A and R were brave enough to invite me over to their place for a Sunday Roast yesterday. I’ve been craving a Sunday Roast for some time now so I was more than happy to accept their invite and boy did they deliver. I was presented with a gorgeously tender chicken accompanied by perfectly cooked veges including golden roasted potatoes cooked just right which were very hard to resist. Unfortunately I think I pretty much inhaled the meal (it was too good) so I didn’t get the chance to take a pic of the spread but I guarantee you it was fabulous. (I think I seriously overate as I’m still feeling a bit full today! )

The day was finished off with some wedding album viewing (fab pics), gaming (where I got some serious a$$-kicking – thanks A!) and Chronicles of Riddick, a movie which definitely appealed to the little sci-fi nut inside of me.

Thank you R and A for opening your home to me.

The comments about Ping Pong Dim Sum serving reasonably priced dim sum (or yum cha as I know it) has me scratching my head. For £2.80 a serve it seems at first glance competitive in terms of price with the multitude of other dim sum restaurants housed in or near the Chinatown area of Leicester Square. However, what we received per serve seemed less … generous? perhaps that I am accustomed to. Oh well I guess we were here for the experience.

The new locale for Ping Pong in Soho seems very well matched to the feel of the restaurant – it is hip, (trying to be) urban and trendy. There is none of that bustling noisy messy atmosphere you would usually associate with traditional dim sum. Instead, dishes are requested through the very orderly process of marking a slip of paper given to your waiter who then forwards it to all the relevant people. I think people also go to Ping Pong for the cocktails as the cocktail/bar area rivaled that of the dim sum preparation area.

The selection of dim sum was rather disappointing – Ping Pong are clearly going for quality rather than quanity and quality – but what we did receive tasted as expected (not special nor awful.) The Jasmine tea (though a bit steep) was an experience with the flower arriving in your glass as an unopened bud then flowering to beauty as the hot water is infused.

If you are looking for variety and a challenge to your palette Ping Pong is not for you, but if you are after standard though reasonable quality dim sum, ambience, cocktails and are willing to stomach quite an expensive bill, Ping Pong would be right up your alley. It will be interesting to see if the Ping Pong that seems to be a work in progress on Westbourne Grove in Bayswater will deliver the same experience.

This cute Morrocan restaurant is located just off Leicester Square on Panton Street. It felt extremely cosy and genuine and you could almost forget you were in the centre of the bustling theatre region. Once you step into the room you will find lots of low tables and floor cushions (go for the floor cushions if you can as the low tables will do your back in after a short period.) We loved our mezze starter and although the main dish menu is simple (consisting of dishes of tagines and cous cous) the tagines we selected were delicious.

Apparently you can hire the whole of the downstairs to fit 40 people or you can try squeezing in 100 people upstairs. Don’t be mislead by this – the restaurant is by no means big and you will have to get along with the other 99 people very well if you want to consider fitting in that many people.

Overall, service was friendly, food was good, atmosphere was brilliant. A refreshing change from the usual.

Bamboula (Caribbean) in Brixton was an interesting experience. The setting was lovely (very beach hut like), the food interesting and challenging and the service … well – if you’ve seen any of the Malibu adverts you’ll know what to expect: extremely laid back and very slow but ever so friendly.

Other than the fact that our sides came out after we had pretty much mopped up our main meals – we had nothing to complain about. Our own-mixed sorrel rum punch was delish, meals (the simple festivals were lovely) and deserts were finger-linking good and portions were very generous.

Well-recommended for good Caribbean food. Be prepared though to turn up to a very busy and packed restaurant.

Navarro’s is THE best Spanish tapas joint I’ve been to in London. Okay – admittedly it is also only the second one I’ve been to but I absolutely guarantee that this place will charm you and have you coming back for more.

Atmosphere-wise: The restaurant has two floors – the upstairs dining area shares the space with a deli and downstairs is nice and intimate. Both are decorated in genuine Spanish decor. The staff are friendly and amusingly dressed in national dress. Food-wise: The menu is extensive and varied and prices are reasonable. We regretted not going for a ‘brochette’ (giant hanging skewers of king prawns/lamb/chicken or mushroom) which we saw dangling on our neighbours table – good enough to snatch off their table but we behaved ourselves and promised the treat for next time.

You would be well served to book in advance, especially towards the end tail of the week.

Service at Wong Kei was disappointing. Don’t get me wrong service was, if not friendly, at least quick and attentive. This was not the Wong Kei I had come for. Wong Kei is infamous for its rude service and unfriendly waiters so when we were given good service Rehana and I were wondering if we’d come to the right restaurant!

Seriously, after you get over the fact you are sent upstairs with little instruction only to find yourself seated with a bunch of strangers (they make the most of their empty spots on large tables), you soon start to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. Food is brought out quickly and though I wouldn’t say it was fabulous it is definitely reasonably priced with decent portions.

Its clear that Wong Kei operates on the basis of maximising turnover of tables and though we personally felt no pressure to move on quickly – no sooner had someone paid their bill, we blinked, and they had disappeared, the table had been cleared, the table cloth (I mean paper) switched over, and another set of customers had taken their place. Smooth!

No one loves a good brunch more than I do. Most Sunday mornings you can find Elvira and Andrew at Raoul’s Cafe, Maida Vale (not to be mistaken with Deli across the road). Today was my first opportunity to visit this cafe and I can safely say not my last. I’ve read a few recent reviews of the cafe that claim that service is bad, the waitstaff rude and the food only average – but I saw none of this on my brunch today. Service was friendly, though at times slightly slow, and the food was delicious.

For breakfast/brunch I can well recommend any of the egg dishes. The eggs are amazingly fresh and the yokes extremely orange – only the best Italian free range eggs for Raoul’s. Another favourite of the locals appeared to be the

By 10.30 the cafe was absolutely buzzing so good advice is to get a table before 10.30 because after this the place becomes very busy and there is no guarantee of immediate sitting after this point. Having said that we didn’t feel any pressure to move on as we relaxed and enjoyed a very long brunch.

Let’s hope the Raoul’s they are opening in Notting Hill, just down the road from me, is equally good.