Zoe (London)

For her 22nd birthday, my friend chose to go to Zoe, a French restaurant nestled in Islington. I don't normally venture to Islington as it is quite far from where I live, but I'm going to make it a point to explore it more. On the way to Zoe we saw an eclectic mix of restaurants, ranging from cute and cosy looking cafes to hip places that resemble those you might find in New York's meatpacking district.

Zoe itself is a small place, we even almost missed it as we walked by. But you definitely cannot give this a miss! I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of food and the diversity and variety of the menu. Starters included frog legs and mussels, whilst the mains ranged from kangaroo to pork belly. I myself ordered the pork belly, but I managed to try the kangaroo and the gateau topped with goat cheese. I did enjoy my pork belly, which was soft and crispy and accompanied by a smooth mash and a dijon mustard sauce, but the gateau (grilled vegetable stuffed with aubergine and pepper mixture) was the absolute winner for me. I'd go back to this restaurant just to order this dish, which was a perfect combination of flavours. For dessert, we ordered the cookie dough collision cheesecake, which was another winner.

Not only were our dishes absolutely delicious, the portion sizes were huge and the prices were cheap. You can get a 2 course meal for £18.50. The service was also absolutely excellent. They provided my friend not only with a dessert for her birthday, but also flowers and a cocktail. Our servers were also attentive to the rest of the dinner guests throughout the night. Because London has an endless supply of amazing restaurants, I rarely find myself wanting to return to the same place. However, I will definitely be back here again.

Crispy pork belly with mash and a dijon mustard sauce

Food: A

Ambience/Deco: C (The very casual, almost tasteless, design of the restaurant seems incongruous to the quality and type of food they offered.) 

Service: A

Price: $$ (2 courses)

My Old Dutch (London)

Conveniently located in High Holborn, My Old Dutch has recently become my favourite place to go for lunch after class on a Monday. Why? On Mondays, they have an amazing deal where all their savoury and sweet pancakes are sold for only £5. Considering that I could spend a similar amount at a place like Pret, My Old Dutch's Monday Madness is incredible.

I've tried their chilli con carne pancake, the smoked salmon one, and the banana/nuts/cream/chocolate combo - and everything has tasted great so far. Thin, soft pancake and rich, flavoursome fillings, whether it be sweet or savoury. Despite the low cost, the pancakes are huge and stuffed to the brim. I'd recommend this place for a yummy and casual lunch with friends. I haven't sampled their milkshakes yet, but with flavours like oreo, nutella, and kinder bueno available, I'll definitely be back to try.

The only thing is, with the 'madness' of the deal on Monday also comes the 'madness' of their service. Both times I've been they have either messed up or been slow with an order. If you're going with a large group, you may also have to wait for a bit. I'd still say it's worth it for an amazing 5£ pancake though!

Smoked salmon

Chili con carne

Banana, nuts, and chocolate sauce - with cream or ice cream

Food: A-

Ambience/Deco: B-

Service: C

Price: $ (If you're there on a Monday!)

Simon's at Oxfords (Southampton)

As I mentioned, I recently went to Southampton to visit a friend. For her birthday lunch, she chose to go to Simon's at Oxfords, a wine bar and restaurant. I was immediately struck by the interior - dark furnishing complimented by plush, green couches, high ceilings, and big open windows. It is a lovely place to go for a more sophisticated lunch. Since our reservation was at 2pm, the place was also relatively empty, which made for a cosy environment for our party.

We pre-ordered our meals, and I chose to get the caramelised seared scallops and the pasta of the day (which in this case was bow pasta with crayfish and cream sauce). I've noticed a recent trend in my meals - the appetisers have been absolutely to die for at other recent stops, like Turtle Bay and Boulevard Brasserie. This is no different here, at Simon's at Oxfords. They gave a generous serving of thick, perfectly cooked, and juicy scallops, which were complimented by the puree and the parmesan crisp added a nice contrasting texture. Again, I would definitely return to this restaurant simply to order this starter. Unfortunately, my main couldn't quite live up to the amazing start. While the pasta was rich in flavour, the sauce became a little too sweet for me in the end and I could not finish my meal. Other downsides? My other friend reported that the fish and chips lacked salt, whilst another said that the squash risotto was a bit bland. 

Although our mains were not incredible or memorable, I would still recommend this place on the basis of it being somewhere that you can enjoy a long, relaxed sit-down lunch. The starters and desserts also picked up where the mains dropped the ball. I'd definitely recommend the scallops or the tempura of tiger prawns to start, and the dark chocolate fondant to finish (can you spot the trend with my dessert taste by now?). 

Caramelised scallops with cauliflower puree and parmesan crisp.

Bow pasta with crayfish in a cream sauce.

Food: B

Ambience/Deco: A

Service: A

Price: $$$ (A bit pricey considering the mains weren't as good as the starters/desserts.)

Turtle Bay (Southampton)

I recently visited the Southern port city of Southampton for a friend's birthday. The first place we went for a meal is the Caribbean restaurant Turtle Bay, apparently quite a favourite for the locals. I've heard that there are other branches of this franchise across England, and after eating here I was sorely disappointed that they haven't yet opened in London. Turtle Bay, if you see this - you NEED to open up a restaurant in the capital!

When we arrived, it took us quite a while to order, simply because everything on the menu sounded amazing. My Southampton friend recommended the jerk chicken and the curries. I ended up going for the jerk chicken with coleslaw and sweet potato fries for my mains, and the king prawn with flatbread to start.

The flatbread was an absolute winner! The prawns were also very flavoursome. I usually don't eat the tail or the shell, but all the juices were packed in there and it tasted incredible. If I was to be nitpicky, I'd say that they were a tad burnt, but this didn't impact the overall taste. I continued the meal on a happy note, as my jerk chicken was equally as juicy and tasty, and the sweet potato fries were made exactly how I like my fries to be - thin and crispy. Again, if I was to be nitpicky, I'd say the coleslaw didn't deliver as much as the other components of the dish. Also, after my friend had told me that this was the BEST chicken ever, I was slightly disappointed that the breast turned out to be a little dry and lacked the flavour of the wings and legs. However, all in all, everyone was satisfied with the meal. For dessert, we shared the dark chocolate pie, which was rich and creamy, the warm pie balanced by the cold vanilla ice cream. I wish I had more stomach space by the end of the meal, as I definitely would've liked to sample the other desserts. I guess I'll have to go back to Southampton! (Honestly, I would return just for some Turtle Bay.)

At 10pm on a Friday night, the drinks also went 2 for 1. I'd say this is the perfect place for birthday celebrations or a fun dinner with friends. There's a lively but still intimate environment, enhanced by the dim lighting and the soft mingling of people by the bar. We also had a really great server, who made sure all our food came promptly and simultaneously, and even left my friend a birthday greeting on our cheque.

Jerk Pit Prawns - whole shell-on jerk pit grilled prawns, herbs, chilli and garlic butter, flatbread

Jerk chicken with Caribbean slaw and sweet potato fries

Food: A

Ambience/Deco: A

Service: A

Price: $$ (Almost the same price as Nando's, but way better!)