To the Summerhouse

Open for the summer only, Summerhouse by the waterway is a great place to chill with a glass of Chardonnay over a fish dinner. The presentation of the dishes is thrilling to the eye - the popcorn shrimp and the salmon where a pleasure to eat and to behold. For the ichthyophobes there is the safety steak option just in case. Salmon and haddock fishcake with poached egg makes for a good late breakfast, swordfish with mango salsa and wasabi mayonnaise makes for a filling lunch. Peacefully located in little Venice, the Summerhouse is the best place to take in the brief, warm London evenings, you can relax at the bar with drinks and a selection of dips and sharers, or spend all day gossiping over watermelon platter and summer berry pudding with clotted cream.

Food Chains

It is not in my habit to review chains. But Dim t in Hampstead has struck a cord. Hampstead high street has a wide range of dinning establishments that look better than they taste and cost more than they are worth. Dim t surprised me. It was value for money - large portions and promotional offers. In addition it delivered consistently good food. Kyoto Udon soup, Dim sum, Coconut rice, aromatic duck all tasted great. The service was fast and the staff friendly. I haven't been to other Dim t's but this one is definitely worth a try.

Other chains are worth a mention - Wagamama only does good soup and desserts. The curries lack whim. Byron overcomplicates burgers and uses too much of something in the dressing, I wish I could figure out what. Pizza express if blue and that just kills any appetite - so great for those dieters out there. Chez Gerard has too much pomp and too little quality. Cafe Rouge is not bad at all for what it is. At Ask - and this has been agreed by many - either don't eat or have the Caesar salad which is nice. Itsu is overpriced but comfortable. Wasabi is a place I like to avoid . Burger king has better burgers than Mcdonalds because the former flame grill theirs while the latter does better breakfasts.