once ran from Havant to Hayling Island. The weather was warm but rather windy, so having had plenty of fresh air we decided to sit inside rather than at the picnic tables in the garden. There was a choice of several tables, but by the time we left the place was almost full.

It is rather dark inside the Royal Oak, but that adds to the atmosphere. In some places there is open brickwork which I prefered to the rather dull beige paint in other areas. The ceiling has dark wooden panels alongside the older beams, and the tables and chairs are similarly in dark wood. The chairs and long seats by the walls do have padded cushions, so they are comfortable. There were two of us but we were able to have a table for four – thankfully, as my son had his tripod and camera bag with him as usual.

Menus are provided on the table alongside a wine list, pepper and salt mills, a pot of oil, cutlery and serviettes. We didn't order starters, but they range from seasonal soup of the day with thick-cut bread and Somerset butter (£2.95) through tempura battered king prawns (£4.65) to oven-baked garlic and herb sharing bread topped with red chard and olives (£5.05).

Main dishes are divided into five sections, starting with steaks. You can choose from sirloin, rump or rib-eye with or without toppings, and prices range from £10.95 to £13.95; they are all served with chips and various other accompaniments. The Classics section includes British beef and Ruddles ale pie with chips or mash, vegetables and gravy (£8.15), hand-battered cod and chips with tartare sauce and petits pois or mushy peas (£7.45) or Kadai chicken curry with lemon and parsley basmati wild rice and poppadoms (£9.25). There are three kinds of Gourmet Burger priced between £6.95 and £9.25. The Chef's Selection has slow-cooked New Zealand lamb shank with pea mash and minted gravy (£9.95) as well as a classic paella of chicken, chorizo and seafood (£9.45). There are three main course salads, for example Loch Fyne smoked Scottish salmon and king prawn (£8.45). More mains were listed on the specials board, but the Sunday roast had been crossed off and we weren't tempted by any of the others.

The only vegetarian main dishes are peppered mushroom suet pudding (£9.45), Wensleydale grape, Tiptree honey and mint salad (£6.95), Red Leicester and spinach burger (£6.95) or butternut squash, spinach, lentil and spicy coconut curry (£7.95).

Side orders include carrots in chive butter (£2.29), dressed side salad (£2.09) and garlic ciabatta(£2.09). There is a notice at the bar where you order the food saying that if you are not asked if you would like any sides, the pub will offer you some free of charge. My son was asked when he ordered our food, so we didn't get any. That was probably just as well, as I don't think we could have eaten any more!

My son had a few weeks earlier enjoyed the fish and chips at the Royal Oak and decided to try something different. After considering the Tandoori chicken breast salad (£8.25), he eventually chose the paella. I was tempted by the traditional beef lasagne (£6.95) but decided to go for something more original. From the Chef's Selection I picked the farm-assured 'smothered' chicken breast with grilled bacon, goat's cheese and tomato Provencal sauce, topped with watercress and served with chips and a salad garnish (£8.65). We each ordered a fruit juice, and our bill came to £22.

It was around fifteen to twenty minutes before a waitress brought our food. We were asked if we wanted any sauces, so I asked for some tomato ketchup to go with my chips. My chicken came in an oval dish on a large plate, next to the chips and salad. The salad consisted of a few rather tired looking lettuce leaves and one very small cherry tomato, cut in half. It made me feel glad that I hadn't ordered a main course salad. The chicken was topped with a generous amount of watercress which I moved on top of the salad so that I could see what was underneath. There were two good-sized pieces of chicken which were very tender; one was topped with bacon, the other with goat's cheese. The Provencal sauce was very rich. My only criticism of the cooked food is that it had just started to burn around the edges of the dish, and one end of the bacon was rather burned. I actually quite like my food like this, but I'm sure there are people who would not have been happy with it. The chips were good and chunky – too many for me to finish, but I expect a lot of people would be able to polish them all off. My son was quite satisfied with his paella, and we both felt full by the time we had finished eating.

We considered going for a walk along the shore and coming back for dessert, but in the end neither of us felt we wanted any more to eat. The Puddings, as the menu calls them, range from Cornish clotted cream ice-cream with chocolate sauce (£3.75) through sticky dark chocolate and walnut brownie (£4.45) to a trio of classic hot puddings served with custard or double cream (£5.25) which you could perhaps share. There is also a cheese platter (£3.95), and lemon meringue pie featured on the specials board that day. Beside the bar was a small board showing various types of coffee that are available, but it was too late in the day for me to sample one.

I found the ladies' toilets to be very clean, pleasantly decorated and well appointed. While drying your hands you could even look out of the window at the view across the harbour if you wanted to!

While we were eating the waitress came over to ask if everything was all right. She came to remove our plates not long after we had finished, asking again if the food had been satisfactory and whether we wanted to order any desserts. At one point the owner/manager was clearing the next table but one from ours and chatting very amicably with a couple seated at the neighbouring table; I got the feeling they were regular customers.

The strong points of the Royal Oak are its location and atmosphere. I have no complaints about the service. The food was good, but I can imagine that if this pub was situated in the middle of Portsmouth, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to visit it. As it is, it is the perfect place to combine with a walk that includes a wooded path, a field with horses, and a picturesque shoreline. The Royal Oak offers curry and a pint on Wednesday evenings for £6.95 which would attract me if I lived nearer. There were quite a few children on the evening we were there, and the garden in particular would be an ideal place for families in fine weather. If you like the sound of the location, I would definitely recommend a visit.

The Royal Oak

19 Langstone High Street

Havant

Hampshire

PO9 1RY

Tel. 023 9248 3125

www.royaloak-havant.com

Yo Sushi - Gunwharf Quays

2010-05-03T03:30:00.000-07:00

Restaurant chains seemed to have realised that Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth is the place to be, and hot on the heels of Wagamama came Yo! Sushi at the end of April. Situated opposite Marks and Spencer and next door to Cotton Traders, Yo! Sushi doesn't have the advantage of views from the waterfront, but it makes up for this in other ways.

Having visited Wagamama in Bristol as well as Sakura in Southsea, I wasn't totally unfamiliar with Japanese food, but I was quite unprepared for the conveyor belt experience. I also wasn't sure I would be comfortable sitting on a high chair with a low backrest at a counter, but here I was wrong. The back rest gave good support, and there was at least enough room under the counter for bags. The English waitress who had welcomed us brought menus and asked if we had visited Yo! Sushi before. When we said we hadn't, she explained we could help ourselves to the sushi and desserts that were going round on the double conveyor belt in front of us but that we could call her if we wanted to order hot food. She showed us in the menu that all dishes are priced according to a colour code: they are served on small plates or little shallow bowls with a coloured rim. They go from pale green rims at £1.70 through orange rims at £3.30 up to grey rims at £5 with a couple of others in between. When you finish your meal, the waitress counts how many plates you have of each colour and gives you a slip with details of your drinks as well to take to the till.

The waitress showed us that on the counter there were taps for both fizzy and still water; you can drink as much water as you like for £1. You can also order limitless Japanese green tea for £1.25. My son decided to stick with water, but I ordered a Frobisher's orange juice for £2.30. Yo! Sushi does also offer several wines, sake, Japanese beer, and one or two other soft drinks.

Also on the counter in front of us were a large supply of wooden chopsticks, some wooden teaspoons, glasses for water, a bottle of soya sauce, a pot of wasabi, a container of very thinly sliced fresh ginger, and some very small white dishes for the ginger. The waitress had also shown us that there was a help button you could press to call her. When you do this, the nearest vertical plastic tube, several of which are placed at intervals along the counter, turns from blue to red. Much more fun than having to catch someone's eye!

The waitress left us and we started to look at our menus, which are square booklets with sushi at one end and everything else at the other. There are illustrations of all the items, circled in the appropriate colour so that you can check the price code. I soon decided that I would try the salmon teriyaki, and started to watch the two rows of food passing by on the conveyor belts. They are all covered in transparent plastic domes. I tried to work out what some of the dishes were, but by the time I'd found them on my menu they had gone past! I wondered where the salmon teriyaki was, having already forgotten that hot food had to be ordered from the waitress. My facial expression must have been one of utter confusion, as my son asked me if I wanted to leave. I didn't, but I did feel rather flummoxed. The waitress came back so I ordered my salmon teriyaki and my son asked for a chicken katsu curry. He had already chosen a dish of assorted fish maki (filled rice rolls wrapped in seaweed) from the belt; there were six very small ones, two each of salmon, tuna and prawn with chives. I realised that I was going to have to pick something, but much as I love fish I cannot bring myself to try raw fish. I decided to play safe and grabbed a plate of tamago nigiri – two pieces of rice topped with sweet omelette. The omelette is bound to the rice with a thin strip of seaweed. It was very bland, but I didn't mind this as I had it with some gorgeous fresh ginger and soya sauce. If you aren't keen on ginger, though, stay away – it is a very strong flavour. I passed on the wasabi, which is very spicy.

My son had by that time enthusiastically taken some spicy chicken with grated Asian radish, assorted sprouts and green beans. He also chose a plate of two vegetable futomaki – rice rolls wrapped in seaweed and filled with cucumber, pickled radish, tamago (omelette), carrot and avocado. I tried a tiny piece of the chicken but didn't like the soft consistency, so I agreed to have one of the futomaki rolls. Although I don't normally like either cucumber or radish, I actually enjoyed this. The only problem was actually eating it; I couldn't cut it with the chopsticks so I picked the whole thing up and tried to bite a piece off. Let's just say I'm glad there were no cameras around at that point.

Our hot food was handed to us by a member of the kitchen staff, who work in a central area and are therefore in full view of the customers all the time. The teriyaki salmon was grilled and consisted of three small but quite thick slices, garnished with ginger, cress and a slice of lemon. It was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious; I can't say I've had better salmon anywhere. My son was impressed by his chicken katsu curry, which is fried chicken on rice with a mild curry sauce and Japanese pickles.

I decided not to overdo the savoury food as the desserts chugging along in front of me were just too tempting. The fresh fruit salad, with slices of pineapple and melon as well as green and purple grapes and a strawberry, looked enticing and healthy, but we decided to try something new with a Japanese slant. My son reached for a plate of mochi – glutinous rice cakes with sweet fillings which are described in the menu as nutritious. I had no hesitation in going for the chocolate mochi, which have a dark chocolate ganache filling and are dusted with cocoa powder. There were two of each, mostly cut in half, so we decided to share them. The ordinary ones were pleasant enough and reminded me a little of marshmallows. The chocolate mochi were absolutely gorgeous, especially the cocoa powder, which had a strong but irresistible flavour. We ate the mochi with chopsticks, except for one that was whole which I cut with a spoon.

When you are ready for the bill, all you have to do is ring the bell and the waitress appears quite promptly. She counted our dishes and gave us a slip of paper with numbers against the colours of the plates, as well as details of the orange juice and water. When we checked, however, it looked as though she hadn't included our desserts, perhaps because the plates were still in front of us rather than stacked in the pile. The waitress came back and adjusted the numbers. Her mistake had been in our favour, but it would always be worth checking in case you are being overcharged.

The bill came to just over £28 to which we added a tip. We paid by card at the till, beside which is a takeaway counter. There were various boxes of sushi available here for around £7 or £8, but it was not fully stocked.

The ladies' toilet was very clean and well appointed. I should perhaps emphasise that the restaurant had only been open for just over forty-eight hours, so I hope the standards of cleanliness will be maintained.

When I went along to the toilets at the back of Yo! Sushi, I noticed that there were a couple of tables with comfortable sofas either side which are presumably intended for larger groups of people. There were a few children around that day, but I didn't see any babies or any sign of high chairs. The restaurant is accessible by wheelchairs.

I have no idea how close the food at Yo! Sushi comes to authentic Japanese food, but I can only say how much I enjoyed it. After my initial confusion, I felt that it was a refreshing change from the usual restaurant experience. Next time I go I will have much more of an idea of what the dishes travelling before me are and what has to be ordered separately. If you have a liking for Oriental food and enjoy variety, I would definitely recommend a visit.

Opening hours

Monday – Saturday: 12 noon until 11pm

Sunday: 12 noon until 10.30pm

Yo! Sushi

79 Gunwharf Quays

Portsmouth

PO1 3TZ

Tel. 023 9280 8110

www.yosushi.com

Spice Village, Emsworth

2010-05-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

Considering Emsworth is such a small town, it has a surprisingly good choice of restaurants. A couple of them are right out of my price range, but the Spice Village, an Indian restaurant right in the centre of town, offers very good Oriental cuisine that is affordable as well.

Spice Village took over one of Emsworth's pubs a few years ago, and it is surprisingly spacious – larger than any Indian restaurant I've been in Southsea, for example. We arrived at about 6.15pm one Sunday evening, and things were still very quiet. I suggested we take a small table as there were only two of us, but the waiter encouraged us to sit at a table for four as my son had a tripod and camera bag and I had a couple of bags as well. The tripod went on the floor, safely behind the table, but we were asked to put everything else on the two spare chairs. Menus were brought and the waiter hovered a while until we each asked for a fruit juice.

Spice Village is very stylish, but if you are not keen on pink you might find it's a little overdone. Almost everything, from the walls to the tablecloths to the lighting, is in shades of pink. It is very comfortable, but it did occur to me that many of the tables are very close together so there wouldn't be much privacy at busy times. The waiters, thankfully, do not wear pink; they are smartly dressed in purple shirts and black trousers.

Taking a look at the menu, starters include onion bhaji (£2.50), mulligatawny soup (£2.95), king prawn butterfly (£4.75) and even prawn cocktail (£2.95). We decided just to order three plain papadoms (60p each) which were served with the usual mango chutney, raita and raw onion finely chopped with a few slices of cucumber and tomato.

Looking at main dishes, which are divided into several sections, I was tempted among the fish dishes by ayre delight (£10.50), having once enjoyed it at the Spice Merchants in Southsea. Passanda is another favourite of mine, and this was listed under the chef's recommendations in a chicken or lamb version (£5.95). The meat and chicken dishes offer the usual varieties such as korma, madras, bhuna, rogan and korai, and most are priced under £6. Biriani dishes range from mushroom or vegetable (£5.95) to king prawn (£9.95). Then come 'some modern favourite regional dishes' which include shahi duck (£9.50) and Himalayan chicken or lamb (£8.50). There are just four Persian dishes, such as meat, chicken or prawn dansak (£6.75) and king prawn patia (£9.50). The seafood section actually consists only of prawn curries of various kinds. A good variety of tandoori cuisine offers, for example, duck korai (£8.50) or lamb tikka massala (£6.95). Spice Village balti specials are served with nan bread and include balti jhinga massala with king prawns (£9.50). There is a special section for vegetarian curries such as dupiaza, jalfrazi and balti, all £5.50. For those who aren't fans of Indian cuisine, the choice is between sirloin steak (£8.95), fried chicken (£6.95) and chicken, prawn or mushroom omelette (£6.95).

There is a good choice of vegetable side dishes such as Bombay potato (£3.20), keema aloo (£3.10) or dhall tarka (£3.20). Various types of nan bread include coriander and cheese nan (£2.25), and the bread section also offers paratha and chapati. If you find plain rice (£1.95) boring, there are four other kinds to choose from, such as special fried rice with peas and egg (£3.10).

I eventually decided on tandoori chicken served with salad (£6.50), and my son chose Goan chicken (£8.50), a 'fairly hot' dish of marinated chicken cooked with garlic, ginger, coriander, Goan red chilli, coconut and cumin. We also ordered a portion of plain rice and a paratha stuffed with vegetables (£2.50), both to share between us. When I asked for the tandoori chicken, the waiter was at great pains to explain that it was dry, in other words served without sauce. I assured him that I was aware of this, but it sounded as though they must have had some complaints or misunderstandings in the past by customers expecting lashings of curry sauce with everything.

Our order was taken while we were enjoying our papadoms, and we didn't have to wait too long for the main dishes to arrive. My tandoori half chicken came on a large plate with finely chopped lettuce, one slice each of tomato and cucumber, a wedge of lemon and some lime pickle. A small bowl of raita was also served, but I'm not keen on it and left it as it was. The Goan chicken and vegetable paratha were both placed on a hotplate, with the bowl of rice on the table. The tandoori chicken was topped with finely sliced vegetables – mostly onion; the chicken was well cooked and very tender. I had a helping of rice alongside the salad, and almost forgot about the paratha. Eventually I had a few pieces of it but, delicious as it was, I just couldn't manage to finish my share. My son certainly enjoyed the Goan chicken; he had been to an excellent Indian restaurant on the Isle of Wight the previous weekend which had impressed him slightly more, but we both agreed that the food at Spice Village was as good as any we have had in Portsmouth or Southsea.

We asked for a glass of water each but were far too full to even think about having dessert. Hoping to get down to Emsworth beach before sunset, we asked for the bill. It came to just over £27, to which we added a tip. Payments by card are accepted.

The service was polite, attentive and efficient; all but one of the waiters had heavy accents, but we managed to understand them fairly easily. I think I do have to mention, however, that when my son went to wash his hands one of the waiters walked over and eyed up his camera (complete with extra lens) that was sitting on a chair. He then started chatting to one of his colleagues, and I heard the word 'camera' mentioned more than once. After we'd finished eating my son got out his iphone; in a twinkling there was the same waiter, peering over his shoulder. We concluded he must be a gadget freak, but I think it was bit of an odd way to behave.

The ladies' toilet was very clean and extremely pink, of course, right down to the toilet tissue. I forgot to ask my son whether the pinkness extended into the gents as well!

Spice Village offers a takeaway service and accepts telephone orders. There is an area by the bar with comfortable chairs where customers can wait for their takeaways. I remember visiting Spice Village three or four years ago when we lived near Havant and they were very obliging over calling a taxi for us. We were able to wait in that same area by the bar.

If you are visiting Emsworth or passing through, Spice Village is the place to go for Indian cuisine. I believe it gets busy on Friday and Saturday evenings, so a reservation would probably be necessary unless you arrive at around 6pm. It's not far at all from Havant, and both Portsmouth and Chichester are no great distance from Emsworth. We combined our visit with a walk along the shore of Thorney Island, which is just a few minutes' walk away, and an evening stroll by the beach in Emsworth. It's a refreshing change from the city.

Opening hours

Sunday – Thursday: 12 noon until 2.30pm and 5.30pm until 11.30pm

Friday and Saturday: 12 noon until 2.30pm and 5.30pm until midnight

Spice Village

47 High Street

Emsworth

Hampshire

PO10 7AL

There is a car park at the rear of the restaurant. The Coastliner 700 bus from Brighton to Portsmouth stops just a few yards from Spice Village.

Tel. 01243 379222 or 01243 389333

www.spice-village.co.uk

Feed Caffe, Portsmouth

2010-04-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

Feed is a tiny cafe situated under the railway on a stretch of road between two entrances to Gunwharf Quays. I wouldn't have given it a second look had I not found out that it was owned by the same company as the Olivo restaurant in Ryde, Isle of Wight, that had impressed me so much. It had to be worth trying.

My first visit to Feed was at 1pm on a weekday during school holidays, and the place was encouragingly busy. I sat down at the only vacant small table, noticing that the wooden tables and chairs were reminiscent of those at Olivo. A waitress brought me a menu, simply printed on an A4 sheet of white paper, along with a separate sheet for the day's specials. Sausage casserole had, she told me, run out, which was a shame as the sausages at Feed come from Buckwells, Southsea's best butcher. I ordered an orange juice (£1.55) and started to look at the menu.

Feed offers a surprisingly good choice of food whether you want breakfast, a sandwich, a hearty cooked meal or afternoon tea. Breakfasts range from toast and toppers (£3.50) to full English (£5.95) or the Mighty Meaty Feed Breakfast (£7.50) for those with a huge desire for protein. There are three varieties of omelette with which you could have chips and salad or toast and beans (or even toast and chips). Extras can be ordered, for example black pudding (£1.50), baguette (£1.20) or mushrooms (80p).

If burgers are your thing, there are five different choices including a spicy Mexican bean burger (£5.95) and a lamb and mint burger in a toasted ciabatta (£6.95); all are served with chips, coleslaw and mayonnaise. Jacket spuds come with a small salad garnish, homemade coleslaw and butter. Most fillings are £4.75, but the prawn Marie Rose as well as the sausage and bean toppings cost a pound or so more.

Baguettes, sandwiches and wraps are served with coleslaw and diced potato. They range from bacon (£3.50) to prawn Marie Rose (£4.95). The only vegetarian choice is Cheddar cheese and onion (£3.95). If you don't think one of these will satisfy your appetite, you could go for the Feed club sandwich (£7.25), a toasted one with chicken, ham, cheese, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red onion, mustard and mayonnaise, served with coleslaw and diced potato.

For children there is a Little Fillers Menu. The price of £3.95 includes a drink, and the choices of food are full English breakfast, classic burger, sausage with chips and beans, ham or cheese sandwich with diced potatoes, or two slices of toast with either bacon, eggs or beans.

I considered ordering from the special menu where I liked the sound of the chicken and mushroom tortelloni more than the spicy chicken fajita, but in the end I decided on a veggie breakfast (£5.95). With two veggie sausages, an egg, fried diced potatoes, mushrooms, griddled tomato and toast, this sounded very filling. I only had to wait a few minutes until this was served. It was well presented and looked appetising; my only reservations were that brown or wholemeal toast had not been offered, and no alternative was given to a fried egg. Given the choice, I would have had wholemeal toast and scrambled egg. Portions were generous except for the tomato. The diced potatoes were very small and beautifully crisp, and the button mushrooms had also been sliced into small pieces. The veggie sausages were cooked to perfection. Everything was hot and tasted very good. Had I not had a long walk that morning I might have struggled to finish the veggie breakfast.

Feed do a selection of homemade cakes that sit tantalisingly in the window, but there was no way I could have found room for a slice that day. It will be a good excuse to go back one afternoon and decided whether to be vaguely healthy and go for carrot cake or indulge in coffee and walnut. I also resisted the temptation to try Feed's coffee. As well as espressos, lattes and cappuccinos, they serve hot chocolate with cream and mallows, Earl Grey tea, and a variety of Twining's flavoured teas.

Feed is actually situated in one of a number of arches underneath the railway line. Because of this, it has a curved ceiling and walls, as though you were in a short tunnel. The walls are exposed brickwork, and I realise that some people may be put off that this is a very small and not very stylish eatery. Others, however, will appreciate the originality of the setting and prefer Feed to the chain restaurants and the crowds of Gunwharf Quays.

My bill came to £7.50 to which I added a tip. Several young waitresses were on hand at Feed, and they were welcoming, friendly and efficient, just as they had been at Olivo in Ryde. I was alone yet did not feel uncomfortable in any way.

There is just one unisex toilet at Feed with a rather strange folding door that closes with a hook. Other than black grouting between the tiles, it was clean; turning the tap on and off, however, was almost beyond me as there wasn't anything much to get hold of! I had to tell one of the waitresses that I hadn't been able to turn it off properly and she kindly said she would see to it.

This is obviously a much smaller and simpler place than Olivo Restaurant in Ryde, but it nevertheless had a similar feel to it. The food was very good, and the place does seem popular despite the competition from Gunwharf Quays. I believe Feed is open until about 7.30pm, and it is in an ideal location for anyone visiting Portsmouth Historic Dockyard or for those who want to get away from the crowds at the shops. It may not have the views of the eateries at the waterfront, but it offers good food and a welcoming atmosphere that is genuinely refreshing.

Feed Caffe

Arch No. 7

The Hard

Portsmouth

PO1 4DT

The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre

2010-04-08T00:17:00.000-07:00

Havant Arts Centre and Museum have recently combined to form The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre in this small Hampshire town. Situated on East Street, the centre is easily recognisable because of the curvaceous pieces of sculpture by Ben Barrell that stand in the courtyard.

The box office is to the right of the main entrance, and ahead is the light and spacious Sadler Gallery where temporary exhibitions by local artists are held. There are tables and chairs so that you can sit and enjoy the works of art while sampling the fare of the Spring Cafe. The cafe is open from 9.30am until 3pm every day except Sunday; lunch is served between 11.30am and 2.30pm. Everything except the savoury tart with a large salad is under £5. The cafe does also serve cooked meals before evening shows at the centre, but you need to book by noon the day before the show.

I arrived just before 11am on a Tuesday and was surprised at how busy the cafe was. A large group of people, mainly senior citizens, had gathered to set off on an hour's walk, so when they left at 11 o'clock the place was much quieter. I ordered a cappuccino (all coffee is fair trade) and a slice of low-fat carrot cake and settled myself at a table near the bar from where I still had a good view of some of the works of art on show. Just to my left was a small area beyond the Sadler Gallery dedicated to a coastal heritage display focusing on the local harbours of Langstone and Chichester. Young children will enjoy the colourful feelie boxes here as well as the sea anemones in two tanks on the opposite wall.

Within the gallery area are several glass cabinets of jewellery, ceramics and textiles that are for sale. These would make beautiful and original gifts, so the centre is an excellent place to come for Christmas shopping or birthday presents. The art in the Sadler Gallery is sometimes for sale but prices can of course be high. The 'Affordable Art Gallery' exhibits works of art that are at more modest prices. At the time of writing there is a series of black-and-white photographs of Hayling Island by Stuart Burnes that were selling at £40 each.

Between the Sadler Gallery and the coastal heritage display are two showcases for private collections of local people. At the time of my visit they were inhabited by Isabel Baron's charming teddy bears that date back fifty years. Any local person can apply to put a collection on show at the centre.

Leaving the galleries and cafe area behind, I went through to the museum which houses a permanent collection. The local theme of the centre is continued here, and I was fascinated to find the works of a clock formerly at St Faith's Church in Havant ticking away. Railway enthusiasts will be interested by the showcase that remembers the days when there was a train service from Havant to Hayling Island known as the Hayling Billy line. You can enter a small room that has been set up as a 1950's kitchen in the Leigh Park housing estate that is part of Havant. There is no refrigerator here, just a pantry, and washing was done in a top-loading boiler.

At the far end of the museum is a research room, but this was cordoned off at the time of my visit. It obviously had a good supply of box files on the shelf. It has two computers with Internet access for research as well as a collection of local maps.

Walking back through the museum area I finally visited the Oyster Gift Shop which, like the makers' cabinets in the galleries, sells jewellery, ceramics and textiles by local artists. I bought some beautiful greetings cards there and would consider making a special journey in the autumn for Christmas shopping.

The Spring Centre does of course have a theatre for dance, music, comedy, film and theatrical productions, including shows specially for children. On Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th April 2010, for example, there is a jazz weekend, and towards the end of April the Bench Theatre will be putting on eight performances of Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible'. On the afternoon of 15th May there will be a musical adaptation of David McKee's 'Elmer the Elephant'. The theatre has easy access for wheelchairs and there is a disabled toilet as well as baby-changing facilities. Tickets can be booked at the box office in person, by telephone or online via the Spring's website.

A number of classes are run at the centre for the local community, including drawing, yoga, music and various types of dancing. There are also several classes in theatre and dance especially for young people; most of these last one hour and are held between 4pm and 7pm on weekdays. Children's workshops are usually organized during school holidays as well.

Details of all the activities are available on the centre's website at www.thespring.co.uk , where you can download the Spring's latest brochure.

The Spring is just a few minutes' walk from Havant railway station, and the 700 bus service from either Portsmouth or Brighton stops right outside the centre. It is a vibrant place that is definitely worth a visit by anyone interested in the arts or local history. If you live in the area make a point of going to see an exhibition or a show, or even just dropping in for a drink and finding out what's coming up in the next few weeks. I certainly enjoyed the time I spent there, and it was worth making the journey from Southsea.

The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre

56 East Street

Havant

Hampshire

PO9 1BS

Box Office 023 9247 2700

www.thespring.co.uk

Olivo Restaurant, Ryde

2010-04-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

There are quite a few restaurants on Ryde's Union Street, but not all are serving food at 5.30pm. My son and I couldn't risk missing the last hovercraft of the day back to Southsea and we noticed that Olivo was open and seemed to have an interesting menu.

The area at the front of the restaurant has some low coffee tables and dark brown leather sofas for those just having a drink and a light bite. There are also some dining tables, but we were led through this area and seated at a small table just beside the bar. To the back was a further dining area at a slightly lower level.

When we were seated we were each given a standard menu as well as one to share showing the day's specials; as it was Sunday these included roast lamb. Olivo, however, is primarily a Mediterranean restaurant and has an excellent choice of pasta, risotto and pizza. Prices range from £7.95 for lasagne or moussaka to £11.95 for risotto Valencia (chicken, chorizo and mixed seafood with saffron rice, garlic and chili). There are fourteen varieties of pizza: a margherita is £7.25, but if you prefer a pizza without cheese you might go for an Adriatica with prawns, tomatoes, garlic, chili and fresh spinach at £9.50. Olivo also offers grills and main courses such as chicken tagine, falafel, duck, lamb, beef, venison, pork or locally caught fish. Prices in this section range from £10.95 to £14.95. We both ordered pasta, my son going for spinach and ricotta tortelloni whilst I was intrigued enough to choose the spaghetti eglefino with smoked haddock, broccoli, fresh tomatoes and a white wine sauce. I usually avoid spaghetti as I am not an expert at twirling it round a fork, but I had never come across this particular dish before and I love smoked haddock.

Olivo does also have a good selection of starters and tapas; as well as individual dishes there is a tapas tower for two consisting of meatballs, chicken wings, chorizo and pepper, patatas bravas, houmus and fried spicy calamari for £24.50. Side dishes are around £2.50 to £3.95 and include salads, vegetables and various potato dishes. Salad main meals are priced between £9 and £10 and are served with freshly baked dough balls. We contented ourselves, however, with a main course and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice each.

We waited around fifteen minutes before our food was served. The waitress asked if we would like any fresh black pepper, and I said I would. I had wondered whether the broccoli and tomato would go together as it seemed like a strange combination, but it worked. I loved the smoked haddock, which I hadn't had with pasta before, and the white wine sauce was delicious without being too rich. I often can't finish a pasta dish in a restaurant, but this was so good that I left an empty plate. My son was equally impressed with his tortelloni which was served with tomato and some fresh salad leaves on top.

Neither of us had room for dessert but we had half an hour to spare so my son ordered a hot chocolate and I asked for a decaffeinated capuccino. I never have great expectations of decaffeinated coffee, but the one I had at Olivo was perfect. It had a full flavour without being overly strong. My son said his hot chocolate was extremely good too – he was offered cream with it but declined.

Apart from the food and the coffee, I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the décor at Olivo. Tables and chairs are of a light wood which is also used in the roof alongside panels of glass. The walls are part open brickwork and part painted in a light cream colour. In two places a huge roll of brown paper was fixed high up on the wall, and the end was pulled down so that a list of cocktails could be written out. There are large candles on each table, and one or two floral displays add colour to the restaurant. When we arrived Spanish music was playing which switched to Nitin Sawhney later on.

I was so impressed with the restaurant that I asked one of the waitresses if it existed only on the Isle of Wight. She told us that there had been a branch in Newport (Isle of Wight) for about four years and that the one in Ryde was just coming up to its first birthday. She also said that there is an Olivo restaurant in London, but that it is much more upmarket than the ones on the Isle of Wight. When I said that it was a shame there was no Olivo in Portsmouth, she told us that the company has a cafe called Feed in the Gunwharf Quays area, so I shall definitely be tracking that down.

Our bill came to just over £28 to which we added a tip. The service had been faultless as it was polite, welcoming and extremely efficient.

The main toilets are down a few steps but there is a disabled toilet on the same level as the main dining area. There were two ladies' toilets that were self contained with handbasins, and a vase of fresh flowers added a beautiful touch.

The restaurant is open from 8am and the full menu is served from midday. On weekdays during term time Olivo offers an 'After School Family Feast' from 3.30pm until 5.30pm. The price is £10 for adults and £6 for children under the age of sixteen. There are five choices of main course, most of which come with a bowl of salad and some with garlic bread as well. Included is a soft drink for children and a glass of house wine for adults. I haven't heard of this idea before and wonder if it will catch on in other places.

I have to say that this is one of the best Italian meals I've ever had, and I enjoyed the whole experience of dining at Olivo. I have no reservations in recommending the restaurant, and only wish there were more branches on the mainland. It caters for those just wanting a sandwich or a pastry and a hot drink as well as those wanting a three-course meal. Young children are obviously made to feel welcome here, and high chairs are available. If you are in Ryde, I would definitely suggest finding the time to visit Olivo.

Olivo

32-33 Union Street

Ryde

Isle of Wight

PO33 2LE

Tel. 01983 611118

www.olivorestaurant.com

Piccolino Restaurant, Bristol

2010-04-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

Piccolino is an Italian restaurant on Broad Weir in Bristol's Cabot Circus shopping area. We arrived there about 5pm one Saturday afternoon, which was certainly a quiet time. There were five of us, and while final preparations were made to our table our coats were taken and all put together on one hanger. We were given an identifying plastic disc for their retrieval.

Our table was a round one by a floor-to-ceiling window; there were several tables just outside on the pavement but they weren't being used as there had been several heavy showers of rain during the day. The tables are black with a marble effect and are laid in a functional and stylish way with linen napkins, but there are no floral decorations. Chairs are comfortable with green padded seats and backrests. At the back of the restaurant the food is prepared in an open kitchen; unfortunately I was sitting with my back to it so I missed out on the preparation. There is a further dining area upstairs as well as a private function room.

Menus for starters, main courses and wine are presented on a single laminated A3 size sheet. Various choices of bread are priced between £3.50 and £4.50. Antipasti, or starters, range from olives at £3.35 to carpaccio at £8.85; there are a couple of vegetarian choices as well as mussels and squid. We all agreed that we would forego starters and content ourselves with a main course.

A waitress soon came to take our drinks order. I ordered a pineapple juice that actually tasted more like mixed tropical juice, but it was pleasant enough. The other four decided to share a bottle of wine and chose the Sicilian Grecanico Roccamora for £14.25. This was a dry white wine which everyone approved of.

Main courses start with either mozzarella or Caesar salad. The Al Forno (oven-baked) section includes fish, chicken, duck and pasta dishes ranging in price from £9 to £17.55. Chargrill and pan choices start with a burger for £9 and go all the way up to skewered king prawns, scallops and swordfish for £16.25. Two steaks are offered: a 10-oz rib-eye at £17.75 or an 8-oz fillet steak at £20.50. Two of our party chose from the pizza section. One went for the rustica (£10) which has roast Mediterranean vegetables and goat's cheese with rocket, basil pesto and parmesan toppings. The other chose pollo parmigiano (£10): chargrilled chicken, buffalo mozzarella, vine-ripened tomatoes, torn basil and shaved parmesan are the toppings. Another two ordered fresh pasta, which is made with organic durum wheat and free-range eggs. The choices were fusilli with smoked salmon, peas, asparagus, spinach leaves and lemon and herb mascarpone (£11) and penne all'arrabiata with spicy sausage, roasted red peppers and tomato sauce (£9.50). I picked a zucca risotto with roast pumpkin, Italian smoked bacon and gorgonzola cheese (£10). My son had originally asked for a salsiccia risotto with Italian sausage, braised fennel and tarragon (£10), but the waitress apologised that this was no longer available as they had been extremely busy at lunch time. Side dishes of various vegetables, chips, mash, salad and so on are priced between £3.10 and £3.50. We didn't feel the need to order any of these.

While we were waiting for our food serrated knives were brought for those having pizza, and all the extra cutlery was removed as we had not ordered starters. It was about fifteen minutes before our main courses were served. Freshly grated parmesan was offered, but my younger son was the only one who decided to have some on his penne pasta. This had plenty of tomato sauce, but the spicy sausage seemed quite hard to spot amongst the pasta. The pizzas were large with thin bases; toppings looked very generous. My risotto came with two small, crisp rashers of bacon crossed on top. It didn't look like the most exciting dish, but it certainly wasn't lacking on flavour. I love the bite of gorgonzola cheese, and the pumpkin was a more subtle flavour that complemented this well. The rice was cooked to a firm consistency that is perfect for a risotto. The male members of the group polished off every bit of their pizzas and pasta, but my younger son's girlfriend and I were both beaten before reaching the end of our pasta and risotto dishes. We all agreed that the food was excellent.

Desserts are rather on the pricey side, but I can't comment on the quality as we did not sample them. Ice creams and sorbets are all £5.15. Other choices include tiramisu, panna cotta, fig and pear tart or chocolate fudge pudding; the most expensive one is vanilla cheesecake with citrus blueberries at £6.45. You could share six chocolate truffles for £3.35 as a cheaper alternative if you didn't have room for a full dessert.

There is a disabled toilet on the ground floor, but the main toilets are on the upper floor. The ladies was very clean and well appointed. Hand cream was supplied alongside the liquid soap dispensers.

Our bill came to just over £72, to which we added a tip. A service charge of ten per cent is added automatically for groups of six or more people. The service was very good – polite and efficient – although nobody came to ask if everything was to our satisfaction while we were eating.

Piccolino is certainly superior to the usual Italian chain restaurants, but also of course more expensive. Its location is a very central one, and we walked there from the harbourside in about fifteen minutes. There is no shortage of restaurants to choose from in the Cabot Circus area, but if you like good Italian food Piccolino is definitely worth a visit.

Opening hours are from 11.30am until 11.30pm Monday to Saturday, and 11.30am until 10.30pm on Sunday.

Broad Weir

Cabot Circus

Bristol

BS1 3BZ

Tel. 0117 929 3255

www.piccolinorestaurants.co.uk

Bollywood Indian Restaurant

2010-03-27T23:53:00.000-07:00

Osborne Road in Southsea is known locally as Restaurant Row, yet I have only been to two or three of these eateries. Early one Saturday evening my son and I wandered along, looking at various menus. He insisted I make the final decision, and I picked Bollywood. Its exterior isn't at all appealing, but the menu looked interesting and a review from the local paper in the window showed that it was deemed worthy of four stars for food.

We went in and found that apart from one group of half a dozen or so people, the restaurant was empty. We were shown to a table for four further back, as there didn't seem to be any tables for two. I appreciated the fact that the young waiter didn't hand me the menu until I had taken off my coat and sat down.

While we were studying the menu, the waiter came to ask if we would like any poppadoms. We ordered three as well as a fruit juice each. The poppadoms were served with generous portions of onions, minted yoghurt, mango chutney and another kind of chutney that I was unable to identify. The fruit juice came without ice, but I personally prefer it that way.

Bollywood's menu is an extensive one offering the usual varieties of curry such as dansak, korma, korai, biriani, rogan josh, jalfrezi, vindaloo and so on. There are several fish curries, but other than prawn the type of fish is not specified. Several vegetarian options are available. For just under £11 you can have a starter (choice of two), any main dish other than king prawns, a side dish and rice. Bangladeshi dishes are listed on a separate page. For those who aren't keen on curry but are perhaps part of a group who are, there are steaks and omelettes to choose from. I enquired as to what exactly the Bollywood special biriani consisted of, but the mixture of lamb, chicken and prawn with omelette sounded like a strange combination. I decided on duck dansak, which is served with pilau rice. My son was sufficiently intrigued to order the chicken makhonwala dish – the meat is cut into long strips and marinated before being cooked with spices. It is served in a sauce with fresh cream and nuts, topped with tomato. We decided that we would share my pilau rice and also ordered a peshwari naan bread to share.

After we had finished our poppadoms, a hot plate was brought for the dansak and makhonwala, which were served in white oval porcelain dishes. The makhonwala certainly looked unusual and appetising. I tried a little of the sauce with some naan bread; it was delicious and quite mild. My son was definitely impressed by his choice. My dansak was a very good, medium hot sauce, but one or two pieces of the duck were less than tender. Other than that I enjoyed it. The pilau rice and peshwari naan were both more than satisfactory.

The waiting staff did not hurry to clear our plates after we had finished. We decided against dessert and asked for the bill. It came to £24.50 to which we added a tip as the service had been polite and efficient. The waiters were all very young and looked as though they hadn't been cutting back on rice and naan bread.

Bollywood is comfortable but not particularly stylish. There is no shortage of cinema posters alongside one or two modest works of art, but the décor on the whole seems a little tired and uninspiring. Bollywood music is of course playing non-stop, thankfully not so loud as to interfere with conversation.

Before leaving I visited the ladies which is on the ground floor. Again, it was not sumptuously decorated but clean enough and well supplied with soap, paper towels and toilet tissue. It might just about be accessible by someone in a wheelchair, but the corridors are quite narrow.

When we left, one of the waiters held the door open for us as he thanked us and said goodbye. It's not a foregone conclusion that that will happen.

Apart from one or two pieces of duck being rather tough, we felt that the food at Bollywood was excellent. There are three Indian restaurants on Osborne Road, the other two being Spice Merchants and the Jewel in the Crown. I have yet to visit the Jewel in the Crown, but my son was adamant that Bollywood's cuisine is superior. He felt, however, that Spice Merchants is the best of the three as it scores highly for both cuisine and stylish surroundings. Service is very good at both restaurants.

When we left at around 7.30pm Bollywood was empty, but the night was still young. I wouldn't recommend the duck, but the makhonwala is an unusual dish to find on a menu and I would be very tempted to try it one day. If you like good Indian food at reasonable prices and can't get enough of Bollywood music, this is a restaurant worth visiting. It is just a stone's throw from Southsea common and Palmerston Road shopping precinct. You might be lucky enough to find a parking spot on Osborne Road itself.

36 Osborne Road

Southsea

PO5 3LT

Tel. 023 9275 4888

The Brasserie No. 8 Kings Road

2010-03-07T09:42:00.000-08:00

I had long wanted to visit the Brasserie No. 8 King's Road in Southsea, having been fascinated by the sight of the huge chandeliers inside this Grade II listed building that had formerly housed a bank. The opportunity finally came one Saturday evening in early March. I hadn't celebrated my birthday in January because of the snow and a sprained wrist, and my sister-in-law had her birthday coming up the following week, so we decided a family dinner was in order.

On the previous Monday I rang Brasserie No. 8 to reserve a table for five at 7.30pm on the Saturday. We were advised to arrive promptly as they had thirty guests coming at 8pm and wanted to be able to take our order before that. I was the last of the family to arrive and I was escorted to the upper level by the gentleman who checked my reservation. The upper level is actually like a balcony from which you can look down on the ground floor and also admire the two chandeliers that are quite stunning. As you enter the restaurant there is a bar to the left and two beautiful floral arrangements, one of which I still had a good view of from upstairs. At the far end stands a grand piano, and I understand there is often entertainment on a Friday evening.

We had a table at the end of the balcony and were lucky that the smaller table next to us remained unoccupied throughout the evening. The tables have a marble effect and there is a reddish-purple runner along the middle that matches the colour of the walls. Cutlery is stylishly tucked into a fold in the linen napkins, and red candles are held in tall, slender glass candlesticks. As I was the last to arrive, menus had already been brought to our table. The waitress soon came to ask if we would like olives, bread and tapenade while we studied the menu, and she brought three servings of these(£2.75 each). My brother was in a hurry for a gin and tonic (£4.10 altogether) but I decided to stick with orange juice (£1.50). My sister-in-law, my son and his partner ordered a bottle of Australian Shiraz to share (£14.75).

I didn't want to spoil my appetite with the olives and bread, but my sister-in-law persuaded me to try the tapenade, which was pureed red peppers with slices of garlic. It was certainly very good. We decided not to order from the full starter menu which included beetroot and goat's cheese tart with mixed leaves and hazelnut dressing (£5.95) or pan-fried scallops with black pudding and raisin caper gribiche (£7.95). Out of a total of seven choices, three were vegetarian.

We began to look at the main courses, of which there were again just seven. My son and I both chose corn fed guinea fowl chorizo and pistachio ballentine served with sweet potato dauphinoise (£16.95) after listening to the waitress's description of the dish. My sister-in-law order the grilled fillet of beef with creamed wild mushrooms, sweet potato fondant and madeira sauce (£18.95) with a side order of creamed leaf spinach (£2.95). My brother and my son's partner both decided on duck breast accompanied by braised cabbage, prune and apple compote and Calvados sauce (£18.95) with a side order of creamed potatoes (£2.95). Lamb and brill were also on the menu, but there was only one vegetarian option – spiced feta samosas with roasted vegetables (£13.95).

It wasn't too long a wait before the main courses were served. The guinea fowl chorizo was beautifully presented, with two thick diagonal slices standing on end on a bed of spinach alongside a square of sweet potato dauphinoise. The meat was very tender and the pistachio filling added an interesting texture and flavour. I'm not usually a great fan of sweet potato, but I loved it in the dauphinoise form. The dish was finished off with a sauce which I think may have been madeira.

The beef and duck were equally well appreciated, and when we had finished the waitress commented on how clean our plates were. Such food is far too good to waste.

We sometimes find that restaurants serve the main course promptly and then tend to forget that their customers perhaps can't wait hours before ordering desserts. At No. 8, however, the waitress brought dessert menus not long after we had finished the main course. All desserts, including cheese, are £5.95. My sister-in-law and I both picked the pineapple tarte tatin with cardamon yoghurt ice-cream. My brother and my son both ordered cherry bakewell tart with kirsch and almond ice-cream. My son's partner decided he still had room for steamed chocolate fudge pudding with blood orange jelly and white chocolate ice-cream. Vanilla panacotta is also on the menu. At this point my brother also ordered a Budweiser (£3).

The tarte tatin was not the most impressive one to look at, but it was not lacking in taste or appetising smell. The pastry base was sweet and the pineapple fruity of course, but the cardamon ice cream had a fragrance and was not sugary. A perfect balance of flavours. The cherry bakewell tart looked amazing, served with a crescent-shaped wafer that curled up in the air from under the ice cream. My son's partner found the chocolate pudding very filling, but he did enjoy it. The jelly came in a slender glass with the ice-cream resting on top.

No. 8 offers a range of coffees and teas as well as hot chocolate, but none of us felt the need to order a hot drink.

Our bill came to £160.95 to which a 12.5% service charge of £20.12 was added, making a total of £181.07. Friday and Saturday evenings are the most expensive times to dine at No. 8, as there is no set menu offers on either of those evenings.

Brasserie No. 8 may seem to be in a slightly isolated location, but it is in fact in walking distance of Southsea's Palmerston Road shopping precinct, Southsea common, Gunwharf Quays and Portsmouth and Southsea station. It is barely two minutes from Portsmouth City Museum and the university is very close at hand. We all live in walking distance of the restaurant, so I can't give information about parking. Bus services 1 and 40 run along Kings Road, while the 5 and the 23 stop close by.

The restaurant is open every day for lunch from 12 noon until 3pm (Sundays until 5pm). It is open in the evenings every day except Sunday from 6.30pm until 9.30pm. (The bar closes at midnight.) A two-course set menu is available at lunchtime for £9.50 per head. Otherwise prices for lunch main courses range from £5.95 for a classic club sandwich to £12.95 for grilled sirloin steak. For Sunday lunch there is a different menu including three choices of roast as well as sea bass or pumpkin risotto cakes. From Monday to Thursday you can 'dine with wine' from a set menu in the evening; two courses are £17.95 a head, whereas three courses are £21.95.

There is a ramp over the two steps up to the front door and toilets are situated on the ground floor, so disabled access is not a problem.

Although some people would be unhappy about the addition of the service charge to the bill and others not satisfied by the limited vegetarian options, I feel I have to award five stars to Brasserie No. 8. The five of us all agreed that it was definitely the best culinary experience we have had in either Portsmouth or Southsea. We also felt that the setting itself and the design of the interior were unique and very special. The service was hard to fault, and other than one sticky menu cover the standard of cleanliness was extremely high. I hope I will be able to return to No. 8 King's Road, although I would be happy to go for the set menu on a weekday evening or for lunch. I heartily recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Southsea or Gunwharf Quays as an alternative to local chain restaurants.

The Brasserie 8 Kings Road

Southsea

PO5 3AH

Tel. 023 9285 1698

email: info@brasserie8kingsroad.co.uk

www.brasserie8kingsroad.co.uk

Sakura Japanese Restaurant, Southsea

2010-01-30T23:24:00.000-08:00

Portsmouth and Southsea waited a long time for the first Japanese restaurant to appear on the scene; rumour had it that Wagamama would finally be opening a branch in Gunwharf Quays, but suddenly, towards the end of 2009, the independent Sakura found a gap amongst the eclectic mix of shops, bars and restaurants of Southsea's Albert Road.

Even though Sakura is only a few minutes' walk from where I live, it took us until one Saturday afternoon in late January to decide to go and have a late lunch there. It looked tiny from the outside and perhaps not very impressive, but we had a look at the menu in the window and felt it sounded interesting so in we went, through the double doors. It was just before 2pm and I was surprised how busy the place was. What turned out to be a party of people celebrating a birthday filled a large part of the left-hand side, whilst smaller groups were seated at individual tables in the partitioned area down the right-hand side. We asked for a table for three, and a waitress led us up a couple of steps to a small area at the back in front of the bar, where there were just two tables. I was glad that it was a little quieter there. One long seat upholstered in red ran along the wall and my son and his partner sat there. I found the chairs on the opposite side to be very comfortable. The other table in this area was vacant when we arrived, but a gentleman on his own came and sat there after a while.

The table was empty except for a bottle of soya sauce when we sat down, but a waitress soon brought place mats, red paper napkins, chop sticks and menus for us. The place mats were laminated and showed the selection of sushi on offer as well as advertising Asahi beer. The menu pages were also laminated. Our drinks order was soon taken; we weren't quite in the mood for sake that day so we order two pineapple juices and an orange juice (£1.50 each). Then we studied the menu. Although I love Japanese food I haven't yet persuaded myself to try raw fish, so that eliminated a fair number of choices for me. My son's partner and I both felt the lure of the yaki udon dishes, which are thick noodles made from wheat flour, wok-fried and served with oyster sauce, green peppers, beansprouts, carrot, onion and Chinese leaves. Red ginger and fried garlic are added before serving as a garnish. My son's partner chose the yaki udon with chicken (£6.80) while I went for the seafood yaki udon with scallop, squid, mussels, shrimps and fish cake (£7.20).

Unlike me, my son is a big fan of sushi but locally has had to content himself with the offerings of Marks and Spencer and the Co-op. Not exactly the real thing. Raw fish is acceptable to him, so he ordered salmon rolls (£3.30) alongside tamago nigiri (egg sushi, £1.80) and oshinko maki (rolls with yellow pickles, £3.00). You could of course order one type of sushi as a starter rather than several as a main meal: there were six each of the salmon and pickle rolls and two of the egg rolls, which were bigger.

I can't list the whole menu here, but there are also rice-based dishes and yaki soba dishes, which are based on noodles thinner than the udon variety. Salads are priced between £3.50 and £5.20. There are thirty-six choices of side dishes, ranging from miso soup (£1.60) to grilled eel with teriyaki sauce (£7.20). Set meals go from £10.80 up to £14.30; most of them are fish based but there is one with stir fried beef in sauce, calamari, vegetable rolls, miso soup, rice, salad and pickles.

Soon after we had ordered, a waitress brought a small rectangular ceramic dish which she said went with the sushi: you pour soya sauce into it and then dip the rolls in the sauce. The sushi was brought not long after that. It is served with wasabi (very spicy) and ginger. My son put a little wasabi on top of a roll and dipped it in the sauce before tasting it. He immediately said it was wonderful – worlds away from the supermarket offerings he has had to make do with.

A few minutes later the yaki udon dishes arrived. The servings were very generous and came on slightly irregularly shaped plates that had an old-fashioned look with their floral decorations. The food definitely had more of a home-made feel about it than similar dishes served in Wagamama. I loved the variety of flavours in my seafood yaki udon; there were thin slices of fish cake, tiny prawns, a couple of whole mussels and some pieces of squid that took some finding among the bean sprouts, green peppers and Chinese leaves. I particularly loved the fresh taste of the ginger that came through all the other flavours. I should perhaps mention that no cutlery is offered as an alternative to chopsticks and eating udon noodles with chopsticks is an art I have yet to master fully, but somehow I managed. It was, however, such a large serving that I couldn't quite finish it. The chicken yaki udon was definitely approved of, so no complaints from any of us.

My son and his partner finished eating before I did and their plates were cleared away very quickly. They were asked if they would like to order more drinks, which they did. When I finally laid down my chopsticks it was a while until the waitress came to take my plate, so at least we weren't made to feel that we had to leave immediately. In actual fact by about three o'clock the place was very quiet, but when we came to pay our bill we found that a twenty per cent discount is given up until 2pm. Since the receipt showed our order time as 2.07pm, it was very generous of Sakura to have given us the discount. It does, however, explain why things had quietened down by the time we left.

We didn't have room for dessert after our huge main courses, but there isn't really a great deal of choice in that area. Other than mango fritters in syrup, there are just several types of ice cream (including green tea flavour), some at £3.50 and some at £4.00.

Our bill came to £29.70 for three main meals and five glasses of fruit juice, but after the discount we only had to pay £23.80 – just under £8.00 a head. We calculated the tip on the full amount as we had loved the food and felt the service was also excellent. The waitresses, in their kimono-style tops over trousers, were polite, friendly and very efficient.

I particularly appreciated sitting near the bar at the back and enjoying the typically Japanese décor with lanterns, cherry blossom, plump ceramic cats and and a row of Geisha girl figurines dancing along a high shelf. In the main area there is a series of Japanese masks along the wall. One amusing touch was a pair of tiny curtains adorning the door of the ladies' toilet. (Spotlessly clean, I have to say, just lacking in paper towels.) The only surprising thing was that western music was played throughout the hour we were there. The atmosphere is very relaxed: at one point I looked round our partition into the main area and noticed a little girl standing on a seat and poking chopsticks into her mother's hair! Nobody seemed to mind.

We were given a very friendly goodbye as we left along with 'See you next time,' to which I replied 'I'm sure you will!' We've waited a long time, but now it's just a hop, skip and a jump down the road to a delightful and inexpensive restaurant. If you are in the area, Sakura is slightly north of the King's Theatre on the opposite side of the road. It would be ideal for a pre-theatre dinner, unless of course you can go for lunch and take advantage of the discount. Wagamama may well be opening in Gunwharf Quays, but it will take something special to dissuade me from returning to Sakura when I feel in the mood for some Japanese cuisine.

Sakura also have a takeaway service.

Opening hours:

Monday to Thursday 12 noon – 2.30pm and 5.30pm – 11pm

Friday and Saturday 12 noon – 11.30pm

Sunday 12 noon – 10.30pm

Sakura Restaurant/Takeaway

9 Albert Road

Southsea

PO5 2SE

Tel. 023 9275 1103 / 023 9275 6277

D-Day Museum and Overlord Embroidery

2010-01-24T01:56:00.000-08:00

Southsea's D-Day Museum is dedicated to the events leading to the invasion of Normandy by the Allied Forces on 6th June 1944 and the invasion itself. The museum is appropriately situated close to the sea front, next to the somewhat older Southsea Castle. Opposite the museum stands a statue of Lord Montgomery, and just outside are two examples of tanks used during World War II, a statue of a dejected soldier, and a 3.7 inch anti-aircraft gun.

Entrance to the museum is through automatic sliding glass doors; just inside is the reception desk where tickets are sold. I visited in January 2010, at which time local residents were granted free admission on production of a library card. I presume this was to encourage visitors during the low season, although we did in fact notice a fair number of people buying tickets that Saturday afternoon.

Turning left, you enter a circular hall where the impressive Overlord Embroidery is displayed. An audio guide to the embroidery is available in either English, French or German, or you can content yourself with the information written beneath each panel in the same three languages. The embroidery was designed by Sandra Lawrence and was made at the Royal College of Needlework, taking twenty people five years to complete. Each panel measures 2.4 by 0.9 metres, and the entire creation is even longer than the Bayeux Tapestry. It is a combination of applique and embroidery in which actual materials from uniforms of the armed forces have been used. The embroidery tells the story of Operation Overlord, covering a period from 1940 through to 1944. It is a unique representation of the battles, the bombing, the meetings of the leaders of the Allied Forces, the landings on the Normandy beaches. Aircraft, ships, soldiers and the occasional civilian (even a woman with curlers and a hair net) feature in this wonderful piece of artwork that in itself warrants a visit to the museum.

In the centre of the Overlord Embroidery hall is a small theatre where a thirteen-minute film centring on World War II and including archive footage is shown at intervals. Beside the door a clock shows how long it will be until the next showing, and announcements are made shortly before the film is to be shown too. Personally I enjoyed the fact that the embroidery area was quiet while the film was being shown and it was a delight to be able to walk around and have an unobstructed view of each panel.

On leaving the Overlord Embroidery gallery, you can then enter the area of the museum devoted to Britain at War. Photographs, maps, posters and explanatory information are admirably displayed alongside showcases with items ranging from uniforms, weapons, the contents of a soldier's kit bag and supplies carried by nurses to treat the wounded. The experience is brought to life through a number of dioramas that show, for example, a soldier in a forest camp at night, a woman working in a factory, or Churchill, Eisenhower and Roosevelt pouring over their plans. Every so often the air raid siren sounds, but the atmosphere becomes more relaxed as 'Music while you work' is played in the factory. As you near the end of this area of the museum, you find a tank emerging from the carcass of a crashed aircraft, with wounded soldiers lying on the ground. Children are likely to be fascinated by the vehicles in the final hall, which include an LCVP landing craft and a Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle tank.

One small section of the museum focuses on 'Portsmouth Memories'. A huge number of ships were assembled in Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent in the build-up to D-Day, and many local residents have contributed their recollections from the period to this display.

Within the main area of the museum is a small room dedicated to Holocaust Memorial Day. Seats are provided here.

There is of course a gift shop as you emerge from the exhibition area. Quality appears to have been maintained here and tacky souvenirs are thankfully absent. An extensive collection of books could be of interest, and framed prints are also available.

From April to September the museum is open from 10am until 5.30pm, and from October to March opening times are from 10am until 5pm. (The museum is closed completely on 24th, 25th and 26th December). Last entry is thirty minutes before closing time.

There is a car park with toilets just beside the museum, to the east. The museum is fully accessible for the disabled in wheelchairs. Toilets, including two for the disabled, are situated to the side of the gift shop. Coats may be left on hangers near the entrance to the museum, and bags can be deposited safely behind a screen by staff if you wish. Photography is prohibited inside the museum, but visitors are free to photograph the tanks and statues outside.

Admission is free for children under thirteen who are accompanied by an adult paying full price, which is currently £6. There are concessions as well as discounts for groups.

This is an excellent example of a specialist museum, and it is in fact the only one in the United Kingdom devoted solely to D-Day and Operation Overlord. It is well worth visiting if you are in the area; those holidaying in Southsea and blighted by poor weather could easily enjoy a couple of hours here. For children studying World War II at school, the exhibits will bring it alive for them. I thoroughly recommend a visit.

D-Day Museum and Overlord Embroidery

Clarence Esplanade

Southsea

PO5 3NT

www.ddaymuseum.co.uk

The Slug and Lettuce

2010-01-03T08:51:00.000-08:00

We'd once had a late-afternoon drink in the Slug and Lettuce, and I had thought it seemed like a place that might be worth returning to for a meal one day. However, it was usually early on Saturday afternoons when we'd gone there with that intention, only to find that the place was just too crowded to consider staying. It was obviously popular which boded well, so one Saturday in July at around 11.30am we decided to see if it was quieter. Sure enough, there were people at just one or two tables by the window, and we had plenty of options to choose from. The sofas and armchairs near the front of the pub looked more comfortable than the higher seats further back, and we chose a low table with a sofa on either side.

There were several menus on the table already, so we began studying them. I was quite surprised when a waitress came to ask us if we would like to order drinks, as I had expected to have to go up to the bar to order. We each asked for a fruit juice and then carried on looking at the food menu. There seemed to be plenty of choice, from sandwiches and wraps to burgers, salads (even one with fish cakes) and main courses. We considered chicken wraps or steak sandwiches, and a sausage sandwich with red onion for under £4 sounded quite interesting. Then I noticed the full English breakfasts, something I never cook for myself and hadn't had since I stayed in a guest house last summer. I'm not a vegetarian but I liked the sound of beans and sauteed potatoes in the vegetarian version rather than the sausages and bacon of the standard version. We ordered one of each, and asked for our eggs to be scrambled and for the toast to be made with brown bread. Tea or coffee is included in the price (£6.75 for the sausage-and-bacon version and £5.75 for the vegetarian version). As we already had our fruit juices, we asked if those could be substituted but the waitress could not apparently let us off paying the extra for the juices. I'll remember for next time. My son ordered coffee, and I decided an espresso would be quite enough for me.

The coffees came after about five minutes, along with a caramelised biscuit and two sachets of sugar each – I was a little surprised that the sugar was being rationed! I didn't actually want any in my espresso, but it just seemed rather mean not to allow customers to help themselves to sugar.

There was a wait of perhaps twenty minutes for the food, but the sofa was so comfortable that I wouldn't have minded if I'd had to wait half an hour. The music was pleasant, tasteful and not too loud, but it did seem to render the broadcasting of Sky News rather pointless, unless you wanted to read the headlines running along the bottom of the screen. The other tables towards the front of the pub (with sofas or armchairs) soon began filling up. There seemed to be quite a number of babies, some in highchairs whilst others were left in their buggies, but no small children. Delightful babies they were too – I hardly heard a peep out of them all the time we were there. Perhaps the music was just the sort that keeps babies calm and happy; they must be budding Damien Rice fans judging by what I heard.

Our breakfasts arrived, along with a bottle of Heinz Tomato Ketchup and two individual pots of butter. My son had said that he didn't want any mushroom but he got it anyway, so I swapped it for a couple of slices of sauteed potato. As far as I'm concerned that was a good deal, but he wasn't that impressed by the potato slices. At least they were nice and hot, which is more than I can say for the scrambled egg. According to the menu the tomatoes were roasted; they were pretty warm, but they didn't really look as if they had undergone much cooking. That didn't matter to me as I love tomatoes, cooked or uncooked. My son is a big bacon fan but was not impressed by the rashers he was served on this occasion. Sausages, thankfully, were given the thumbs up. I was quite happy with my vegetarian breakfast other than the temperature of the eggs.

The waitress came to ask if we would like any more drinks, but when we declined she soon brought the bill, probably thinking that our table would be occupied as soon as we vacated it. In total we paid £15.70, which doesn't seem bad for two big breakfasts, two generous glasses of fruit juice, a filter coffee and an espresso. I have to admit I don't have a huge appetite, but I didn't eat much else later that day.

My son was quite critical of the food, but I was fairly happy and would willingly go back one day for lunch or an evening meal. I might try the fish-cake salad next time; you can have one tuna and one salmon fish cake, or two of the same variety. I noticed that from Monday to Thursday you can have a sandwich-based meal and a cold drink from a certain selection (some of which are alcoholic) for just under £6. On Sundays there is a roast – which always includes beef and chicken – for around £7.50 - £8. Desserts are priced at around £4.25 except for ice cream, which I think is £3.50. Cappuccino is served in one size only at £2.30.

I enjoyed the food and I felt that the menu offered plenty of choice at reasonable prices. The sofas were very comfortable and relaxing; the music wasn't intrusive so you could easily have a conversation. It may of course be a much noisier place when it is very crowded.

I have been back several times since my first visit, and have enjoyed the fish pie, the vegetarian lasagne (made with butternut squash) and the fish cakes with salad. Food is always half price on Mondays, and if you sign up to the Slug and Lettuce's newsletter, you will receive other discount vouchers too.

I would recommend a visit, but try to pick a time when it's not likely to be too busy. Even if you don't want to eat, it's a comfortable place to go for a drink. If you have a baby, definitely don't be put off going as the little cherubs seem to enjoy spending an hour or so here.

Spinnaker Tower Cafe-Bar

2009-12-31T00:58:00.000-08:00

Every so often I meet an old schoolfriend for lunch at Gunwharf Quays. As she is allergic to both wheat and dairy products, we have usually gone to Cafe Giardino for jacket potatoes. Sadly, Giardino has turned into the Italian Kitchen offering pizzas, pasta and salads, all under £5. Pizza and pasta are of course no good for my friend, and on a cold December day a salad was not too appealing. Arriving early, I wandered around studying menus and discovered that the Spinnaker-Tower Cafe-Bar was the only eatery offering jacket potatoes.

The Tower Cafe is situated at the base of the Spinnaker Tower, and if you visit the tower you will come out into it following your descent in the lift. You can, however, enter the cafe-bar without visiting the tower itself. It is almost hexagonal in shape with floor-to-ceiling glass around the half that faces the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour. It is very close to the water's edge and the views are excellent, although the day of our visit the weather was unfortunately grey and damp. In fine weather you can sit outside, but obviously nobody was doing so on that particular day. There are several entrances in the glass-fronted section; I walked around looking for a menu but ended up peering through the glass and reading what was written on the boards above the bar.

We arrived just after 12.30pm and noticed that there were quite a few empty tables but sadly none by the windows. We didn't have to wait long to be served at the bar. The board simply said that jacket potatoes were priced from £3.15 and on enquiring we were told that the toppings available were cheese, beans, tuna mayonnaise or prawns. Both of us chose tuna. I ordered a regular cappucino and my friend asked for tea with soya milk. I wasn't given an itemised receipt, but the total bill came to £13.45. Our drinks were served in mugs on a tray, the milk in a separate small jug, and the jacket potatoes were brought to us when they were ready.

The tables are all round and most have four chairs although the ones by the windows just have three. You could squeeze an extra chair in if you needed, possibly even two if you have young children with you. After we had been there a while every table was taken (it was post-Christmas sale time) and it became difficult for people to squeeze through the narrow spaces between chairs at adjoining tables. I was once asked if I could move in a little and didn't find this easy as the chairs are quite deep.

We didn't have to wait long for our food to be served. It came on oval plates with a small bowl of salad next to the potato. The salad consisted of a cherry tomato cut in half, a thick slice of cucumber cut in half and some rocket leaves – not a huge serving, but at least the rocket made a change from lettuce. There was also a sachet of Heinz Salad Cream as well as little packets of salt and pepper. The potatoes were a good size, well cooked and nice and hot; the tuna was a generous serving. I can't say my cappucino was the best I've ever tasted, but it wasn't bad. I should perhaps mention that the top was sprinkled with chocolate without my being asked if I wanted any, so you would have to specify no chocolate if you prefer an unadulterated taste to your coffee. After about an hour we decided we wanted to stay and chat a bit longer, so my friend ordered another mug of tea and I had an espresso which I did enjoy.

Even if you are not in search of the humble jacket potato which seems to have become such a rarity, the Tower Cafe-Bar is not a bad place to rest your weary legs while visiting Gunwharf Quays. You can choose from sandwiches, paninis or baguettes, salads, or soup with bread. There is a special offer of a sandwich with any regular drink for £3.99. For £2.99 children can have a sandwich, mini cheddars, yoghurt, raisins and pure fruit juice – quite a healthy lunch. Frosted milkshakes are available in a variety of flavours, and being a bar, the place is of course fully licensed. You could just have a drink and a cake, and I noticed a freezer full of Ben and Jerry's ice cream on our way out.

There are unisex toilets on the premises which are kept reasonably clean. They are on the same level as the cafe.

The service at the Tower Cafe-Bar was polite and efficient, and I noticed that the waiting staff regularly did the rounds of the tables to clear away any trays that had been finished with. We stayed about two hours altogether, and although it was crowded we were not made to feel that we had outstayed our welcome.

I would certainly recommend the Spinnaker Tower Cafe-Bar as a good choice for a light lunch or a snack. Part of its appeal does lie in the view it affords of the entrance to the harbour, which I appreciated even on a grey, wintery day. I would also think it is a healthier choice for families than a fast-food restaurant, while still offering reasonable prices. It is open every day except Christmas Day from 10am until 6pm.

Seasons Greetings

2009-12-24T04:15:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a Very Merry Christmas

Lemon Sole

2009-12-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

Although on a quest to savour the delights of as many of the restaurants and cafes of my home town as possible, I have to admit that those mentioned in the Michelin Guide are usually beyond my budget. One of these is the renowned fish restaurant, Lemon Sole, on High Street, Old Portsmouth, so I was intrigued to find that they were advertising a special offer in the autumn edition of the Southsea Directory. This consisted of either lunch for £5 (£10 for Sunday roast) or dinner for £10, as long as your reservation was between 5.30pm and 7pm. A glass of wine was included.

A friend of mine, a non-red-meat-eater, was eager to take advantage of this offer and suggested we book for dinner on a weekday evening. I rang up about five days in advance and asked to reserve a table for two at 6.15pm on 9th December. I had to disappoint the man I spoke to by telling him that my name was not Elizabeth Arden as he thought he had heard me say, but he was nevertheless very friendly. I mentioned the special offer I had seen, and he told me that for December there was a slightly different one entitled A Taste of Christmas: the restaurant was offering either two courses for £10 or three for £15. This sounded equally enticing, even though there was no mention of the glass of wine this time.

On the day we arrived bang on time, having been lucky to find a parking space on High Street itself. The restaurant appeared to be empty and we were offered a table for two next to the large bay window in which sits a large model of a fish alongside a heron and a twisted branch of a tree. My chair was decidedly rickety, but I didn't want to get off to a bad start by complaining. The dark brown wood of the chairs did not by any stretch of imagination match the light wood of the tables either; I think some money does need to be spent on new chairs. Artificial lilies, unusual turquoise drinking glasses and a couple of Christmas crackers adorned our table. The serviettes were artistically folded linen ones.

The waiter brought us the special set menus and explained that when we were ready, we should come through to the back of the restaurant to choose our fish from the counter. We ordered a glass of red wine each and were surprised when the waiter returned with a bottle and a half of white wine. We managed to stop him before he began pouring, and he apologised and soon returned with a bottle of red. It was certainly very palatable. Studying the menu, there were some interesting starters such as devilled white bait, sardines with spicy barbecue sauce or goat's cheese tart with salad, but in the end my friend decided on the prawn cocktail to remind her of her childhood and I went for the soup of the day, stilton and broccoli.

Moving on to the main course, the salmon with lemon and rosemary sounded very tempting, but I often have salmon when I eat out and thought I should try something different. There were one or two alternatives such as duck for those who are not great fans of fish, and there is always a vegetarian option. Our attention was caught, however, by a fillet of fish called pangasius which neither of us had heard of. The waiter was not able to tell us more than that it was a white fish. We liked the sound of its accompanying ratatouille, salsa and balsamic dressing and decided we should take the opportunity to sample it. Off we went to find the fish counter and were quite amazed at how big the restaurant turned out to be. I'm afraid I wasn't impressed by the shabby carpet, though. Whilst most clients are able to choose exactly which fish or fillet they would like, it turned out that our pangasius was for some reason not on display. We ordered our starters and mains and returned to our table.

Whilst waiting, to the accompaniment of the likes of Coldplay and Travis, we had a look at a leaflet giving details of the restaurant's Christmas menu. There were two party menus, one at £20 and one at £30, as well as a Christmas Day menu at £45. In each case there was a good choice of starters, whereas the main courses included turkey with all the trimmings and a vegetarian option alongside several fish dishes. The Christmas Day menu included a glass of champagne on arrival as well as a sorbet between the starter and the main course. The choice of desserts on each menu was very similar to the one we were presented with.

It wasn't long before our starters were served. My soup came in an oval dish with a chunk of crusty bread and was topped with a swirl of cream. It was extremely hot but of a very smooth consistency and absolutely delicious. My friend enjoyed her prawn cocktail and reminisced about the times her mother used to make it.

By this time two other women had arrived and were seated in a corner of the front area of the restaurant. All the other people, mostly men, made a beeline for the rear of the restaurant, so things remained quiet in the area where we were. The waitress came with two plates announcing 'Lemon sole,' and we protested that we had ordered pangasius. She assured us that she had said the wrong thing and that it was in fact our order. Our half fillets of what was, presumably, pangasius came on oval plates with dressing, a wedge of lemon, and potatoes. My friend had ordered saute potatoes but I had for some reason stuck with the new potatoes that are served unless you request an alternative. They seemed a little boring, and I was glad of the ratatouille dressing to liven them up. The fish itself was good, quite a plain white fish really, certainly nothing exotic as its name suggests. Had I known, I might have chosen salmon instead, but no complaints.

As we were eligible for the special offer, we decided to make room for dessert as well. The apple and blackberry crumble with either custard or icecream was initially considered, but I thought it might be a little too filling. Crème brulee and homemade tiramisu were other serious contenders, but in the end we both felt that fresh fruit sherry trifle was making an unusual appearance on a menu and should not be ignored. It was (like the prawn cocktail) another reason for nostalgic recollection of how we ourselves or our mothers used to make trifle with differing amounts of sherry. Served in wineglasses, it proved to be the right choice for us both, and the sherry was there at the bottom, soaking the sponge, in no uncertain terms.

We decided to leave it there and wander down to a pub for a drink, so we asked for the bill. The restaurant automatically adds on a ten per cent service charge, so our total for the two of us for three courses and a glass of wine (and a cracker, of course) was £44. If you don't reserve, however, or if you go for dinner after 7pm, you can expect to pay around £18-£19 for a main course, which is obvously a lot more than we were charged. I would say that I enjoyed the soup and the trifle more than my main course, and aside from the special offer I think I would prefer to go to Rosie's Vineyard in Southsea. I was somewhat put off by the state of the chairs and the carpet at Lemon Sole, and the atmosphere was slightly lacking. No sign of fish knives and forks, which seem to have become a thing of the past.

I should mention that the toilets are upstairs, which would of course be a problem for disabled customers. You do, on the approach to the stairs, get a good chance to have a look at the kitchen.

In the basement is Annie Croft's Wine Cellar where food is also served. It is reached by a set of stone steps and apparently still has the original eighteenth-century stone floor. Alongside it is a well, which we could just make from our table by the front window of Lemon Sole: a sign clearly states 'Do not enter' – they must be afraid that inebriated clients might end up at the bottom of the well. My friend ventured down the steps as we were leaving and seemed to think Annie Croft's might be worth visiting on another occasion. The two establishments appear to be under the same management.

I would recommend Lemon Sole to anyone who loves fish and would like to be able to choose from the counter. If you are dining early or having lunch, there always seems to be a special offer provide you make a reservation. For anyone visiting Gunwharf Quays who wants to get away from the crowds, Lemon Sole is just a few minutes' walk away down St George's Road, turning right into High Street. (This is not a High Street filled with shops, I should point out.) I don't however, feel in a great hurry to go back. The food was very good, but I was expecting something a little more from a restaurant mentioned in the Michelin Guide. I definitely think a facelift is in order, particularly for the carpet and chairs. If I am able to afford it in the future, there are one or two other local restaurants in a similar price range that I would prefer to try out. Meanwhile, I shall content myself with Rosie's Vineyard which, interestingly enough, is the only Portsmouth/Southsea restaurant that features in Harden's Restaurant Guide.

Lemon Sole Seafood Restaurant

123 High Street

Old Portsmouth

Hampshire

PO1 2HW

Tel. 023 9281 1303

www.lemonsole.co.uk

Brasserie Blanc, Gunwharf Quays

2009-12-14T11:21:00.000-08:00

We had wanted to sample the delights of Brasserie Blanc in Gunwharf Quays one evening in October, but without a reservation we would have had to wait about an hour for a table. Late one Saturday afternoon in December, I rang to see if I could book a table for three for 3pm the following day, and luckily this was possible. As soon as we arrived on the Sunday, we were greeted by a receptionist who checked our reservation and led us past a beautiful Christmas tree to a table not far from a window from which there was a view of the canalside and the Spinnaker Tower.

Menus were distributed before we had even sat down. I was glad to find that plenty of coat hooks were provided.

Linen tablecloths are used but they are covered with white paper cloths set diagonally. Napkins are large linen ones. As well as the usual cruet, there is a bottle of oil on each table. We had wooden chairs with comfortable leather backs and seats, but I noticed that some tables had all wooden ones. We loved the colourful paintings, all depicting food, which contrasted well with the black and white photographs, some of Raymond Blanc teaching a younger chef, which hang above the counter. Behind the counter the kitchen area is clearly visible. We remarked on how clean everything was.

A Christmas menu, £25 for three courses, was available on the day of our visit but we hadn't come for anything quite so special and decided to order a la carte. An extensive drinks menu was handed to us but all we wanted was a glass of fruit juice each of a different flavour – orange, pineapple and apple (£2.10) which was served with ice. We were also brought a jug of tap water, with separate glasses of course. Starters range in price from £5.45 to £6.95 and in variety from Mediterranean fish soup through Burgundian snails in garlic herb butter to Maman Blanc's miscellany of salads. We decided just to share one of the aperitifs, however, which consisted of garlic mayonnaise, harissa olives, balsamic vinegar and slices of French bread served with butter (£2.75). This is intended for one person, but as our serving of bread was replenished it was more than enough and did not spoil our appetites. The garlic mayonnaise in particular was gorgeous, and the waitress commented herself on how much she liked it.

The main courses on the lunch menu start at £8.75 for Swiss chard and cep mushroom lasagne and rise to £17.00 for Roast Barbary duck breast with blackberry sauce and Dauphinoise potatoes. There is also a selection of grills priced between £15.00 and £26.50. The waitress came along with a blackboard indicating the day's special, roast beef, roast potatoes and a selection of vegetables for £14.50. The fact that the beef was medium rare made us decline this option. My son's partner decided on Loch Fyne mussels in white wine and cream served with chips (£13.00). My son and I both considered the lasagne as well as Raymond's smoked River Avon salmon and trout fish cake (£11.00) but eventually both ordered Beef Stroganoff with pilaf rice (£10.25). I don't usually go for red meat but felt that this could be a good occasion to do so for a change. Side salads and vegetables can be ordered, mostly for £2.75, but our waitress thought the mussels and chips would be fine on their own and I certainly thought my main dish would be filling.

Soon after we had ordered the waitress brought a finger bowl for the mussels along with a soup spoon, as she explained that a lot of people like to drink the sauce of the mussels like soup after they have finished eating. It was a while before the food was served, as you would expect, but not overly long. The mussels came in their cooking pot with chips in a small side dish. The stroganoff was served in deep round plates, each with a mould of garnished rice in the centre. Our immediate reaction was that the sauce tasted wonderful and was of a perfect consistency but that the beef was not as tender as we had thought it might be. Slices of mushroom were plentiful alongside the beef. The mussels were highly appreciated as were the chips, and yes, my son's partner enjoyed the sauce so much that he did use that soup spoon. The waitress was passing as he did, and she chirruped 'I knew you would!'

My son had no hesitation in saying he wanted to see the dessert menu, so we were each brought one on a small card. The waitress mentioned that there was also a chocolate tart with coffee crème anglaise for a mere £3.50 – the coffee-chocolate combination and the modest price meant my mind was immediately made up. My son decided on apple and blackberry crumble (£5.20) but his partner wanted something light so he picked the selection of ice creams (£5.50). Four scoops of ice cream are served, and he chose coffee, chocolate, pistachio and hazelnut. Strawberry and vanilla were also offered.

We were all delighted with our desserts when they arrived. My chocolate tart was rich in flavour without being too sweet or sickly, and the coffee crème added interest to the taste. The ice cream was drizzled with two kinds of coulis and sandwiched between two irregular-shaped wafers. The crumble was topped with a scoop of ice cream and looked delicious – something I would definitely try another time.

My son and his partner decided to order tea and coffee as they were going to the cinema and still had a little time to kill. I would like to try the coffee there, but I was feeling very full and it was a little late in the day for caffeine so I contented myself with my glass of water. The coffee was declared to be very good, so that's a perfect excuse for me to go back.

Our bill came to £60.55 to which we added a tip. I could remember that the last time the three of us had been to Rosie's Vineyard in Southsea we had paid the same amount there. Whilst the food at Rosie's is always very good, the service is not up to the standard of the Brasserie Blanc. The previous Sunday my son and I had waited half an hour at Rosie's just to place an order. The furnishings and décor at Brasserie Blanc are also superior to Rosie's. I should emphasise that the prices on the dinner menu are higher than those on the lunch menu at Brasserie Blanc. It is also worth mentioning, however, that some dishes are available in smaller portions and at lower prices for children.

I visited the ladies upstairs and found it to be extremely clean. Two bottles of liquid soap were provided: it was a French brand called 'Le Cuisinier' and was intended for cooks, to remove lingering odours. Two bottles, but three washbasins – had somebody pocketed a third bottle? I was amused to find 'The Fox and the Grapes', one of Lafontaine's fables, written out in French as I climbed the stairs, and I lingered to read it. When I got to the top of the stairs, there was the English translation. On returning to our table, I realised that another of the fables was written along the top of one wall, again translated on the adjacent wall. A lovely touch.

Just by the entrance are some shelves displaying French foods such as jars of conserves and packets of biscuits, any of which can be purchased. There are also one or two books by Raymond Blanc. If you arrive early or have to wait for a table, there is an area where you can sit and have a drink by the bar.

The only criticism I would make from my first visit to Brasserie Blanc would be that the beef was not as tender as I had expected it to be. Other than that, I cannot find fault at all with the menu, the food, the service or the ambiance. The dinner menu is a little out of my price range, but I am sure we will return to Brasserie Blanc every now and again for lunch. It stands head and shoulders above almost all the other restaurants in Gunwharf Quays at the present time. Raymond Blanc's wish was to create a relaxing atmosphere in which to enjoy good food similar to that cooked by his mother, and he has surely succeeded here.

Brasserie Blanc

Canalside

Gunwharf Quays

Portsmouth

PO1 3FA

Tel. 023 9289 1320

www.brasserieblanc.com

The Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth

2009-12-06T03:38:00.000-08:00

Originally situated in a small side street of Southsea, the Aspex Gallery was able to move to grander surroundings in December 2006. It is now housed on the ground floor of the imposing Vulcan Building in Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth. Gunwharf Quays is a shopping complex that also has a cinema, bowling alley, various eateries on the waterfront, and a hotel; it attracts crowds of visitors from surrounding areas such as the Isle of Wight, Gosport, Fareham, Hayling Island, Petersfield and Havant as well as the inhabitants of Portsmouth itself and Southsea. Such a location is a prestigious one.

The gallery, however, is not particularly easy to find. Once in Gunwharf, head to your left in an easterly direction and look out for the Loch Fynne Restaurant, also in part of the Vulcan Building. Follow the path between Loch Fynne and Cafe Rouge, and then turn right into the Vulcan's courtyard; you should then see the Aspex Gallery on the left.

I visited the gallery just after five o'clock one Saturday afternoon and was dismayed to find that I was the only visitor, although a young couple did come in while I was there. The gallery closes at 6pm, and it may be that it had been busier earlier in the day, or that it attracts more visitors on weekdays, with weekenders being more interested in shopping or the movies.

The gallery comprises an exhibition area, an educational area, a glass-fronted room offering resources for local artists, a coffee shop, and a shop selling jewellery, crafts, art magazines, ceramics, artists' prints and greetings cards. Aspex presents exhibitions of the work of contemporary artists from both Portsmouth and the international scene. At the time of my visit, the biennial 'Emergency' exhibition was showing; it is open to artists the world over, and one of the chosen few is later given the opportunity of a solo exhibition. There was certainly a diverse range of media on show, from the figurative but bordering-on-abstract canvases of Paul Becker through the quasi-erotic prints of Benjamin Senior to the impressive group of totem-like wood sculptures of Cathy Ward and Eric Wright. I did, however, feel that perhaps a slightly greater number of artists could have been given an opportunity to showcase their work here, as several of the artists were exhibiting more than one piece.

But Aspex is more than just a gallery. It is part of the 'arc' or Artists' Resource Centre network that extends across south-east England, providing support for practising artists in the local area. This support can take the form of one-to-one surgeries, use of the computers and journals in Aspex's resource centre, discussion groups with fellow artists, or presentations on methods of practice or current opportunities for artists. Such networking and support could be of crucial importance to artists in the early stages of their career, especially for example when they have recently graduated and find themselves on their own, trying to make their way without the support and facilities of an educational establishment.

Children of school age can also participate here in holiday and Saturday clubs. Schools and colleges are able to plan group visits, and talks and tours are organized from time to time for both specialists in the field and those who wish to find out more about contemporary art. It is even possible to hire the gallery for events such as cocktail parties or product launches.

If you are looking for a quiet place in Gunwharf Quays to enjoy lunch or coffee away from the crowds, the Aspex coffee shop would be ideal. Kids' Art Lunch Boxes with organic drinks and activity sheets are available there. It also from time to time hosts film screenings and performances.

The Aspex Gallery is situated on the ground floor and is accessible to disabled visitors; guide dogs are welcome. Aspex allows breast feeding, and baby-changing facilities are available in the toilet by the Education Studio.

Opening hours from Tuesday to Friday are from 11am until 6pm, and on Sunday from noon until 5pm. The gallery is closed on Monday.

If you are travelling by rail, alight at Portsmouth Harbour Station; Gunwharf Quays is just five minutes' walk from here. By road, take the M27 and then the M275 into Portsmouth; Gunwharf Quays Car Park is clearly signposted along the way.

Information on forthcoming exhibitions and events is available at the website: www.aspex.org.uk .

Aspex

The Vulcan Building

Gunwharf Quays

Portsmouth

PO1 3BF

The Greenhouse Kitchen Vegetarian Cafe

2009-12-01T10:22:00.000-08:00

Walking home along Marmion Road, Southsea, one day in the spring I was dismayed to find that Coco's Cafe had closed down. It was one of my favourite places to go for coffee, a smoothie or lunch whilst shopping, and always made a pleasant change from Costa. I stopped, however, and read the notice in the window advertising the fact that the Greenhouse Kitchen Vegetarian Cafe would be opening on the premises on 24th May. It sounded promising.

We made our first visit to the Greenhouse Kitchen at the end of May, around eleven o'clock one Saturday morning. The first good sign was that an alternative front door was being used, which took you straight in by the counter. Coco's had always used the door on the corner, which meant you had to fight your way past the tables, whilst those seated near the door would suffer from a cold draught in winter every time customers entered or left.

The two hungry young men that were with me were disappointed to see that sandwiches came under the lunch section on the blackboard and were not served until noon. However, there was an array of them wrapped in paper bags on full display, and the waitress said that the time restriction for lunch had in fact been set because people were demanding soup for their elevenses. She didn't mind at all serving sandwiches during the morning. They both ordered egg mayonnaise sandwiches, one on white bread and one on brown, along with smoothies. I wanted to sample the coffee, as that is what I often judge such a place by, so I ordered a cappuccino along with a homemade golden syrup and oat muffin. I enjoyed both the coffee and the muffin, and the egg sandwiches were pronounced to be the best ever.

I decided not to write a review until I had sampled the lunches at the cafe. Several weeks passed before I did. This time it was at around noon, again on a Saturday, and the ground-floor room was almost full. We were told that there was plenty of room upstairs, but as a group of people were about to vacate their table we decided to take it over. The downstairs tables are easily big enough for two people and just big enough for three. There are one or two tables with relaxing armchairs for those who are just having a drink, but most have upright chairs similar to those at Cafe Rouge.

It was a bit of a squeeze as we stood at the counter deciding what to order, as several elderly ladies who couldn't hurry were leaving and the door is right in front of the counter. That didn't matter, however, as we weren't in a hurry, but space by the counter is a little restricted. The day's lunch specials were each priced at £4.75. I was torn between vegetable crumble and lentil loaf with salad, eventually choosing the crumble. My son and his partner both decided on sweet potato curry with nachos. This time I thought I would try the smoothies; a company called easyjuice supplies frozen packs of prepared fruit which you can see in the freezer alongside the ice cream, and the smoothies are then made on demand from these packs. The one I chose was named Energy Burst and was a combination of raspberries, blueberries and oranges. Smoothies are £2.50 each, whilst fruit juices are £2.20.

Having placed our order and paid, we took our seat by the window. The drinks were soon brought over and the waitress apologised for the fact that the previous customers' cups and glasses had not yet been cleared away. The staff at the cafe are extremely polite and friendly, it must be said. I took a sip of my smoothie and immediately said that it was probably the best I'd ever had. I've always found blueberries a little lacking in taste, but I sometimes buy Waitrose's raspberry and orange juice – the combination of these two fruits is almost as perfect as a taste can be for me. There were a lot of tiny seeds in the smoothie that might bother some people, but I didn't let their inclusion put me off.

The food followed very quickly. The curries were served in a soup bowl with nachos on an oval plate underneath. My vegetable crumble certainly looked good. It was mainly cauliflower and broccoli with a topping of chopped nuts and breadcrumbs. Everything had a definite home-made feel to it. We all enjoyed our lunch – for me, the texture of the crumble was just as important as the taste and was made almost perfect by the addition of the nuts. The curry was spicy with good flavours rather than being overly hot.

Although not a vegetarian, I would personally chose the Greenhouse Kitchen as one of the best places to have a simple lunch in Southsea, and definitely the best place for smoothies or home-made snacks. There were young children there when we visited, and high chairs are available. One disadvantage is that the toilets are up a steep flight of stairs, but there are public conveniences two or three minutes' walk away adjacent to Waitrose supermarket.

All of the ingredients used at the Greenhouse Kitchen have been approved by the Vegetarian Society. Wine, lager and ales are served, although I have not sampled any of these. All the food and drink served is available for take-away, except for the alcoholic drinks. I haven't yet tried the ice creams, but they look and sound delicious. On a hot day you could sit and have one at an outside table.

Free WiFi broadband is available on the premises, but my son had his Blackberry with him and found that it would only be suitable for visiting public sites as other customers would be able to view your internet activity on their laptops or other devices if they felt inclined to do so.

Two rooms upstairs are available for private functions.

The Greenhouse Kitchen is closed on Monday. Opening hours are from 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday, and from 10am to 4pm on Sunday.

The Greenhouse Kitchen Vegetarian Cafe

59 Marmion Road

Southsea

PO5 2AX

Tel. 023 9281 5511

Churchill's @ 25, Southsea

2009-11-28T09:07:00.000-08:00

There are four small cafe-restaurants on Marmion Road, Southsea, just off Palmerston Road shopping precinct. I had only ever been to one of them, the Vegetarian Greenhouse Kitchen, and thought it was about time to try out one of the others. Late one Saturday morning we looked at the menus in the window of Churchills @ 25; my son had been before and said I should be the one to decide. It looked very busy inside, but a table for two all on its own by the entrance was just being vacated so I suggested we take it.

Main dishes on the menu included quiche, lasagne, chicken and ham pie, eggs benedict, mushroom fricasee and fish cake with a poached egg (which seemed a bit of a strange combination). Soup of the day could be ordered along with a sandwich chosen from a varied list of fillings. Jacket potatoes were mostly around the £3 mark. A board with the day's specials had been placed outside, and I had to go and take another look as I couldn't see them listed inside. There was cauliflower cheese with either chips or salad, vegetarian lasagne, and a tempting Thai chicken salad amongst a few other choices. However, we noticed that it was possible to order a full English breakfast for £5.25 including tea, coffee or fruit juice (orange, apple or cranberry). We both decided to order the vegetarian version which offered two sausages, an egg (poached, fried or scrambled) on half a muffin, cherry tomatoes, and slices of button mushrooms. Both of us chose scrambled egg, my son ordered tea and I asked for orange juice.

The drinks were brought after a couple of minutes. There was a pot of tea (enough for two cups) with a jug of milk, and the orange juice was served with ice. We had to wait about fifteen to twenty minutes before our food arrived, but we were not in a hurry so we didn't mind. Each of us had just the one sausage whereas the menu had promised two, but we didn't complain as neither of us thought we could have managed a second one. The scrambled egg was a little overdone, but other than that we enjoyed our breakfasts. Everything was freshly cooked and arranged on the plate with care, the tomatoes and mushrooms surrounding the scrambled egg on the muffin.

Just above our table was a board listing desserts at reasonable prices, mostly around £2.45. These included treacle tart, lemon cheesecake, rum and raisin cheesecake, and a three-flavoured jelly; bread and butter pudding was a little more expensive. We weren't interested in any of them on that occasion, but it's obvious that you could have a two or three course meal without breaking the bank.

A notice in the window states that if you order lunch, you can have a glass of wine for £1.75. That's worth remembering. Another notice advertises coffee and cake for £2.75 in the afternoon.

Churchill's @ 25 has not long been open and is very clean and tastefully decorated. Tables and upright chairs are of wood, without tablecloths. Most of the tables do seem to be rather close together, and I felt that we had been lucky to come at the right time to sit at the table for two that is on its own by the entrance. On the far wall are four prints of Winston Churchill, each one based on a different colour in the mode of Andy Warhol. Other abstract artworks were very uninspiring to me; as well as these there is a series of maxims printed on the walls, words of wisdom to digest along with your lasagne or cheesecake.

We were satisfied with the service from both the waiter and waitress on that Saturday, as they were polite and efficient, making a point of asking us on two occasions if everything was all right. My son, however, had not been so impressed with another waiter on a previous visit and probably wouldn't have chosen Churchill's if I hadn't been interested in trying it out.

There appears to be just one toilet with disabled access and baby changing facilities, but I cannot comment on its cleanliness as I did not use it.

I would recommend Churchill's @ 25 as a venue for a drink, breakfast or lunch to anyone shopping in Palmerston Road and wanting a break. It makes a change from Costa Coffee and offers much more in the way of food. I would personally prefer the Greenhouse Kitchen, but that is a vegetarian restaurant and obviously won't suit everyone. For anyone walking up from the sea front or Southsea common, there are so many restaurants to choose from before reaching Marmion Road that Churchill's is unlikely to be a candidate. I would, however, be happy to go back there if that Thai chicken salad is on offer again one day.

Churchill's @ 25

25 Marmion Road

Southsea

PO5 2AT

Tel 023 9273 8525

Lou Lou's, Southsea

2009-11-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

Vying as it does with three other small restaurants on Southsea's Marmion Road, Lou Lou's is one that I had previously wanted to visit because of its apparent French feel. I hadn't done so, however, as I always seem to be in the area at lunchtime and Lou Lou's is inevitably crowded, with very little space between one table and the next. An opportunity arose one Friday afternoon when I bumped into my son as I was leaving work. Both of us were at a loose end and decided to have a bite to eat before shopping at Waitrose. As it was around 3.30pm, I thought Lou Lou's might be relatively quiet so we sauntered along to see if I was right.

A menu in the window was difficult to approach as both the outside tables were occupied. As we turned away, a waiter rushed out and handed us a menu to tempt us. The menu seemed varied with reasonable prices and there seemed to be a few free tables inside, so we ventured in. Two of the tables turned out to be reserved, but we settled for a table for two by the side wall.

All the tables in the main area are circular marble ones, some bigger than others. The chairs are old-fashioned, basic wooden ones with curved backs. I said that Lou Lou's has an apparent French feel to it, but this is in fact because it used to be a butcher's and the original décor has been kept. Ceramic tiles cover one wall, and the wooden floor has seen better days. A curved metal rail hanging from the ceiling would once have been used for displaying carcasses. Now it has rather charming ornaments and flowers dangling down. The place has character and is quite unlike other cafe-restaurants in the area.

A waitress immediately brought us another menu. A page of all day breakfasts (including a continental one) was followed by a list of Welsh rarebit, croque monsieur or madame, then one or two pasta dishes, a few salads and a rather surprising venison burger. The usual simple lunches such as soup of the day, various sandwiches and jacket potatoes are also on the menu. Tartiflette is a typical French addition that I can't remember seeing before in a Southsea restaurant. Steak is one of the pricier lunches, but even so is just £8.95. Having not long since recovered from a nasty bug, I hadn't had eggs or bacon for weeks, so I decided on scrambled egg with back bacon in a toasted and buttered muffin, accompanied by sliced button mushrooms for £3.45. My son went for what would have been my second choice: scrambled egg with smoked salmon, wholemeal or white toast and sliced button mushrooms at £4.95.

We wanted to order freshly squeezed orange juice, but the waitress explained that the machine had been switched off. We didn't quite understand why, but we both ordered apple juice instead. This was brought over very quickly. I don't like having fruit juice with a glass full of ice cubes, and thankfully no ice was served here, but I suppose some people might want and expect it.

It must have been about ten minutes before our food was served. My immediate impression was that the servings were very generous, especially where the mushrooms were concerned. I had two rashers of nicely cooked, lean bacon, lots of scrambled egg, and a whole muffin as opposed to the half I had had at Churchill's a few weeks earlier. My son's meal came garnished with a slice of lemon and a small sprig of parsley. His butter was served separately in a small tub for him to spread on the triangular slices of toast. I thought the square-shaped plates and black serviettes were tasteful, although the serviettes were a little on the small side. Pepper and salt are provided on the table, but the waitress also asked us if we required any other sauces. We declined. The food was beautifully hot, and I would only say that the scrambled egg was slightly overdone. This usually seems to be the case in restaurants, however.

As soon as we had finished eating, the waitress came to clear our plates. For those wanting a two-course meal, desserts are mostly priced at £3.25 or £3.50 and include pancakes, waffles, ice cream sundae and sticky toffee pudding. A tempting selection of home made cakes is displayed at the counter, and Lou Lou's menu also offers afternoon cream teas. We had only come for a light meal, so we asked for the bill. As it turned out, payment is made at the counter.

The ladies had just been cleaned when I entered so I can't comment on what it might be like towards the end of a busy lunchtime. Two steps have to be negotiated to get to the toilets, which would obviously prove difficult for the disabled. These steps also lead to a rear area which has a number of small tables but is without windows.

I would be glad to return to Lou Lou's one day, as their food is good, served in generous portions and reasonably priced. I have no criticisms of the service we received. It is a place that has character but might not appeal to those who prefer ultra-modern, stylish restaurants. If I do go back, however, I shall probably make a point of going either early in the morning for breakfast or once again in mid or late afternoon. Lou Lou's is definitely a popular place, but the lunchtime crowds would put me off. Closing time is 6pm, so this is a daytime rather than an evening restaurant.

Lou Lou's

37 Marmion Road

Southsea

Hampshire

PO5 2AT

Tel. 023 9282 5113

A taste of Morocco in Bath

2009-11-15T07:47:00.000-08:00

Wandering around Bath late one Saturday afternoon, there seemed to be coffee shops at every turn but not much sign of restaurants. A visit to the Tourist Information Office solved the problem, as they gave us a leaflet showing a variety of eateries situated in the city centre. We narrowed it down to two, and soon found ourselves outside the Cafe du Globe, described as a Moroccan and international restaurant. It was about 5.15pm and a group of people just in front of us were told that it was too late for afternoon tea but that they were welcome to have dinner. When our turn came we thought the proprietor, a Mr Benjelloun, was telling us that we would have to wait for a table until 7pm, but fortunately it turned out that we would have to vacate the table by 7pm. That suited us, so in we went.

The restaurant is quite small, and there was just one table for four free to one side. Both tables and chairs are of very sturdy dark wood. The chairs have leather seats and the tables have inlaid square panels that are painted gold. Slender candles, carnations in bud and cruet sets decorate the tables. Menus in folders were immediately handed out to us by a young waitress. She soon returned to take our drinks order. One of my sons ordered a draught Stella Artois at £3.50; the rest of us chose soft drinks – mineral water, cranberry juice and orange juice – at £2 each.

Starters include traditional Moroccan mezze, warm grilled goat's cheese, felafel, and home-made harira soup amongst others. We decided, however, to go straight for the main course. I ordered vegetarian couscous (£10.25) and my elder son picked the Cafe du Globe brochettes (£14.95). His partner and my younger son decided to order from the Mexican section of the menu, one going for chicken fajitas (£12.25) and the other for combo (chicken and beef) fajitas (£12.95).

It was a little while, but not too long, before our food was served. We sat admiring the décor of the restaurant with its low lighting, wooden fretwork, Moroccan lampshades and mirror frames and a carved book shelf. We weren't quite so keen on the painting of two covered ladies, but each to his own taste. Middle Eastern music is played to add to the atmosphere.

The waitress brought the fajitas first. The tortillas (four in number) are served in a covered earthenware pot alongside a side salad with grated cheese, guacamole and sour cream. The meat and sliced pepper filling is brought afterwards, sizzling and steaming. My son's brochettes with tiny roast potatoes and salad garnish looked delicious. My couscous came in a covered decorative ceramic dish on a thick wicker mat. The waitress removed the lid and brought a separate plate of accompaniments. This consisted of a small bowl of jus with a few sliced carrots alongside two tiny lidded pots. One contained cooked raisins and the other the spicy harissa. The jus felt only just warm as I held the bowl to pour it over the couscous, but that didn't matter as the main dish was piping hot. I sprinkled all the raisins on but decided to forego the harissa. What surprised me was the mixture of English and Mediterranean vegetables: carrot, potato, parsnip, aubergine and courgette all jostled alongside each other with the couscous, garnished with parsley. We all agreed that the food was excellent. I finished mine and felt full but not heavy.

Plates were soon cleared away and dessert menus brought. My elder son and his partner ordered Moroccan mint tea with baclavas (£4.85). I considered toffee apple fudge cake (£4) or orange salad but didn't really have room for a dessert so confined myself to a decaffeinated coffee (£1.95). My younger son was content to finish sipping his beer (but he did have some goodies from the San Francisco Fudge Factory of Bath in his backpack for later!) The mint tea comes in a tiny metal teapot topped with a delightful tea cosy in the shape of what might be a whirling dervish. The waitress pours the tea from a great height into a very small glass. The baclavas were served on one plate with a sprig of mint, and I think there were eight pieces altogether, six of which were considerably smaller than the other two. My son and his partner had been to a Moroccan restaurant in London a few days before, and although they said the London one was slightly better overall, they commented that the baclavas at the Cafe du Globe were fresher and tastier. I had one of the little ones and certainly enjoyed it with my coffee.

Our total bill came to £71.55 to which we added a tip as we were all happy with the food and the service. We chatted a little to the proprietor, a very friendly man who told me that he reads reviews of his restaurant every Sunday morning and does his utmost to address any criticisms. I assured him I would be writing a favourable review.

Toilets are situated in the basement. Tea lights are placed at the side of each step, and at the bottom of the stairs are showcases with Cafe du Globe pots, jewellery and other gifts for sale. There is just one toilet for ladies and one for gents; each has a mirror with a Moroccan frame and a metal washbasin with a decorative border. The ladies was clean and well equipped with soap and toilet tissue. Unfortunately there is no disabled toilet on the premises.

The Cafe du Globe is situated very close to Bath Abbey and the River Avon. It is only about five minutes' walk from the railway station. It was interesting to see the mixture of British and North African or Middle Eastern people among the clientele, so the restaurant does seem to have a wide appeal. The menu might have been a little more varied, but the inclusion of Mexican dishes means that if members of a group don't like Moroccan food, there are a few other choices. There are special offers for two-course lunches and dinners which are detailed on the website. This is probably not a place for a family with young children, but I am sure afternoon tea would be pleasant there if you do not want a full meal. Although I'm always on the lookout for new eateries, I would be very happy to return to the Cafe du Globe.

Cafe du Globe

1A North Parade

Bath

BA1 1LF

Tel. 01225 466437

www.cafeduglobe.co.uk

Abarbistro

2009-11-07T12:01:00.000-08:00

The Camber Dock area of Old Portsmouth is one that I was not particularly familiar with, but I suspect I will be visiting it more often in the future. My brother and his wife live just a hop, skip and a jump from there and often go for a bite to eat at Abarbistro, formerly known as the American Bar. My younger son was coming from Bristol one weekend and we thought it was about time we had a family lunch, so my brother booked a table for 1pm on the Sunday at Abarbistro. I was actually so unsure as to how to get there that I decided a taxi was the best bet, but next time I won't need to do so. You can turn off High Street into Lombard Street, by Portsmouth Cathedral, or you can go from Broad Street down White Hart Road. If you are coming from Gunwharf Quays, turn right and follow Gunwharf Road. Alternatively, you can take Warblington Street off St George's Road. In other words, just about all roads lead to Abarbistro. If you are confused, follow your nose to the fish market, which is right close by.

The place itself doesn't look anything special from the outside. The building dates from the late eighteenth century and was apparently once a place where convicts were brought as they waited to be shipped off to a penal colony in the States – hence the name The American Bar. Abarbistro has whitewashed walls with blue window frames, and recent renovations include three glass doors which give views of the Spinnaker Tower. As we went inside, I was surprised at how stylish the restaurant is. We were taken through the front area to a separate room that resembled a conservatory with blinds across the glass roof and extensive windows that overlooked the garden area. It was a beautifully sunny spring day and was the ideal place to sit. I am sure the garden would be wonderful on a fine summer's day.

Menus were brought to us as soon as we sat down at the light wood tables. My brother and his wife are apparently quite well known there and the waiters and waitresses were very friendly, but I had the impression that they would have been even if we had all been first-time visitors. Our drinks order was soon taken. My brother and younger son both decided on cider. As my son has been living in Bristol for some months now, he has become quite particular about his cider, but all that was on offer was Bulmer's draught or a pear cider. Neither really impressed, but the Bulmer's at £3.50 a pint was chosen. The rest of us decided on a bottle of red wine, and the waitress recommended Zarabanda Rioja at £14. We all approved of her choice.

We decided to go straight into the main course, but if you did want a starter they range from olives and focaccia at £2 through a plate of anchovies at £4 to rabbit terrine with prune chutney at £6. Soup of the day is £5, and on that particular day it was broccoli.

Specials were seafood pasta (£9) or catch of the day, which was rainbow trout, for £13. There was also a lamb shank roast at £10. We all, however, chose our main course from the standard menu. I decided on the fishcake with spinach and Hollandaise sauce (£10), whilst my younger son opted for sausages (from local butcher Buckwell's) and mash (£8). My elder son chose beer-battered fish and chips with pea puree (£8), and his partner picked camembert stuffed chicken wrapped in parma ham with ratatouille (£12), My brother and his wife both went for roast belly of pork with colcannon and cider sauce (£10), perhaps influenced by the recommendation from the author of a review that had appeared in the local paper two days earlier. My sister-in-law ordered an extra portion of green beans at £2.

Vegetarian options include Moroccan vegetable tagine with cous cous (£8) or roasted root vegetables with celeriac dauphinoise (£11).

We did not have to wait long for our food to be served. I was amazed when I saw my fishcake, which was a huge, rounded one sitting on the bed of spinach and covered in Hollandaise sauce. The taste lived up to expectations too. I don't know exactly what fish it had been made with, but the predominant colour was pink. It was not at all salty and the sauce just gave a slight sweetness. Even though there was no mash or chips with it, for me it was more than enough. The three sausages sitting on top of the mash did not look like a large portion on arrival, but appearances were deceptive and my son was quite satisfied with his choice. The pork belly, stuffed chicken and fish and chips were also enjoyed by everyone. The pea puree in particular was said to be the best ever tasted. Not a single complaint from any of us.

My younger son and I were both very full after our main courses, so as we are both ardent fans of coffee we restricted ourselves to the boule of espresso ice cream with a cup of espresso (£2). My sister-in-law picked the crème brulee which came with a shortbread biscuit (£5). The other three were all tempted by the apple and blackberry crumble with vanilla ice cream (£5). Service had slowed down considerably by this time, although it has to be said that the place was extremely busy by about 2pm. Fortunately we were not in a hurry.

I was delighted by my espresso ice cream, but I have to say that the unanimous approval of the apparently heavenly crumble made me feel that I would have to leave room for it next time I visit. To follow the espressos we just asked for a glass of water, but my elder son still had room for hot chocolate and the other three in the party ordered filter coffee. All hot drinks are £2.

The bill came to £113 to which we added a tip, making an average of £20 per head. There are one or two cheaper ways of doing things at Abarbistro that I will definitely bear in mind. If you just want to go for a light meal and a drink, you could opt for a hot brie and bacon baguette for £4, or even just a cone of home-cut chips for £3. On the first Friday of every month between 5.30pm and 7pm (last orders 6.45pm) you can have haddock, chips, tartare sauce and mushy peas followed by sticky toffee pudding, all for £10. You can of course just go and have a drink.

Don't be put off visiting Abarbistro with your offspring, even if they are considerably younger than mine. There was one gorgeously well-behaved baby in a high chair not far from us as well as several children, mostly in the garden area.

The toilets are on the ground floor, so there should be no problems for disabled people.

Abarbistro is open from 11am until midnight Mondays to Saturdays, and from noon until 11pm on Sundays. You can park free of charge outside the restaurant or on Lombard Street, the street that runs down to Portsmouth Cathedral.

Should you be visiting Gunwharf Quays and want to get away from the crowds, Abarbistro is only a few minutes' walk away. Southsea sea front is only about ten or fifteen minutes on foot. Abarbistro definitely makes a very pleasant change from chain restaurants.

Abarbistro

58 White Hart Road

Old Portsmouth

Hampshire

PO1 2JA

Tel. 023 9281 1585

www.abarbistro.co.uk

Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery

2009-11-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

Having recently visited Portsmouth City Museum and Art Gallery, I was interested to see how its counterpart in Bristol compared. I expected that perhaps it would be a grander affair, and I was right. Whereas Portsmouth concentrates mainly on local history and art, Bristol, whilst giving prominence to local artists and exhibits, has world-class displays in its galleries.

The museum is housed in an imposing three-storey Edwardian building; the stairs are not steep and there is a lift to certain areas on the upper floors, but you do have to call an attendant to operate the lift. How easy it is to do this I do not know. However, if you are at all interested in Ancient Egypt you are in for a treat, as there is a new display on the ground floor. This is where we started our visit.

The Egyptian exhibits here are based on the themes of life, death and the afterlife. Everything is behind glass, unsurprisingly considering the age of these artefacts. Even after more than twenty years of living in Egypt, I can still marvel at tiny amulets that look almost as if they were made yesterday, the mummy of a woman, or examples of hieroglyphics and other writing on a fragment of papyrus or a piece of stone. Touch screens placed low enough for children who can read allow visitors to access information on the individual items in each case. As well as the themes of life and death, attention is drawn to the way the Egyptians worked with different materials such as wood (as in the case for the mummy) and stone.

Moving further down this gallery, there are some fine examples of Assyrian reliefs. These are finely executed, but personally they didn't thrill me in quite the way that the Egyptian exhibits did.

At the top of the stairs leading to second floor is a gypsy caravan; turning left, we found ourselves in the Oriental gallery where Chinese dragons are to be seen wherever you look. There is even a tee-shirt from Tammy Girl decorated with a dragon. It was interesting that although this gallery was one of the quieter ones, there were two children sitting drawing whilst their parents looked around. Emerging from the dragon room, you find yourself admiring one of the best collections of Chinese glass outside Asia.

From Oriental art you proceed to British art. The first gallery is devoted to a collection of beautiful silver artefacts amid paintings of Bristol as it was over two hundred years ago. Realising that we did not have time to see everything in one visit, we passed fairly quickly through this room; I really must go back one day to admire the silver. We made a beeline for the more modern exhibits such as the paintings of the St Ives group. Barbara Hepworth is represented here by a painting rather than a sculpture, alongside Ben Nicholson in Gallery 5. I was also particularly interested to find Bristol-born Richard Long's Delabole Slate Circle, acquired from Tate Modern in 1997. Long was a great influence of mine in my students days, as was Tom Phillips, one of whose paintings I was delighted to find here.

If you are not a fan of modern art, you might prefer the work of the Pre-Raphaelites in Gallery 6 where both Millais and Burne-Jones are represented amongst others. There are a few examples of Impressionist paintings in the European room, notably by Renoir, Sisley and Lucien Pissaro. Beyond the French gallery is a display of pottery and ceramics, but this was another room that I had to leave for a future visit.

Going back down to the first floor we were greeted by a fibreglass replica of a dinosaur as well as a huge dinosaur leg skeleton. This area was obviously one of the most popular ones for children, so we decided to leave them to it as they greatly outnumbered us.

The display of minerals was one we spent more time on. Although there are exquisite pieces from all over the world, perhaps my favourite was a slice of Blue John from Derbyshire. It's true that this mineral holds a special place in my heart because I spent some wonderful holidays in the Peak District during my childhood, but I loved the colours in this example, which ranged from orange through to purple. My son prefered the pyrophyllite with its fascinating geometrical forms.

Minerals were followed by fossils, including some that were unearthed during the building of the Great Western Railway. Then came the wildlife area, but we decided to give it a miss as it looked to be swarming with children and must be one of the most popular sections of the museum. Many of the exhibits there focus on rare, endangered or extinct species of wildlife. British wildlife can be seen on the ground floor.

Descending the staircase to the ground floor once again, we walked past the shop without taking a look, as I don't usually buy souvenirs from museums. We noticed an enclosed area for temporary exhibitions where paintings were waiting to be hung. There is a cafe in an open area on the ground floor which seemed to be frequented mostly by families with young children who probably needed a break from all the excitement of dinosaurs and gorillas. Organic and fair trade food and drinks are served here. The cafe, as well as the toilets, are due for refurbishment during the course of 2008.

As we were leaving I suddenly noticed a huge biplane suspended from the lofty ceiling above the entrance hall – despite its size, neither of us had looked up and spotted it on our way in.

Certain areas of the museum are great attractions for children, and there were plenty around on the grey Saturday afternoon when we visited. There is even a play area called Small World for the under-fives on the ground floor. The museum would be an excellent choice for a family outing, whether your children are into dinosaurs, wild animals or mummies. As for adults, I'm sure everyone will find a display here that fascinates them. Since it's free, there is nothing to lose by paying a visit.

Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery

Queen's Road

Bristol

BS8 1RL

Tel. 0117 922 4749

www.bristol.gov.uk/museums

Open Daily, 10am-5pm (hours may change in 2009)

Lifts to some floors; space to leave buggies in front hall; baby-change; toilets' wheelchairs; highchairs available in cafe.

Car parks are situated five minutes' walk from the museum in either West End or Trenchard Street. On foot, the museum is ten minutes from the city centre and twenty-five minutes from Bristol Temple Meads railway station.

Twenty-four hours in Zurich

2009-10-31T03:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-24T07:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-07T08:04:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-03T05:39:00.000-07:00

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.

Dine at the Turtle Restaurant, Honfleur

2009-09-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

Before visiting Honfleur, Normandy, for the day I looked at a French website to see if there were any reviews of restaurants in the town. All I found, however, was a piece of advice that recommended avoiding the restaurants on the waterfront, which it described as 'tourist traps', and seeking out a restaurant in one of the side streets. My 'Rough Guide to France' was too heavy to take along, so I copied out the names and addresses of one or two restaurants that it listed. Unsurprisingly for a fishing port, they all seemed to specialise in seafood.

We spent about an hour and a half wandering around Honfleur and were amazed at the number of restaurants there are; you are certainly spoilt for choice, and if a bucket of mussels floats your boat you are in for a treat. We stopped and looked at one or two menus, including that of La Tortue (The Turtle) on the rue de l'Homme de Bois. It seemed particularly attractive, housed in one of the many old timber-frame buildings, and the set menu prices were also appealing since we weren't looking to spend a fortune. About half an hour later we hadn't seen anywhere that took our fancy more, but weren't sure if we could find our way back. As it happened, I recognised one or two shops in the same street and it wasn't long before we were having another look at the menu outside La Tortue, which is displayed in both French and English.

Lunch is normally served between noon and 2pm in France, and when we arrived at La Tortue at around 1pm the ground floor was already full. We were shown to the upstairs dining area and had the choice of any table. Soon after that a young couple arrived and a few minutes later a party of three. All of them were French speakers. There are actually two rooms upstairs and they can be booked for business lunches or dinners; the smaller one seats ten and the larger one twenty. We were seated in the larger of the two. I have mentioned that this was a timber-frame house, as are so many of the buildings in Honfleur which date from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. It was an original touch that the exposed beams in the restaurant had been painted red in the section where we were sitting, whilst in another area they retained the natural dark colour of the wood. A great deal of thought has obviously been put into the décor at La Tortue, with oriental artefacts and ornaments such as teapots complementing more modern western works of art. There were white linen tablecloths with square red napkins that matched the colour of the wooden beams.

At lunchtime there is a set menu at 19 Euros for three courses or 14 Euros for two courses (either a starter and main course or main course and dessert) followed by coffee. We decided to go for the 14 Euro option with main course and dessert. For the main course the choice was between pork fillet, hake in creamy cider sauce, poached salmon or a seasonal vegetarian option. (The vegetarian set menu is actually 17 Euros for three courses.) We both ordered the salmon. For dessert I chose 'coussinet de pomme sauce caramel', or apple in filo pastry with caramel sauce. My son deliberated between chocolate mousse and meringue with caramel sauce and custard, eventually picking the mousse. We had seen fruit juice mentioned on the menu and were very surprised to hear that there was no apple juice, as we had walked past goodness knows how many shops selling local apple juice and cider that morning. It didn't really matter, though, and we decided on pineapple juice instead. This was 4 Euros per glass.

Drinks arrived quickly, and the waiter said he would be back with a jug of water. A small basket containing four slices of baguette was also brought. It wasn't long at all before our main courses were served, this time by a different gentleman who I think was the restaurant owner. He was very quick to take our knives and forks away and return with fish knives and forks, a rarity these days. The salmon was served with a blend of olive oil and a creamy sauce, with a small portion of white rice and another of vegetables that consisted mainly of green beans, yellow peppers and thin strips of carrot – the colours had been very carefully considered. It was absolutely delicious. The salmon was very tender and cooked to perfection, and the sauce was one of the best I have ever tasted. I resisted the temptation to have any bread as I wanted to leave room for dessert.

Our plates were cleared and shortly afterwards the desserts were served. I was a little surprised to be given a spoon, fork and knife to eat mine with, but I did in fact need the knife to cut the filo pastry at the bottom. The caramel sauce was very rich, and a sprinkling of grated pistachio nuts made an interesting touch, both visually and in terms of flavour. At least the apple made me feel not too guilty about having a dessert that probably contained quite a few calories. The chocolate mousse was served as two thin slices, artistically overlapping each other. Heaven for the taste buds, we both agreed, and beautifully presented too.

Coffee was served in tiny, tall, slender cups along with a small wrapped plain chocolate, just the kind I like. I heard a lady at another table asking if she could have a tisane instead of coffee, and this did not pose a problem.

The toilets are upstairs which would of course not be suitable for disabled people. They are, however, very clean and more modern than you might expect in such an old building!

The service was excellent, extremely efficient, and I have no complaints at all about it. After we had been given the bill, which came to 36 Euros altogether, I went downstairs and gave the waiter 40 Euros. He seemed to be about to give me some change and looked a little surprised when I said there was no need for change but I would like to keep the receipt. I had read that service is included in restaurant bills in France, but it did not actually state this and I thought it best to leave the 4 Euros anyway considering how much we had enjoyed our lunch.

After I returned home I discovered that the restaurant has its own website, and had I visited it before my trip it would have encouraged me even more to have lunch at La Tortue. There is a brief video with a commentary in French and background music by Erik Satie, who was born just a stone's throw from the restaurant. The commentary tells you that the restaurant was named La Tortue after two people who, according to legend, fell in love on Turtle Island and vowed to open a restaurant in Honfleur. The owner of the restaurant appears in the video, explaining how quickly he made the decision to buy the house and open his restaurant there. He says that he wants his clientele to feel as though they are at home there and that he has decorated it in such a way as to promote this feeling. I think he has been very successful.

I was interested to see that the dessert I chose, the coussinet de pomme sauce caramel, is mentioned on the website as being one of the specialities. Savoury specialities are said to be sea bass fillet with tomato coulis, as well as foie gras pan fried in cider vinegar. There is also a mention of the fact that a menu specially for children is available. The website states that the restaurant is included in the Michelin Guide as well as the Guide du Routard.

I would definitely recommend a visit to this restaurant if you are in Honfleur; what I cannot vouch for of course is how busy it is in the evenings and whether or not a reservation is necessary for dinner. To anyone travelling to and from Le Havre, a stop in Honfleur is a delight if you have a little time on your hands, and lunch or dinner at La Tortue will enhance your visit. I sincerely hope I have the chance to go back one day.

La Tortue

36 rue de l'Homme de Bois

14600 Honfleur

France

Open every day from April through to September. Closed on Monday evenings and all day Tuesday from October until March.

http://www.restaurantlatortue.fr/

Tel. 02 31 81 24 60

Who are you calling an oddball?

2009-09-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

Although situated just round the corner from Southsea's main shopping precinct, Oddballs restaurant and wine bar had somehow eluded us for almost ten years. I was meeting one of my sons for Sunday lunch and was determined to try somewhere new, and Oddballs seemed to be the obvious choice, especially since it offers a reasonably priced, varied menu.

We arrived just after 12.30pm and were told that we could choose any table we liked, apart from one that was reserved. We picked a small table by a window, and menus and a wine list were brought straight away. Soft drinks were not listed, but the waiter reeled off a list and we both chose cranberry juice (£2).

We decided to skip starters, but there was a good choice available from, for example, a vegetarian soup of the day (£3.95), warm salad of chorizo, bacon and mushrooms with parmesan and balsamic dressing (£4.75), or toasted garlic focaccia (£2.95).

Main courses ranged from pasta of the day (£6.95), salmon and spinach fish cakes with salad (£7.95), spinach, tomato and pine nut tart with new potato and spinach salad and kalamata olive oil dressing (£7.95) to wild boar sausages with creamy mashed potato and port wine jus (£7.95). I was very tempted by the fish cakes, but roast beef and chicken were on offer too since it was Sunday. I hadn't had a roast for so long that I opted for the chicken (£8.95) and so did my son.

It was roughly half an hour before our food was served, but we were not in any hurry. We each had three good size pieces of chicken breast, one of which was wrapped in streaky bacon. As well as this there was stuffing, a mini Yorkshire pudding (which I hadn't expected with chicken), several small roast potatoes and plenty of gravy. A dish of vegetables to share was served separately; this consisted of cabbage, broccoli, leeks, one cauliflower floret, a couple of slices of carrot and one large slice of courgette. The waitress asked if we would like cranberry sauce, and we said yes.

We both agreed that it was an excellent roast. The was a generous amount of chicken, and it was very tender. The roast potatoes were very crisp and crunchy on the outside but still soft inside. I appreciated the variety of vegetables, and they certainly were not overcooked. The gravy and stuffing were both delicious. I had no complaints about the Yorkshire pudding, but I just couldn't finish it.

If you have the Sunday roast you can have two courses for £10.95, so the idea of dessert did seem tempting. The problem was that neither of us really had any room left. We did look at the menu, which tried to entice us with three scoops or ice cream or sorbet (£3.95), cheese and biscuits with red onion chutney and grapes (£5.25), or various other desserts including cheesecake, chocolate brownie, fruit sponge pudding with custard or raspberry crème brulee with shortbread (all at £4.50). We managed to resist all of these, however. Instead, my son ordered a brandy (£3) and I decided on a cappucino (£2.35) having studied the various coffees listed on a board at the bar. I am not easily pleased where coffee is concerned, but this cappucino turned out to be a particularly good one.

Our bill came to £27.25, so with a tip added it worked out at £15 each for an excellent roast and two drinks. For those with larger appetites, there is a set menu at £12.95 for two courses or £15.95 for three. A board on the wall advertised Saturday lunch at £5 for dish, which surprised me as restaurants offering special deals usually exclude Saturdays.

A couple of weeks later four of us visited Oddballs at around 4.30 on Saturday afternoon and were pleased to find that the £5 a dish offer was available until 5pm. We each ordered a glass of fruit juice and chose from a varied list of main courses. The pan-fried liver was off, but none of us would have wanted that anyway. Pasta of the day was linguine with chicken, bacon and mushrooms. I decided on chicken caesar salad with crispy pancetta, one of my sons went for chilli beef nachos with cheese and jalapenos, the other opted for roasted vegetables in pitta bread with hummus and salad, and his partner chose deep fried hake in beer batter with home-made chips.

We didn't have such a long wait this time as we had had on the Sunday. All of us enjoyed what we had ordered, although the roasted vegetables (courgette, aubergine, onion, pepper and tomato) weren't very filling, and another dip was substituted for the hummus. My salad included anchovies as well as the crispy pancetta, and a small serving of salad came with the fish and chips. It was very good value at £5 a head.

Not having overspent on the main course, we decided we would have dessert this time. Two ordered a chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce, one was unable to resist the temptation of vanilla and chocolate cheesecake, and I picked cassis sorbet as the lightest option. All of these were beautifully presented with a strawberry, another unidentified small fruit, and a dusting of icing sugar. They were delicious too. My sorbet had one or two whole blackcurrants inside and came with a sprinkling of grated chocolate to complement the fruit flavour. The sorbet was £3.75 whilst the other desserts were £4.50 each. Our total bill came to just over £47, not including service.

I would gladly return to Oddballs again one day, and my son felt it would be the ideal place to bring his partner's family, especially since the menu offers a good varied choice. The atmosphere of the place is welcoming and relaxed. We liked the combination of the open brickwork and the deep pink walls, although I think a few prints or paintings would improve the décor as at the moment there are rather too many blackboards around. The chairs are rather an odd assortment of old wooden ones, so if you like extra comfort you might not be impressed. Two or three large plants intertwine with fairy lights, and the main lighting is very soft, coming from wall lights rather than from the ceiling. If the music were any louder it might disrupt conversation, but as it was I did not find it objectionable.

The waiter and waitress dress very casually but are welcoming, polite and efficient. They asked us both during and after our meal if everything was to our satisfaction. I have to admit that the restaurant was not particularly busy at the time of our visit, but I had the feeling that they were out to please in whatever way they could.

There are three steps up to the toilets, which would obviously not suit anyone in a wheelchair. There were also two or three tables in that raised area, but a carved wooden screen made the door to the toilets more discreet. The ladies was not luxuriously decorated but it was perfectly clean.

I did notice a couple of highchairs, so babies are presumably welcome. Whilst we were there an elderly lady was having lunch on her own. I got the impression that she was a regular customer and the waiting staff were certainly being very friendly towards her.

Oddballs may not be the smartest or most stylish restaurant in the area, but neither is it the most expensive. It is very close to Southsea's Palmerston Road shopping precinct and just a few minutes' walk from the Southsea Castle area of the seafront. I would recommend it to families, couples or single people looking for a welcoming atmosphere, a varied menu and reasonable prices. The restaurant is closed on Mondays.

Oddballs

12 Clarendon Road

Southsea

Hampshire

Tel. 023 9275 5291

Portsmouth's corner of Paris

2009-09-27T01:39:00.000-07:00

quite often go for lunch in Southsea on a Saturday, but on this occasion I needed to visit Blackwell's bookshop near Portsmouth University, so it was a good opportunity to have lunch at the nearby Cafe Parisien for a change. As the Cafe is popular with university students and staff, I thought perhaps Saturday would be a relatively quiet day there, but it was pouring with rain and blowing a gale so the outside tables could not be used, and even at 1.30pm the place was packed with people inside. We nevertheless managed to find a table for three and then went to queue up and place our order.

The menu is written on blackboards above the counter and looks a little confusing at first, but it is quite easy to find the appropriate section, depending on whether you want soup, a plat principal/cooked meal, a salad (choice of twelve), a croque monsieur or some other kind of sandwich. Main meals include salmon, cod, sirloin steak, and chicken, as well as one or two vegetarian options. I remembered that just over a year before I had had 'Number 12', consisting of open ciabatta, scrambled egg, smoked salmon and cream cheese for £6.95, and my son and I both decided we still liked the sound of it. I quite often choose salmon when I have a meal out, and I never buy eggs for myself so scrambled egg makes a change. I was tempted by cappuccino but then decided that fruit juice would be healthier and thought that carrot and apple juice with ginger sounded unusual. My son's partner ordered a three-egg omelette with chips, and we decided to share an extra plate of chips between us. Several varieties were available, including French, curly or thin, but we chose Belgian fries which are the chunky kind, served with red onion, ketchup and mayonnaise.

Having paid, we seated ourselves at our table with our drinks. It was big enough for three but would be a squeeze for four, unless for drinks only. There is just enough room to make your way between tables. The chairs are of a similar kind to those of Cafe Rouge, comfortable enough but with a rounded back which annoys women such as myself who have shoulder bags that slip off and end up on the floor.

Whilst waiting for the food, I tried my carrot and apple juice with ginger and was delighted by the combination of sweet and spicy flavours. The only problem was that the fruit and vegetable solids sink to the bottom of the glass and the juice at the top is rather watery, reminding me of a fruit juice I'd once had at Wagamama. These drinks are probably very healthy, but it's difficult to drink them through a straw – or directly from the glass, for that matter.

We had been given an empty wine bottle in which stood a numbered wooden spoon to identify our order, and it wasn't long before a waitress brought our food over. The main dishes were served on oval plates, with the Belgian fries on a round plate. There was just enough room on the table. I enjoyed having the Number 12 as much as I had on the previous occasion; the scrambled egg was just the right consistency and the smoked salmon provided a good contrast to the egg and cheese. It is for me, however, with the four pieces of ciabatta, a very rich and filling meal. It was all I could do to sample a few of the fries, and I thought that a side salad would perhaps have been a more sensible choice. I do always tend to say, though, that I have a smaller than average appetite.

I certainly would not have been able to manage a dessert that day, but I have had very good cookies there in the past, and I saw someone at a nearby table with a mouth-watering slice of chocolate cake. I might try that one day, but I shall have to have a salad as my main meal! The fruit tarts also look very tempting and would be slightly healthier than cake, of course. Coffees at Le Cafe Parisien are the Lavazza variety and are excellent. I haven't tried the smoothies myself but have it on good authority that they are delicious. If tea is your preference, there is a wide variety of Twinings on the menu.

A few weeks later I met my son at Le Cafe Parisien for a late breakfast, this time at about 11.30am on a Saturday. It was much less crowded; again the weather was utterly dismal, so the outside tables were not being used. I was wondering about trying an omelette this time, but eventually we both decided that the full vegetarian breakfast (£6.95) would be more varied. There was a choice of brown or white bread or toast, and we both chose brown toast. As it was a chilly day, I ordered a regular cappucino at £2.10 and my son went for an indulgent hot chocolate sprinkled with mini marshmallows and chocolate powder. (His excuse is that he has IBS and coffee upsets him!).

We sat ourselves at a small round table by the window – not that the view is anything to speak of. The drinks were up to our expectations, even though I'm hard to please where coffee is concerned. After a while our breakfasts arrived along with two slices each of toast and butter on separate plates, of course. We each had two fried eggs, a large half tomato, two veggie sausages, two hash browns and a generous serving of sliced button mushrooms. It was delicious, perhaps the mushrooms having the best flavour of all, although there was nothing I could fault. It was as much as I could do to have one slice of my toast, but my son had polished everything off by the time I was only halfway through my lunchtime breakfast. As neither of us was in a hurry, we lingered and had a glass of Appletiser each. By half past twelve there were still a few vacant tables.

One thing I particularly like about Le Cafe Parisien and that sets it apart from other restaurants is that it gives local artists the opportunity to exhibit and sell their work on its premises. My brother, who paints as a hobby, had an exhibition there in the summer of 2007. He was selling his canvases in aid of a local fisherman's charity and most of the work was bought on the evening of the private view. I hope that others who are trying to make a living as an artist have had as much success with their exhibitions at the Cafe.

If you are visiting the New Theatre Royal on Guildhall Walk or the Guildhall itself, Le Cafe Parisien would be the ideal place for a pre-show dinner as it is only a couple of minutes' walk away. It is also very close to the Ibis Hotel, Commercial Road shopping centre and Portsmouth and Southsea station. Worth mentioning is the special offer on Tuesday evenings of two steaks for £12.95. On weekdays during the day it is a popular place for university folk, although it does have to compete with the Via Lattea and the Students' Union.

Le Cafe Parisien has its own website that gives plenty of information on menus, exhibitions and other special events. I recommend a visit if you are in the area.

Le Cafe Parisien

1 Lord Montgomery Way

Portsmouth

PO1 2AH

Tel. 023 9283 1234

lecafeparisien.com

A gem of an art gallery

2009-09-26T05:12:00.000-07:00

Housing one of the finest collections of modern British art outside of London, Pallant House Gallery is situated in Chichester, close to the cathedral and main shopping centre. Coming myself from a larger city in which I am sure it would be difficult to see the work of a major artist, I was quite astounded to find the Pallant Gallery tucked away in a little side street, yet boasting the ownership of works by Richard Hamilton, Peter Blake, Patrick Caulfield, Eduardo Paolozzi and Frank Auerbach amongst others.

This is a gem of a gallery, and it is no surprise that it was awarded the Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year in 2007. At the time of my visit the gallery was holding a temporary exhibition centring around Colin St John Wilson, a collector and architect, and another entitled The Artist at Work: William Coldstream and Michael Andrews. The connection between the two is that Colin St John Wilson wrote a book based on his experiences of sitting for a portrait by both Coldstream and Andrews. Wilson, who died in May 2007, was essentially an architect, and it was fascinating to see his plans and model for the first phase of the British Library, a building that I have not yet visited but certainly wish to, having seen this exhibition. One large photograph of the interior of the library could be seen from two rooms away through two open doorways; I must have toured a good few art galleries in my life, but I have never seen anything quite so cleverly thought out as this. Equally striking were sketches and a colour photograph of a library that Wilson designed for a primary school in memory of his father. Its design is based on that of a mausoleum, and whilst this may sound somewhat morbid, what first caught my eye were the vivid primary colours used in the interior which made me feel that it must be a pleasure to spend time in this library, especially for young children.

I particularly liked the feel of the gallery in terms of its small scale that gave an intimacy with the works of art. The individual rooms have quite low ceilings, and several of them are no bigger than the rooms of a house. There were quite a few visitors, yet I never had to wait long to be able to stand right in front of a particular work and enjoy the details of it without being jostled by other viewers. In one room there was even a small window, allowing not only a view on the outside world but also the opportunity to see a piece of sculpture and a painting with the natural light of day falling upon them, as you might if you owned them yourself. It was also fascinating to see sketches, plans and preliminary drawings alongside finished works of art, a feature that is usually missing from grander galleries such as the Tate.

The modern art is displayed on Level 2, but from Level 1 there is access to the Historic Collections in the older part of the building. Somehow an Andy Goldsworthy sculpture has found its way into one of the fireplaces here, so you never know quite what to expect. Those who prefer traditional art to contemporary sculpture and painting will feel more at home in this part of the gallery.

Tours of the gallery are offered, and one was in fact in progress as we entered Room 10 that Saturday afternoon. This room focusses mainly on Pop Art by artists such as Peter Blake (designer of the sleeve for the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album) and Richard Hamilton. I have never been a fan of guided tours, and I was a little dismayed to hear the guide refer to Mick Jagger as 'one of the Beatles', but I'm sure this was a slip of the tongue and that she genuinely knows her stuff! There is no extra cost for guided tours, and they take place on Thursdays at 6pm and on Saturdays at 3pm. On the final Saturday of each month, a British Sign Language Interpreter accompanies the tour. There are also occasional tours of temporary exhibitions on weekdays; there is an extra charge for these, ranging from £4 to £6 (with a discount for students), but either morning coffee, afternoon tea or a glass of wine in the case of an evening tour are included in the price.

Talks take place on Thursday evenings at a cost of £7 (half price for students) which includes a glass of wine. These are given by distinguished speakers such as art historian and author William Feaver and M J Long, partner and wife of Colin St John Wilson. There is also a talk by a gallery guide at 11am on the last Wednesday of the month on an individual work of art; attendance for this is free once you have a ticket for the gallery. A workshop follows the Wednesday morning talk, during which participants are encourage to 'respond creatively to works under guidance from an experienced arts educator'. ( A quote from the gallery's leaflet.) It costs £6 to take part in each workshop and you have to bring your own art materials.

Another opportunity to develop your artistic skills if you already have some experience is offered on some (but not all) Sunday afternoons in the Art Masterclass starting at either 1pm or 2pm and running until 4pm. These classes are given by artists experienced in various fields such as printmaking, life drawing, experimental drawing, watercolour or acrylic painting. Such classes must be booked well in advance. The current fee is £9, and there may be an additional charge for materials and, in the case of life drawing, for the model. You do, however, need to bring your own basic materials.

Children are not ignored by the gallery, although I didn't see signs of any during my visit that Saturday afternoon. Workshops for children can be booked in advance for Saturday mornings from 10am until 12noon; the cost is £6 per child (next to nothing compared to costs for private tuition). Each workshop is aimed at a particular age group, for instance 5-8 year olds, 9-12 year olds or 13-16 year olds, so you need to check on suitability for your child when you book. Themes range from flowers and pods for the youngest age group through forms in nature or a miniature art gallery for 9-12s to buildings in mixed media or drawing the gallery itself for the teenagers. Pallant House does offer some free workshops led by artists during school holiday periods for children between 5 and 16; each lasts for two hours. There is no need to book in advance for these workshops, but places are limited so it is advisable to attend early for a 10am start or 1pm for the afternoon session.

The bookshop, on your immediate left as you enter the gallery, has an excellent stock of art books, prints, greetings cards, postcards and one or two art materials as well as a small number of books on the local area. Also on the ground floor is the Pallant Restaurant.

The admission fee for Pallant House Gallery is a fairly hefty £6.50, but this does cover any special exhibitions in addition to the permanent collection. You can, however, enter for half price all day Tuesday or on Thursday evenings between 5 and 8 pm. There are discounts for children, students and Art Fund members, whilst the unemployed do not have to pay. A family ticket costs £15 for two adults and up to four children.

The gallery is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am until 5pm, with an extension on Thursday until 8pm; Sunday and Bank Holiday opening hours are from 12.30pm to 5pm. Pallant House is closed on Mondays. The main collection and exhibitions are displayed in the upper levels, but there is a lift as well as stairs.

I would encourage anyone with an interest in art who is either visiting the area or who lives near enough to make a day trip to Chichester to visit Pallant House Gallery. It is only about half a mile from the railway station, and even closer to the bus station, for those like myself travelling by public transport. Parking is available on South Pallant just a few yards away.

A civilised Italian lunch

2009-09-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

Finding somewhere for a late lunch on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Chichester might not be an easy thing to do. The crowds were out. We decided to try Pizza Express first, as my son and his partner had recently visited the one in Gunwharf Quays and had been giving me ecstatic descriptions of their new ice cream. On entering, however, we were greeted by rubbish on the floor, balloons here and there, and noise everywhere. We made a quick exit and decided to try Prezzo, which a friend had recommended to me.

What a difference. The restaurant is housed in what was formally the White Horse pub, as can be seen from the stained-glass windows and the odd horse's head dotted around. There are oak beams, pillars and shelving, with lighting from spotlights on the beams. I can imagine that it might be a little dingy on a grey day, but that afternoon there was plenty of sunshine streaming through the windows. Arty vases, painted statues of a nun, a chef and a lady in evening dress amongst others jostled alongside huge jars of pickles and a grandfather clock to decorate the shelves.

There were several free tables, and a waitress showed us to one near the front of the restaurant. I did feel that I sank down a little too far into the leather chair, and I noticed later that the seating further back looked a little more modern. We had scarcely been handed our menus when a waiter came to take our drinks order. My son and his partner ordered fresh fruit juice at £2.30 whilst I chose a Fruitiser at £2.05. We were asked if we would like some marinated olives (£2.45), and we decided we would. The drinks were soon served, but the olives took a few minutes more.

Prezzo's menu has the usual sections you would expect to find in an Italian chain restaurant, with starters, pasta, oven pasta dishes, pizza, risotto, specialities and salads. Perhaps the only difference is that Prezzo also has a section for roast chicken dishes, although I understand that in their newer branches this is replaced by a section for calzone, or folded pizzas. On arrival the waitress had shown us the 'specials' board which featured just one main course: fusilli pasta with asparagus, mushrooms, roasted peppers and green pesto at £7.95. It sounded healthy and I hadn't had pesto for a long time, so I made that my choice. My son opted for traditional lasagne at £8.55, and his partner ordered a pizza with prosciutto ham, mushrooms, marinated olives, fresh rosemary, mozzarella and tomato at £7.95. I was pleased to see that a special knife with a serrated edge was brought after the pizza was ordered, as I have often had difficulty cutting through pizza with the usual blunt restaurant knives.

The olives arrived in a small, narrow dish; there were a mixture of black and green. We savoured these whilst awaiting our main courses. Conversation was easy as the music was not too loud. I felt as though Pizza Express was on another planet – for a family with young children it would be the obvious choice, but if you want to relax in a more peaceful atmosphere, Prezzo is the place to go.

We didn't have to wait long for our main courses to be served. The waitress offered us grated parmesan, which I accepted, and also chilli oil for the pizza. My dish of fusilli pasta was huge, and delicious as it was, I was unable to finish it. I made sure I didn't leave any of the peppers, asparagus or generous mushroom slices, but good as the pesto was, it didn't allow me to get through all the pasta. My son was so enthusiastic about the lasagne that it made me think I would have to sample it next time I visit Prezzo. The pizza was good too: not too thick, and the slice of ham had been left whole, folded, and then covered with cheese. We had no complaints.

We asked to see the dessert menu and found that there were two kinds of cheesecake, pannacotta, sticky toffee pudding or fudge cake, all for either £4.25 or £4.50. Then, below these, we noticed

ice cream and hazelnut bombe, vanilla ice cream covered in chopped hazelnuts with a meringue centre, for a mere £2.95. Feeling rather full already, we all three opted for the ice cream bombe. It wasn't long before the desserts were brought in frosted glass dishes with long spoons. We all agreed that we had made the right choice. None of us ordered coffee, but I did noticed that all the hot drinks were priced under £2 which I feel is very reasonable compared to most establishments.

Our bill came to £42.40, to which we added a tip, making it just over £15 a head for two courses plus olives and a drink.

The toilets are at the back of the restaurant on the ground floor, so there are no problems for disabled customers. The ladies was certainly very clean.

The service at Prezzo was extremely polite and efficient throughout the time we were there. We have noticed recently in one or two other restaurants that the service is good initially and through the main course but then drops when we are trying to order dessert or ask for the bill. This certainly was not the case at Prezzo, although I should say that we arrived at 2.30pm and I realise things may be different at busier times.

I hope that I will have the opportunity to visit Prezzo again and lament the lack of a branch in Southsea. I don't know if other Prezzo restaurants are in such pleasant surroundings as the one in Chichester, of course. It isn't an atmosphere that will suit young children, but I would definitely recommend Prezzo to adults looking for good Italian food at reasonable prices in a relaxing environment.

Prezzo

61 South Street

Chichester

West Sussex

PO19 1EE

www.prezzoplc.co.uk

Relaxing in Zurich's Cafes

2009-09-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

Situated on the west bank of the River Limmat in Zurich with tables outside, Cafe Wuhre is an ideal place to have lunch on a warm sunny day such as it was at the time of my visit. It was around 1.30pm and notices on the tables advertised lunch from 11am to 2pm only, so we thought we had better check that it was not too late. We asked a middle-aged waitress inside the cafe if she spoke English, but she indicated to us to wait and beckoned a younger waitress. When the younger one came over she told us that we were indeed in time for lunch. We went outside again and found that a table right beside the river had just been vacated, so we sat ourselves down right away. The tables are actually small round ones in rows of three, so one of these remained empty but anyone else arriving would have been free to sit there. We were glad that there were parasols as the temperature that day reached 31 degrees Celsius.

The waitress brought menus, and we all thought salad would be the best thing on a hot day. I chose a tuna salad while my son and his partner both decided on the chicken curry salad. When they asked for a light beer each, the waitress claimed that she would bring the very best Swiss beer. I ordered an orange juice which came in an attractively shaped glass. I do, however, lament the fact that fruit juice in Switzerland almost always comes in a 2 dl (200 ml) serving, which does not go very far in hot weather. A basket of four slices of granary bread was brought at the same time as the drinks.

It wasn't long before the waitress came out with our salads, which were served in round white bowls. My tuna was dressed with herbs and oil, and the accompanying salad consisted of lettuce, cucumber, tomato and onion rings. It was very good, but the memory of the wonderful tuna salad I had had at the Tenth Hole Tearoom was still very vivid, and there was really no comparison. My son and his partner enjoyed their chicken curry salads, which they said resembled coronation chicken and were served with rice and lettuce. I asked if their Cardinal beer was the best they had had in Switzerland, to which they replied that whilst good, they had had a slightly better one the previous day.

Desserts at Cafe Wuhre seemed to revolve mainly around ice cream and cream, and we decided not to let ourselves be tempted.

The location of Cafe Wuhre is perfect in fine weather if you are lucky enough to get a table from which you have a view of the river and the buildings on the eastern side of Zurich, notable the Grossmunster (cathedral) with its two towers. The interior of the cafe looked very comfortable with easy chairs, and original contemporary works of art added to the stylish feel.

There was just one ladies' toilet at the cafe and it was clean enough.

Our bill came to 85 Swiss Francs altogether – about £50. A service charge is added automatically, so there is no need to leave a tip. We were able to pay by debit card.

Cafe Wuhre is in an ideal location, has excellent service and a high standard of cleanliness. I would recommend it, and it is of course a place where you could just stop and relax over a drink if you did not want a full meal.

In the Niederdorf on the east bank of the River Limmat, there is again an enormous number of cafes and restaurants. 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.

Zurich is a wonderful city to wander around, and when your weary feet need a rest and you need to quench your thirst, you will find plenty of pleasant places where you can sit indoors or out and enjoy coffee, beer or a soft drink.

The best wurst in Zurich

2009-09-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

Moving away from Southsea briefly, this is a review of the restaurant cum beer hall that I visited during a trip to Zurich, Switzerland, in August 2009.

The Zeughauskeller would not normally be my first choice of restaurant, but it didn't seem right to go, say, to an Italian restaurant in Zurich when I can so easily do so at home. It seemed more appropriate to go to a place that had traditional Swiss/German food along with the atmosphere. The Zeughauskeller is a reasonably priced eaterie situated on the famous Bahnhofstrasse, the street that runs from the central railway station down to Lake Zurich.

We arrived around 7pm to find that all the outside tables were already occupied and a queue was rapidly forming at the door. It was difficult to see the menu without disturbing people at a particular table, but we soon found another just in the doorway. Prices seemed within our means, and there was a special summer menu printed in English as well as German. We waited a couple of minutes and then asked if there was a table for three. The waiting staff all understood English, but some seemed reluctant to speak it. That isn't a complaint, as I am unable to speak more than a few words of German.

A couple more minutes passed, and then a waiter asked us to follow him. He indicated three empty seats at a large round table in a corner that was already occupied by four young adults and a toddler. Apparently it is quite normal to share a table, and it was the only available space so we accepted. The people seated at the table did not seem put out at all. They were speaking English, but the Zeughauskeller is so crowded and filled with the buzz of conversation that you don't really pick up much of what anyone is saying, even at the same table. The toddler was very lively and even climbed up on the wide windowsill at one point.

English menus were brought, and we ordered two Goldsprint beers and an orange juice. The menus consist of several pages, beginning with home-made soup and fresh salad starters. We decided to restrict ourselves to a main course as we knew we would be getting a good breakfast at the hotel the following morning. I chose from the cold plates section where I found Borsensalat, a salad of sliced sausages with a 'delicious sauce' (the words of the menu) served with rosti for 20.50 Swiss Francs (about £12). My son picked Wurst-Kase Salat, a salad of sliced sausages, Swiss cheese and tomato cubes, once again with a 'delicious sauce', and garnished with salad and hard-boiled eggs for 19.50 Swiss Francs. His partner was immediately drawn to the page of sausage dishes where he decided on Wiediker, a pair of pan-fried sausages with herbs and spices, served with potato salad for 17.20 Swiss Francs. Other sections on the menu included specialities of the house which featured fish or red meat dishes ranging in price from 24.50 Swiss Francs to 78 Swiss Francs for a dish for two people. There were also sections for pasta, light dishes and 'tender meat-treats'. A vegetarian would have several choices on the menu.

Our drinks were brought after a few minutes. My one gripe is that most Zurich cafes and restaurants (with the exception of Kantorei in Neumarkt Street) offer fruit juice in 2 dl (200 ml) servings. My orange juice at Zeughauskeller cost 3.50 Swiss Francs, which seems quite pricey for a small glass. Added to that, the weather was very warm and 2 dl isn't really enough to quench your thirst. The beers were 3 dl bottles at 4.40 Swiss Francs each.

We were expecting to wait quite a while for our food as the restaurant was chock-a-block and the other people at our table had ordered before us. As it happened, our meals were served just before theirs, perhaps because less cooking was involved. Portions are generous and come on oval-shaped plates. I had particularly wanted to try the rosti potatoes, which were nicely warm, but was glad of a cold accompaniment because of the weather. The sliced sausages were very tender and I did enjoy them, but the 'delicious sauce' was rather like mayonnaise. After a while I found it a little too rich, and although I finished all the rosti I had to leave some of the sausage slices. My son and his partner both enjoyed what they had chosen. My son's salad was admittedly more varied than mine, but I think he too felt that the sauce could have been a little milder or not served so generously.

It was interesting to see that three of the people at the same table had decided to share one very long sausage with a serving of rosti each. I think the sausage was half a metre long, and it was served on a wooden board with an equally long knife beside it, thus stretching right across the table. I wondered quite what would happen when one of them picked this knife up to cut the sausage, but thankfully they used their individual small knives. I didn't really look that closely, but my son and his partner said afterwards that it didn't look like a particularly good quality sausage. I believe Zeughauskeller also do a metre of sausage for four people to share, but I think that one is coiled. It might be a better bet, however, to order smaller, better quality sausages for one person.

Desserts at Zeughauskeller range from semolina pudding for 6.90 Swiss Francs to Vacherin glace – meringue, ice cream, cream, raspberries and raspberry sauce – for 11.80 Swiss Francs. Ice cream is 3.50 Swiss Francs a scoop. We still had next morning's breakfast buffet at Helmhaus Hotel in mind, so we decided to stop after the main course and ask for the bill. In Switzerland, the service charge is automatically added, and our total came to 70.50 Swiss Francs or 47 Euros. We paid in Swiss Francs in cash. At roughly £14 a head, we felt that it was good value for a large west European city, and that is perhaps partly why the Zeughauskeller is so popular.

The service was efficient, and as I said we had no trouble making ourselves understood in English. The waitresses were not over friendly – they were probably too busy – but one kindly pointed out that my raincoat and shoulder bag were trailing on the floor. She spoke in German but I understood from her gestures.

The Zeughauskeller has dark wooden beams as well as dark tables and chairs, although our table top looked like formica rather than real wood. Decoration includes, of course, a model of a cow high up on the wall opposite the entrance. Zeughaus means armoury, and a howitzer is on view above the door. A found it somewhat threatening, but thankfully I had my back to it.

If you are looking for a romantic dinner for two, the Zeughauskeller wouldn't be the place to choose. If, however, you love sausages, rosti and beer and you want a lively atmosphere, this is the ideal restaurant. I understand that some Zurich restaurants charge considerably more in the evening, but we actually paid slightly less at the Zeughauskeller than we did for lunch at a riverside cafe the following day. Make a reservation if you want to be sure of a table.

Zeughauskeller

Bahnhofstrasse 28a

CH-8001 Zurich

Switzerland

Stylish Chinese Cuisine

2009-09-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

I can't really explain why it took me more than two years to visit Tang's Chinese restaurant which is recommended by the Michelin Guide, especially as it is only about five minutes' walk from my home. Meeting my son and his partner early one Sunday evening, I suggested that it did look worth trying. We arrived at 6pm and found the restaurant to be completely empty. Two Chinese waitresses attended to us, and one showed us to a table on one side. The décor is typically Oriental, very elegant and stylish, with a pagoda-style bar. Our table was set with side plates, chop sticks with porcelain rests, and large linen napkins folded like a fan and arranged inside wine glasses. One tablecloth was set diagonally but was removed after the main course to reveal a second one underneath.

Menus were brought and we each ordered a glass of fruit juice – apple was £1.20 and pineapple £1.50. As a starter we confined ourselves to a basket of prawn crackers (£1.50) with sweet and sour sauce. While we were waiting, one of the waitresses came and unfolded the napkins, put them on our laps for us and then removed the wine glasses. The other waitress asked if we were happy using chop sticks and took them out of their paper bags when we said yes.

For the main course we agreed that if we each ordered something different we could have a taste of each other's dishes. Tang's offers Cantonese, Peking and Szechuan cuisine. I was eyeing up the duck mains when my son's partner announced he fancied the crispy roast duck with pineapple (£8.50). I then turned my attentions to chicken with cashew nuts (£6), but of course my son said he had decided on that. Having been twice thwarted, I thought I'd have a look at the vegetarian options. Mushrooms in oyster sauce sounded tempting, and as it was only £3.50 I felt I could splash out on the special fried rice with shrimps and roast pork as a more expensive accompaniment at £4. My son and his partner both ordered soft noodles with bean sprouts (£3.50).

At almost exactly 6.30pm two elderly ladies arrived and were seated at the front of the restaurant on the opposite side. Soon after two groups each of three arrived and were also seated on the other side. I expected the place to get busier still, but by the time we left no-one else had come. I would imagine the restaurant could get crowded on a Friday or Saturday, and there is a side section through an archway that could be used if necessary. As it was we were able to have a conversation without anyone else hearing what we were saying. There is in fact a reasonable space between one table and the next.

The first item of our main course to arrive was my special fried rice which came in a delightful earthenware pot whose lid had a partial blue glaze. The rest of the food was served on oval plates, and to eat from we were given small bowls on little plates. I was particularly pleased with the special fried rice which had a few vegetables as well as the prawns and roast duck. All of us felt that the food was of a very high standard. Nobody seemed very interested in my mushrooms in oyster sauce, but I certainly enjoyed them with the rice. I did try a little of the duck and the chicken so that I would know what I might like another time; both were delicious and very tender. The noodles were equally good, but not quite as special as the rice.

The waitresses didn't come to ask us if everything was all right with our food, but as soon as they spied an empty glass they asked if another drink was required. My son and his partner each ordered another fruit juice, but one was enough for me. When we had finished eating, one of the waitresses cleared away as much as she could in one go and then began strolling round the tables again. She soon realised that she hadn't finished clearing our table and came back to do so. I made the mistake of putting my serviette on the table; it was removed along with the tablecloth and I didn't get another!

We decided that we would have a look at the dessert menu. We had noticed that there was a minimum charge of £10 per person, and without the prawn crackers my total only came to £9 thus far so that seemed like a good excuse for a dessert. My son's partner went for his favourite lemon sorbet, which is served in a scooped-out lemon. I hadn't had lychees for years and decided on the toffee version which means the fruit is coated in caramelised sugar and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. My son had never tried lychees so he ordered the apple version of the same dessert. Both the toffee lychees and the toffee apple were £3.50. We were offered ice cream with them but we both declined; I don't know if there would have been an extra charge for this. When the desserts came my son and I swapped a toffee lychee for a piece of toffee apple. I cut the lychees open, but they were still so hot that I almost burnt my mouth with the first piece. We both agreed that the toffee apple was slightly the nicer of the two. The lemon sorbet was declared to be very refreshing.

Our total bill came to £49.50, to which we added a tip. We were able to pay by debit card (but cheques are not accepted). I would say that it was a reasonable price to pay for prawn crackers, main courses, desserts and drinks, but I would nevertheless quibble with the £10 minimum charge. A vegetarian who did not require a dessert could easily end up paying extra, unless they had several drinks.

Tang's does have an 'all you can eat' offer for £14 a head (£8.50 for under twelves), but I'm not sure if this is available on Fridays or Saturdays. I don't have a huge appetite so this kind of offer is not something I would be interested in. I noticed on their take-away menu that they now have a Thai section which I don't remember seeing on the restaurant menu, but I could be wrong about that. For those who are going with a group but don't like Oriental food there is a choice of omelettes and the take-away menu offers mini steaks with accompaniments.

Tang's is unfortunately not suitable for the disabled as there are about three steps up into the restaurant. The ladies is up a flight of red-carpeted stairs at the top of which you will suddenly see yourself in two full-length mirrors. The toilets are very pink and there is a high standard of cleanliness.

I would give Tang's full marks for food, service and stylish surroundings. I would, however, have to deduct marks because of the minimum charge and also the fact that the restaurant is not disabled friendly. I certainly recommend it as the best Chinese restaurant I have experienced in Southsea. There is a very reasonably priced one on Albert Road that badly needs a face lift; the one on Osborne Road is good as a take-away according to my son and his partner, but they never see anyone in the restaurant. Tang's is a place I am sure I will return to. Elm Grove may not be the obvious choice for restaurants, but it has one or two gems. (Rosie's Vineyard is the other). It is only a stone's throw from Palmerston Road shopping precinct and roughly three-quarters of a mile from the sea front. Worth the walk.

The full menu can be seen at www.tangs-southsea.co.uk

Open Tuesday – Sunday 6pm - 11pm

Tang's Chinese Cuisine

127 Elm Grove

Southsea

PO5 1LJ

Telephone 023 9282 2722 (Restaurant)

023 9287 6000 (Take-Away)