Address: 397 Kings Road, Chelsea, London SW10 0LR

Telephone: 020 7352 4146

Website: N/A

Date of visit: 29 December 2011

Costs: Set lunch:  £14 for 2 courses, £18 for 3 courses. A la carte:  £30 plus for 2 courses

Wines and beer: Peroni £3, house red (Chanti) and house white (Saove) under £20 a bottle.

Likes and dislikes: Decent  neighbourhood restaurant – pretty cramped. Beware of cover charge (£1 per head) as well as 12.5% service on top of the cover charge!

Cuisine: Italian

Summary:

I met my friend CK for lunch.

This is a small restaurant at the Fulham end of Kings Road. There is metered parking outside.

The place seemed to be frequented by regulars as they all seemed to know each other. Apparently, this place is also frequented by Chelsea FC players, hence all the signed shirts. There is a sort of “high” communal table at the back – I presume that is where the players sit.

The set lunch was full of choices. I had the fritto misto followed by veal with mushroom whilst CH had parma ham with figs (he asked for a change from melon) followed by grilled chicken. We also ordered a bottle of sangiovase (£29.50)

The fritto misto had prawns (shrimps), mussels, calamari and whitebait in it. It was ok and the quantity was pretty big but the texture suggests that it was previously frozen. The tartar sauce was home made.

For main course, my veal was excellent but it came with saute potatoes, beetroot (golden) and Brussels sprouts which were not typical Italian vegetables. Looking around, I couldn’t see anyone eating pasta although it was on the menu – set lunch and a la carte.

It was an OK meal at OK prices for this part of the world but no more. CK was good company.

Total bill for 2 including a Peroni came to £73.23 including service.

E

Address: 355 Reading Road, Winnersh, Berkshire RG41 5LR

Telephone: 0118  978 4529

Website: www.the-refectory.co.uk

Date of visit: 17 November 2011

Costs: Main courses from under £10.

Wines and beer: Ringwood £3.45 a pint. Average wine list with bottles under £20

Likes and dislikes: Not sure about the place and food.

Cuisine: British and Italian

Summary:

The Pheasant is sited opposite Sainsbury on the main Winnersh / Wokingham Road. The car park is behind the pub

I had a meal here in the 70s and never been back. I can’t even remember what was wrong.

After a visit to my dentist, I was running out of time for  lunch  and I remembered t hat my friend  “M” recently told me that the place has been taken over by an Italian couple. As The Pheasant was 5 minutes drive away, I went for it.

I arrived at 1.45 and surveyed the menu outside the pub. Two young men on their way out told me that the food is very good. So, I went in.

Although, the Pub is still called The Pheasant, the restaurant part is called Roberto & Luana’s Refectory. Roberto was walking about the Pub in a black shirt. He looked a little bit like Heston Blumenthal but spoke with an Italian accent.

The inside still looked like a pub out of the 60s. Ringwood was on tap, so I had a pint – pretty good.

I then ordered the ribeye burger (£8.95) as recommended by the barman.

Looking over the menu, there were very few Italian dishes. However, they seemed to be big on bruchettas – several versions- here. They did have a Tuscan Stew for under £14. Sunday roasts are under £10.

The burger was a proper burger in a seasame seeded bun. There was a pile of chips and a salad with it. The salad was very continental with radicchio. Both the salad and the chips get top marks. The burger was a different story. The bun was good but the meat was a classical piece of quarter pounder, previously frozen. The meat was overcooked and the texture was too fine – in short, it was awful.

E

Address: Cotton Stones, Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire. HX6 4NS

Telephone number: 01422 823334

Website: http://www.almainn.com/

Date of visit: 24 August 2011

Approximate cost per head: Nearly all pasta and pizza dishes were under £10. Chicken and steak around £15

Comments on wine list/beer: Tetley and Timothy Taylor Landlord on tap. Decent wine list at low mark-up. Belgium beer by the bottle.

Likes and dislikes: Table cloth and wood burning oven but they have to spoil it with cheap paper serviettes.

Cuisine: Italian

Summary:

I was looking forward to a decent meal. However, The Old Bore (my first choice) was closed for the week. My second choice – The Mill Bank – I couldn’t find. The sat nev was sending me round in circles.

This part of the world (Oldham, Halifax and Huddersfield) is extremely hilly and nearly all the roads off the main roads are on a steep incline, narrow and not very well sign posted.

I finally settled for The Alma Inn (in the Sawday’s Guide and the food is Italian). A gentleman answered the phone and gave me directions: at the Triangle pub in Triangle (A56), go up the hill and keep going for a mile. However there were plenty of “Y” junctions with no sign posts. So, every time I came to one, I took the uphill option.

Eventually I got there. It’s a stone building of around 150 years old (near the top) with a large car park.

The building is divided into 2 halves with the pub on one side and a pizzeria/restaurante on the other.

I thought that I hit gold when I saw that the tables had table cloths but then, the napkins were flimsy serviettes.

The menu is nearly all Italian, starters, pasta, steak, chicken and pizza. The only seafood on offer was with pasta. Fish is on offer according to the website menu but I didn’t see any. I nearly went for the Spaghetti Vongole, but then, I noticed that it had salmon in it – salmon in a clam sauce?

I settled for the pizza with tomatoes and garlic butter  (£5) as a starter and the chicken saltimbocca (£14.50). I then ordered a bottle of Valpolecella  at £13.95. The wine was drinkable – I left 2/3 to take back to my hotel as I dare not drive with excess alcohol on these roads.

The pizza bread was sensational– definitely one of the best. Thin, crusty, very good on flavour and big – about a third bigger than your supermarket pizza.

The chicken saltimbocca was a disappointment. I had a whole chicken breast wrapped with Parma ham with two sage leaves under the Parma ham. Worst of all, it was roasted in the wood burning oven. Saltimbocca (veal or chicken) is supposed to be thin slices of meat rolled up with a sage leave and pancetta, it is then fried, so you can make a sauce with a splash of wine. It does not work with a big lump of meat. In fact, the chicken was bland and on the dry side as there was no sauce. This was served with a large bowl of vegetables – carrots, new potatoes etc – dripping in butter.

This had happened to me before in places (especially the US) that have a wood burning oven – they tend to cook everything in the oven.

The table next to me had the steak and chips and the French fries looked very decent.

Next time, I’ll stick to the pizza. By the way, this place definitely worth seeking out for the pizza. Everyone on the pub side was munching pizza.

E

Location: St Mary’s Butts, Reading, RG1 2LN

Web site: http://www.askitalian.co.uk/#!/

Telephone number: 0118 9574850

Date of visit: 11/08/11

Approx. cost per head: £15 full price but vouchers available

Comments on wine list/beer: Standard selection for a chain restaruant. Fairly nice.

Cuisine: Italian

Review:

Ask almost always have vouchers online (vouchercodes.co.uk) so is brilliant for a good but very reasonable priced meal. We had a voucher which was “buy one main meal get another for £1″. There was also a “buy two main meals for £12″ voucher. (Sundays to Thursdays)

Service was extremely friendly and reliable.

I had butternut squash ravioli in a white wine and butter sauce which was absolutely delicious. It was one of the tastiest meals I have had in a long time and was the perfect size- very filling but not overly huge. My friend ordered a meat calzone which he loved as well. I could not fault the food on any level. We also ordered a £14 bottle of wine.

I’ve eaten in many Ask restaurants in the chain and have always been extremely happy with my meal.

Alex

Address: Market Place RG1 2DT

Telephone number: 0118 9588966

Website: http://www.ninos-restaurants.co.uk/

Date of visit: 15 August 2011

Approximate cost per head: Less than £10 per head with the lunch menu. A la Carte around £17 for a main course

Comments on wine list/beer: A “medium” size list with mainly Italian wines. House wine is drinkable

Likes and dislikes: Too many tables in too small a place – ok when the place is half full. Very reasonable food and wine price – especially at lunch time.

Cuisisne: Italian

Summary:

When Nino first opened in 1980, Reading was a bit of a dessert for Restaurants. There were also The George – Berni’s Inn, Mama Mia and The Hungry Daine. Nino expanded very quickly with a branch (Nino 2) in Caversham and Nino 3 on Duke Street. The one in Caversham changed hands in the 90s and Nino 3 didn’t survive.

The Market Place is just off Broad Street and is a bit of a dead end of Reading ever since Marks and Spencer closed the Butter Market entrance.

I stopped going in the early 90s when I was served tinned peas with my steak. As it is 30 years old, I thought that I should try it again..

The inside is as cramped as ever – tables spaced next to each other – with room for 40 diners. The a la carte menu has stood the test of time and is very similar to the one they offered 30 years ago. They still do veal and Nino still serves and takes the money.

In addition, they now offer Italian tapas – small dishes around £3/4 a plate and a light lunch menu.

I started off with Focaccia (£3.10). Their version is a light thin pizza bread. This is really good. Mama Mia (closed – now a fried chicken place in The Butts (West Street Mall) used to do a version like this. I am not into the thick bready version which is more authentic.

I then had the Calamari alla  Romanna (£5.90). Squid deep fried with a crumbly texture with a nice garlic mayonnaise and a bit of a salad. This was fine but not great.

All this was washed down with half a bottle of house red (£5.95) which was quite drinkable.

It’s not a bad place. I must come back and try the veal to see if it is rose veal or Dutch veal.

E

Address: Craven Road, Lower Green, Inkpen, Berkshire. Rg17 9DX

Telephone number: 01488 668326

Website: http://www.theswaninn-organics.co.uk/

Date of visit: 28 July 2011

Approximate costs per head: Around £20 for 2 courses

Comments on wine list/beer: Local beer (Butts) from £3.10 a pint, organic wine

Cuisine: pub food and Italian dishes

Likes and dislikes: interesting place, makes a lot of noise about “organic” food. I am neutral about this place – not over the moon and nothing to dislike.

Note: opening times – see website

Summary:

This is a Pub, Restaurant, Hotel and Organic Shop complex.

The Pub

If you are driving there, the last stretch is really narrow and its on a bus route.

This place is listed is the good pub guide, good bear guide and is a Rick Stein food hero but it did not make Michelin or Sawday’s.

There are about 6 tables on the outside – new furniture. The inside is divided in to the Pub part and a dining room complete with table cloths.

The menu is a strange mixture of all the traditional pub dishes, inter dispersed with lots of Italian dishes.

As it was a very nice day, I decided to sit outside. I had a pint of the local special and a pint of mild from Cheddar Brewery. I have to put my hand up and say that beers were quite strong. This is not a place for a couple of pints, food and drive. Mind you, I liked the Butts – it had a certain woody taste. The Cheddar mild was a dark golden colour not black. I first came across milds that are not black in the Hobgoblin in Reading. The manageress (extremely knowledgeable) told me that milds are defined by the way it is brewed, not the colour.

Onto food. I did not fancy the Italian so I had two starters. I started off with a trio of smoked fish – trout, salmon and mackerel – served with horseradish cream  and a small salad (£6.50). The fishes were ok except for the mackerel. It was full of small bones. I had expected the kitchen to remove all the fine bones. Next I had the deep fried brie which came as a nice wedge with again a small salad. The small salad was a mix salad with shredded cabbage, lattice and carrots – 10 out of 10 for freshness. The brie was ok but not great as it was a bit young and not runny. Most restaurants that serve deep fried camembert or brie use young cheeses which are less tasty than the mature ones.

In conclusion, it was fine but not great. Next, the shop.

The Shop

It was closed so I had to get the lady behind the bar to open it up.

This was a big disappointment as Rick Stein raved on about it in his book.

There were very few things on sell. In the centre was several freezers offering frozen organic meat or dishes (lasagne, pies etc) from the restaurant/pub. There was a shelf lines with organic bottles beers and ciders and then jam, porridge and dried pasta. The prices were not too bad, it was just the small range and the lack of fresh food that was so disappointing.

E

Address: Peppard Common Oxon  RF9 5JU (B481, north side of Peppard Common)

Telephone number: 01491 628 343

Website: www.Ruchetta.com

Date of visit: 19 June 2011

Approximate cost per head:  Around £20 for 2 courses. Sunday BBQ (£18.50). Please note that as I didn’t pay, the prices are from memory. I will check and make corrections in due course.

Comments on wine list/beer: Pretty good Italian list – surprisingly, it is slightly different from the Wokingham branch.

Cuisine: Italian

Likes and dislikes: steak a bit over cooked but then the chef was prepared to cook a fresh one to your liking in front of you. I would also have preferred my bruschetta hot rather than cold, otherwise, a pretty decent meal for £18.50.

Summary:

I was trying to book somewhere for Fathers day and found that most places were fully booked. I tried this place as I had a decent meal at their sister branch in Wokingham. I rang on Friday and was told : no problem.

Anyway, I went off on a Sunday not expecting much as I was expecting a half empty place.

This branch of Ruchetta is housed in a pub – gents still outside, ladies are inside. To my surprise, the place was packed and they have tables in the garden.

On Sundays, they serve an all you can eat BBQ and the usual a la carte menu (similar to the Wokingham branch).

Two of us went for the BBQ whilst a third member went for the rigatoni with meat balls.

The BBQ was cooked in the garden and offered a good range of food – visit as many times as you like.

There were bruschetta – country bread with chopped tomatoes on it. Three types of salads – rocket with sliced tomatoes and shaved parmesan, herby sliced mixed peppers and green beans. All the above were served cold. They also served a dish of pan fried mushrooms.

Three types of grilled fish were on offer; prawns with garlic, plain grilled sword fish and sea bass. For meat: steak and a very spicy sausage. New potatoes or chips were also available.

A – who had the rigatoni (£8) – with zucchini fries on the side – though very highly of the pasta.  The zucchini fries were slightly on the thick side.

All this was washed down with a bottle of red at £38. I noticed that they offered a tignalello 2006 at over £130. This was a £30 a bottle wine that is now selling at around £45.

Overall, I preferr the Wokingham branch as the wine list is more interesting and they have table cloths – for the same price.

E

Address: 6 Rose Street, Wokingham, RG40 1XU

Telephone number: 0118 9788205

Website: www.ruchetta.com

Date of visit: 10 June 2010

Approximate cost per head: Set lunch £15.95 for 2 courses, expect to pay £20 plus for 2 courses from the a la carte menu

Comments on wine list/beer: Peroni on tap. Excellent Italian wine list at reasonable prices. Try also the grappa.

Cuisine: Italian

Likes and dislikes: The table cloth, the bread, the wine, the food etc……….No dislikes!

Special feature : 5% discount on cash payment on £50 or more!

Summary:

My friend M recommended this place as the “top” Italian in Wokingham.

Ruchetta (Italian for rocket) is in The Good Food Guide. It is sited in a terrace house round the corner from Waitrose. They have a sister restaurant – also the same name – in Peppard Common RG9 5UJ.

The place is divided into several rooms.

They do a set lunch – see web site – which I thought looked pretty good. So, I ordered from it.

I started with kidneys with mushroom on toast – is this Italian? The resulting dish was an excellent combination of several mushrooms sautéed in a brown sauce with a pair of kidneys that are still pink served on brown multi-seeded bread.

Next I had the fritto misto. This turned out to be squid and prawns with a rocket salad on tomatoes. The only complaint is that they could have added some white fish to the fritto misto. But, this is the set lunch.

I washed all this down with a carafe of Sangiovese – 325ml @ £10.85.

This place has many plus points besides the food and excellent service. To start with,  good linen – table cloth and napkin and then a free basket of bread – brown and white – served with a sun dried tomato mixture, butter and olives.

Well, this was certainly as good an Italian as far as I can remember at a very reasonable price. I wonder what the other branch is like?

E

Address: 12 Wargrave Road, Twyford, Berks RG10 9PG

Telephone number: 0118 934 2698

Website: N/A

Date of visit: 17 April 2011

Approximate cost per head: From £15 for 2 courses. Pasta and pizza main courses under £10

Comments on wine list/beer: Peroni  @ £3.50 a bottle. Basic wine list. Barolo available at over £30 a bottle

Cuisine: Italian – especially  Pizza and pasta

Summary:

This is a “neighbourhood” looking restaurant by the main cross road in Twyford, near Waitrose. They have their own car park – just behind. Our High Street used to be full of “trattoria” like this before the chains squeezed them out. I recall Mama Mia in Reading and Henley in the 70s and 80s – after the song but before the musical. They do good basic food at a very reasonable price.

I have driven pass it many times and thought that I’ll pay it a visit as I was taking my daughter and her friend en-route to a rugby match (as spectators).

The inside is very strange, pink with marble top tables and walls adorned with theatre masks.

On the day we went, they had a Sunday buffet lunch – roast chicken. The a la carte menu was available. I do not like restaurant/ pub roasts as the vegetables and roast potatoes tend to be soggy for being kept in a warmed up tray.

The a la carte menu is mainly pasta and pizza. They do have a page of starters with all the usual favourites and a page of non pasta main courses- steak and fish but no veal.

We opted for the garlic bread (£3.25) and calamari (£5.95). The garlic bread was a proper small flat loaf with a foaccia  texture, smeared with garlic butter – just the way I like it, not a baguette or a pizza base.

The calamari was again excellent – best squid I had for a long while – from a non Chinese restaurant. You get rings and tentacles.

For main courses we had 2 lots of spaghetti carbonara and one lot of rigatoni amatriciana. The portions were large and the girls could easily have shared a portion between. I had the amatriciana which was good and rich but could do with a little more chilli – for me anyway. The pasta were all cooked el dente.

The total bill including drinks came to just under £42 (no service charge). I am very impressed!

E

PS There is a small fountain in the porch hence Fontana.

Location: 16 Denmark Street, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 2BB

Web site: www.rossini-restaurant.com

Telephone number: 0118 979 5796

Date of visit: 21/7/10

Approx. cost per head: £15

Comments on wine list/beer: An average wine list and good range of beers.

Media link:

Review:

Situated in the heart of Wokingham, with parking nearby, Rossini is infinitely nicer and more welcoming when inside, than when facing the somewhat tired and uninspiring exterior. It’s relatively small so always advisable to book.

It is a very friendly and traditional, family-run restaurant offering rustic, tasty Italian food. It provides a more intimate and authentic experience than other Italians in the town and the local area. The food is simple but effective and my no means disappointing. Main dishes range from around £9 to over £30, catering for all budgets and tastes. Both the pasta options and the meat dishes are excellent. The sweet trolley is also rather inviting.

Dave Lamont