Bargain set weekday Italian lunch at Bella Rosa, 98-100 High Street, Bushey.

24th Feb 2025.

At last, somewhere new to try, at the behest of one of my wife's cousins who are very limited in what they will choose and don't like paying a lot.

There are a few very acceptable restaurants on the high street in Bushey. I particularly like the Turkish one, but today, as it was lunch on a Monday (not many places do this on a Monday), we were happy to try this new experience. Easy to reach from North London (at least my bit) by car, but parking in Bushey can be a bit tricky during the daytime, and particularly on the day I went there were road works just outside which made things a bit more tricky. The car park at the back does not seem to belong to them. The restaurant does a set lunch every day, but the pricing is different at weekends. The big deal is that two courses for lunch costs £15.90 which sounds like a good deal. You can see the menu here:

 https://www.bellarosarestaurant.co.uk/?page_id=3523

 

 

As you might expect the set menu is a little limited to the lower end of the agenda for Italian restaurants, and there is no fishy main or meaty meat. Mainly chicken, pasta and pizza. No problems, because we think we know what we are dealing with here.

When  I say old fashioned in connection with Italian restaurants, it means that the clients can expect nothing much out of the ordinary and the sort of dishes that Italian trattorias in the UK have been serving for ever. It's what people want. Pizza has now become a global staple eating habit both at home and out. All that differs is the quality of the product (I compare them to pizza experiences in Naples when I have been there), the variety and generosity of toppings and the size. Having said that, none of us ate pizza, but I did see one being served to another table, and it was huge. Might try that next time. The interior was a bit overdecorated in fake cherry blossom trees, and it was impossible if these may have been a permanent installation, or put there for the season of Valentines/Mothers' day/Easter. No matter, because it was the food that mattered to me. For a Monday lunchtime they had quite a few customers, but it may have been because there was not much else to choose from in the area, and the pricing is attractive.

As I said, the menu is a bit limited, but I had no difficulty choosing the mushroom al forno. This came as a dish filled with a creamy cheesy sauce and sliced mushrooms. This was very hot and tasty and very filling. I thought I could have just been satisfied with this alone.

 

The thing that struck me was that it did not look very Italian, and if I did not know that the restaurant described itself as such, I could have been in many varieties of pub or cafe or restaurant. But let us not quibble over this. The questions are did I like it- yes, was it tasty -yes, and was it hot- very much so, scoring the coveted 10/10 on the CHOF scale. It needed a spoon rather than a fork, and it was just as well that there were a couple of slices of bread, which I dipped and coated in the mixture. I am not sure what region of Italy they were trying to emulate, and the somewhat exotic waiter turned out to be called Rishi, so the experience is based on WYSIWIG rather than some kind of pretentious conviction that you are offering regional food. My wife ordered minestrone soup which she described as being more like a fresh vegetable soup rather then bona fide minestrone. But no matter, as it was good of its kind.

For main I had grilled chicken in a mushroom sauce.

Again, the same comments apply. It does not look very Italian, and whilst it litterally was exactly as described on the menu, it was more of a generic experience rather than a taste of little Italy. My wife's Polo Milaneses was exactly what she was expecting, and as it was a big helping, the restaurant made no fuss over boxing the left overs. Nevertheless mine was good, a bit bland, and hot enough being an 8 on the scale. Portion size is big and the bottom line is that we were happy at the end of the meal, and I was left thinking about the next opportunity to come back and sample their pizza and pasta offerings.

The bill was more than reasonable. For four set lunches, one beer and one glass of wine, the bill came to £86.62 which was like half the price we had paid the day before, but for a less authentic experience. Don't get me wrong. If you want a bargain Italian style lunch on a weekday, this is the place to come if you are in the area. Service was good but lacked the Latin flourishes, but what do you expect on a Monday lunchtime. This is middle of the road bargain eating out.
 

Petite Auberge, Cockfosters: Consistently good French food in Bistro style setting

 23rd February, 2025

Check out the website on  https://petiteauberge.co.uk/

My wife and I started using this restaurant for Lunches and Dinners at the end of the Covid lockdown because they had an open frontage then, so you were virtually eating al fresco, and we have been there a few times now over the five years. They also have a branch in Islington, but I have not knowingly been there. If we keep on using the place, there must be a good reason, which is that meals there have never failed to please both of us. They have a limited a la carte menu and a more limited fixed price set menu. The prices have gone up, naturally and the set menu is now £31 for three courses for lunch. I have tended to go with the a la carte, and forego the desert or share with my wife. A la carte works out very similar, depending on what you choose, and the wine list of French (obviously) wines is a bit pricey. I don't think there is a bargain house wine, and at the moment, a bottle of their cheapish stuff comes in at about £30. I have gone off drinking cheap restaurant wine (or at least their cheap end), as I have lost my taste for it. We have another dining out couple, and we fear to bring them here because they can polish off more than a bottle between them. Separate bills please!!!!

It is a fairly modern looking bistro with hard surfaces and some piped music. We all know that the French are pretentious about their food, pretending they are doing anyone who is not French a favour by serving it to them. Because of its suburban location, they would get no friends by not being more straightforward. It has a wide client base taking in locals and local families. It can get crowded, but this time we went at 2.30 on a Sunday, and it was starting to thin out. In the evening, it is possible to park on the slip road outside, but it gets very busy on Sundays. It is walkable from Cockfosters tube station, but I have always driven there. The menus are limited, and I tend to have the same sort of things when I go there, but as it is not so often, I tend to savour them rather than get bored. I always choose their French Onion Soup, which is a classic and is among the best onion soups I have had. It comes steaming hot - a 10 on the CHOF scale, with lashing of stringy cheese and slices of freshly toasted French bread. My wife has the mussels every time, and it is a testament to the consistency of their food that we repeat ourselves. Whilst I like to venture off piste, sometimes, especially in company, best to keep to the tried and tested.

Among my favourite main courses are the beef bourginon and the coq au vin but on this occasion I had the calves liver with onions and bacon (not a great fan of bacon but this one was ok). Most calves liver in our area goes to restaurants, so it is not something I can have at home regularly. It's a bit like veal which is virtually impossible to source in North London. I asked our server how the liver came, and he told us that as standard it came the well done side of medium. I told him that as long as it was not bloody that would be good for me. It came cooked to perfection for me. Soft but not squishy, cooked all the way through, served with creamy potatoes. The picture does not do it justice

As with the soup it was also served at the right temperature for me, being a 8+ on the CHOF scale, which is what I expected. It was even better than I remembered from past experiences, so I knew I was going to leave happy.  We shared a chocolate mousse for desert (no picture because decimated by the time it came my way.
 

Almost as reliable as a VolksWagen, Da Franco, Friern Barnet Road.

 13 Feb 2025

I checked back through my posts, and 11 years ago, exactly, I reviewed this traditional Italian local restaurant near to where I live. You should check out the post after reading this.

This is an old fashioned Italian restaurant, like they used to be in the 1970's and 80's, and comparing my notes to those of 11 years ago, it has not changed either the menu, clients or attitude. It seems to be what people want, and whilst other local restaurants come and go, this just keeps on plodding along, doing what it does do well. I even had almost the same meal, but swapped the previous pasta dish for fried calamari.

My wife always eats veal here, and they seem to have found a good source, because you cannot get it in the supermarkets round our way.

I guess some of the staff must have moved on, or at least aged a bit (as have I), but it seems to be the same family which was running the place all those years ago. I spoke to the front of house guy, and he told me that the place had been their's since the early 1980's transforming from a pizza house into a trattoria style restaurant, and I have been there several times because you know what you are dealing with, and the chances of a disappointing meal are low.

My wife had seafood salad followed by veal in a lemon sauce. I had the calamari for starter and veal in creamy mushroom sauce for main (exactly the same as I had 11 years ago). There were also some fried zucchini as a side. We shared a panne cotte for desert.

 

This is good old fashioned Italian style food for British tastes. It was great, and it was really hot, scoring about a 9 on the CHOF. Just what you want.

The prices, like everything else, had followed current trends, but checking back on what we paid last time, it was entirely consistent, and whilst a little high for suburban restaurants, compared to other places we have been recently, the bill came in at £90 for two including service for 2.5 courses each and one glass of house wine. It is also interesting to note that unlike many other places, clients are offered bread and butter at the table. A nice touch, even though it is probably built into the bill. Will definitely go there again and again.

Alaz Turkish Restaurant: Pleasing higher end Turkish in Temple Fortune.

 7th Feb 2025

I have a very old friend who lives in The Garden Suburb, and after a very long break, we ate out near his home, at a place he uses for special occasions. The site has had many incarnations, having been the legendary Uncle Ian's, an Iranian, and currently a Turkish. We ate there on a Friday night, which is not a big going out night in the area, and there were only a few other diners in this shiny modernistic interpretation of an Ockabasi. A few young expats were using the tables for a few drink prior to whatever they were doing next.

The menu is very familiar, and the prices are fairly standard for this kind of food in this area. The difference is that this place sort of sparkles and was decorated with no knowledge of the word understatement. It's a bit of a collage of many styles, not really giving a clue as to what lays in wait. My wife and I are pretty boring when we try out a new Turkish restaurant, and my barometer is typically to see how a lamb beyti is presented, and my wife always has a chicken shish because that is highly unlikely to go wrong.

The starters were intersting. She had grilled octopus and got a tentacle. I had the sucuk sausage to start. As indicated above, I then had the lamb beyti. Because I like my food hot, I asked for the yoghourt to be served on the side, and this did not seem to faze them

 

You can't tell from the images, but the portion sizes were generous enough, especially the main courses. These were prefaced by freshly prepared Turkish bread with yoghourt and chilli dips, and more bread was brought when we asked.  Main courses included rice and salad.

The good news was that the hot food was hot, scoring 8.5 on the CHOF scale. 

Again, you cannot tell from the images, but going through a non-greedy phase at the moment meant that both my wife and eye left substantial amounts of our main courses which were graciously boxed for us to enjoy the next day. The quality of the food we were served was excellent and the meal could not be faulted.

Service was attentive (but they were quiet that evening, and one hears that on a busy Saturday, it has taken some people time to be served). Our waiter seemed a bit uncertain of what to do, and fumbled drinks showing a lack of familiarity with serving beer, and there was a minimal confusion as to who had ordered what at the point of delivery. But no matter, as we knew what we wanted, and knew what it would look like.

Two course with three beers between four, including service came to just under £140 for 4. About what would be expected for this  sort of meal currently. Inflation has taken the basic price of eating out in London suburbs up by about 20% since covid and cost of living crisis meanng that it is tricky for a couple to eat out decently for under £60.. I can only imagine that things will get tougher when the increased national insurance and minimum salaries increase later this year. More nails in more coffins.

 

The bottom line is that I liked this place, and not only would be happy to go there again, but would feel confident enough to suggest it to other people.

Villagio Pizza, Barnet. Consistently good meals but pricey

2nd Feb 2025.

For a cold February Sunday night, this place was unexpectedly busy when we arrived at 7.30. The last time we had been was midweek, when it was quieter. This particular location near the church in Barnet High Street has had many incarnations, but most of them have not stuck. I can only guess that the current incumbents have probably got the formula more correct, in that they are offering a menu that is fairly limited, have pushed the prices to the high end of what people might pay for a very suburban restaurant, and have the right sort of staff at the time of writing. It is is easy to get to and fairly easy to park at night down side streets.

Whilst called a Pizza restaurant, probably because there is a big pizza oven at the front, they also serve a limited number of other dishes of chicken, beef and fish, and obviously pasta dishes. I have eaten there once before. It is noteworthy that other Italian restaurants in the immediate vicinity have struggled to survive, so we will see how this one fares over the course of time. In the current economic climate with pressure on staff salaries, business rates and general consumer uncertainty, anything is possible.

On this occasion I had the mushrooms in a Neapolitan sauce with Garlic (and lots of it), and then an Il Padrone pizza, which I had last time. Portions are big, and after the mushrooms, I knew I would not be able to finish the Pizza. My wife had mussels followed by Chicken Milanese with linguine. The taste and quality of both was good

 

 

You can judge the size of the portions from the cutlery and glasses on the table. They were big portions, which made the price more bareable. The good news is that service was efficient enough and the dishes arrived hot. I inspected the open kitchens at the back and given that we were seated between the pizza oven and the kitchen (in a good way), this was not surprising. The chef when he saw me looking in insisted that all food was freshly cooked, which was believable. I would give both dishes 8 on the CHOF scale, so no problems there. I just drank water because I was driving, and my wife had a glass of wine (nothing special). There was no problem in splitting the bill with our friends. Our bill for two courses and one glass of wine, including service was £71.78. This is almost central London Prices for a middle of the road Italian, but because the food was good and portions big, I will go there again. I will write about this elsewhere, but I had a three course set menu at Cotes earlier in the week for £24, so it is still possible to eat out at a reasonable price in North London.

The Clink, HMP Brixton. Good food, but not that hot, and eyewateringly expensive.

 22nd Jan 2025

We were given a voucher for a lunch at the training restaurant with Brixton Prison in south London. Apparently this place has had rave reviews on tripadvisor. The idea is the rehabilitation of offenders.

Don't get the idea that you can just walk into here and sit down for a meal. You have to be booked in well in advance (at least 7 days), and the hours are very limited, so it won't do for an after theatre supper. The instructions are so severe that it almost makes it punishment to be a customer. The biggest deals are that you cannot take any form of electronics including phones and cameras (even film cameras) inside the prison, there is no alcholol, and there is only plastic cutlery. You are told to turn up at least half an hour before you appointed time, and have to be questioned, leave photo id and lock away all your property including wallets, and anything with printing on it. There is a strict dress code, and your slot is timed from begining to end. The menu is interesting but short and is high end British/continental. No cash is allowed, and you can carry one debit card into the restaurant to pay.You can see the menu here:

https://theclinkcharity.org/theclinkcharity/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Winter-A-La-Carte-2025.pdf

The restaurant,which is a separated building, can hold about 60 guests but on the day we went, there were only three other people, so service should have been great. 

I had the pork belly starter followed by ox cheek, my wife had a scallop starter followed by duck with a side order of chunky fries, and we mistakenly ordered two deserts, which we did not need. To drink we had a bottle of still water and a couple of mocktails. There was also a an order of bread (baked in the prison), with butter and salsa.

Our waiter, who probably told us far more than he was supposed to about himself (but we did not necessarily believe him) was great, but they seemed to have difficulties coordinating the serving of food resulting in a lot of down time. He was somewhat older than the other staff members,  and let slip that he had no intention of working in hospitality when he was released.  Even though I made it quite clear that I wanted hot food to be hot, the mains turned out to be no more than a 7.5 on the CHOF scale, which, for the price we paid (I know it is a charity) should not have been the case.

The quality and taste of all the food was excellent and could have been from a good central London restaurant, or a good cruise liner, and the home baked breads were particularly good. I could have done without the mocktail, as life is too short for pretend alcoholic drinks. The desserts were a bit too sweet for my liking and were not finished. Quantities were huge and the portion of fries for one person was more than enough for two. The pricing of everything was high west end (see link to menu), with a 13% service charge. Without alcohol or coffee, a lunch for two was over £135 which I would never choose to pay except for a really exceptional occasion. I also bought a souvenir mug (could not resist) for £12.

Would I go there again. Not under my own steam, as it is inconveniently out of the way for me, is a lot of bother to get into and whilst it was an interesting unique occasion, for the price it was more for novelty value. I also understand that in the evening, it is tricky getting something to eat beyond 7pm due to prison regulations. Another thing that slightly spoiled it was the fact that prison staff could get lunch here and either carry it away or eat in an adjacent room (i.e. not with the guest diners). To me it was rather distracting having the continuous footfall across the restaurant. If it had been fuller, I might not have noticed so much. But you would not expect somewhere like the Ivy or Wolesley to have a takeaway trade in front of their diners, so why here?

DUE TO PRISON REGULATIONS AND SECURITY THERE ARE NO IMAGES (SHAME)

Saga Cruises: High quality food at inconsistent temperatures.

Xmas 2024

This year, because it was not our turn, we embarked on a the Saga Cruises ship Spirit of Discovery. There is also a sister ship, the Saga Spririt of Adventure which is almost identical. I have been with Saga Cruises several times but this is the first report of their food on this website by me.

Essentially you are given three dining possibilities. There is a main dining room with silver service meals three (and four if you include afternoon tea) times daily. There is a grill which offers buffet style food except in the evenings when it is served (did not use this) and three specialty restaurants offering either steakhouse meals, fish, or pan-asian style. At lunchtimes there is a veranda style service for informal lunches such as fish and chips, burgers and hot dogs etc. This is usually freshly prepared and has been adequately hot, but who wants cold fish and chips? There is also 24/7 room service which typically takes about 15 minutes to deliver. This has been hot enough taking into account that fact that it comes from a galley to your cabin on different levels.

The temperature of food at the point of service is  big deal to me, and I know from previous Saga Cruises that unless you make it known or choose very carefully, you are on a hiding to nothing relating to the temperature of hot food and even the temperature of different elements of a meal. I always have had to tell serving staff about this, and I think I earned the nickname 'Mr Hot Food', but I did not care because it is a big deal for me. The issue in my opinion is that they go out of their way to look after you on a Saga Cruise, and tepid meals spoil my experience.

I did not even attempt trying to get hot food from the breakfast buffet. It is on display for up to three hours in baign maries and there is absolutely no control over what temperature it is at the moment of serving. You can watch until a new serving is delivered and pounce, but that is not how eating should be done. I have simply given up trying to get hot food from the breakfast buffet and similarly with the served breakfast. Instead I have worked out that you need to put in a request at the fresh cooked egg etc counter and that seems to work.

In the main restaurant, despite my requests, it is completely inconsistent for many dishes. The soups are usually very hot and will score a 9 on the CHOF scale. The worst offenders are sliced meats which can come at any temperature from a 6 (barely edible in my opinion) to a 8.5, and their accompanyments can be a complete mix of temperatures. Attempts were made to use a very hot plate, but I have no idea how long the plated foods were hanging around and often the plates were hot, but the food was not. I know it is a major undertaking to deliver high quality table de hote food to up to 900 people in a short window but my point is that just as other people have dietary restrictions, I have a need for hot food to be hot.

Whilst these are unretouched images it is clear that a lot of effort has gone into the presentation of this food and the quality of the ingredients is excellent, especially the steaks and other meats but they simply do not seem to be able to deliver a consistently hot meal to my needs. Whilst I did not send anything back, food was often delivered at a CHOF score of 7+ and diffent ingredients of a plate were at different temperatures. Nothing I said seem to make a difference, and the only way around this was to avoid any kind of buffet, when the score could be as low as 6 (they did not seem to heat their containers significantly), and to focus on things that had to be individually prepared such as grilled and fried dishes. The thing that bothered me was that no one else seemed to care, and it may be that Saga cruise passengers normally eat their food tepid, or they are so un-used to restaurants that they know no better. There were complaints about food but for other minor infractions relating to the spicyness of food (usually bland to British tastes) or saltiness.
Food in the specialty restaurants tends to be hotter because they are dealing with smaller numbers.

Another things to mention, which is nothing much to do with hotness, it that Saga Cruises seem incapable of delivering top class deserts. Their panna cottas and mousses and similar are stodgy, dense and possibly have been frozen before delivery. I tended to avoid them and focussed on their cheese selection and it is true that Saga Cruises have the best selection of cheese on any cruise line I have been on.

Would I use Saga Cruises again? If you ignore the issue of the age of most of the passengers, the answer is yes because they really know how to look after you, and if you are picky the food can be just about hot enough.