Love at first sight

Clos Maggiore, Covent Garden, London

Gushing reviews about how romantic it is have been putting me off this place for a long time. As a lone female diner, being surrounded by couple gazing fondly into each other’s eyes – or even worse, engaged in suggestive arm-stroking and throaty giggles - makes  me want to get up and pour the contents of my water carafe over the lot of them. So I have walked past Clos Maggiore many times and never even looked at the menu.

On a raining night in January with the street outside dug up and blocked with wooden partitions, it looked just unromantic enough for me to swipe the very last table from under the noses of two  ladies  (possibly romantically-entangled, but probably not) who followed me in through the  cramped and cave-like doorway. I was just wishing I had borrowed a head-lamp from my own Compleat Angler back at home in the Northern wilds when a charming waitress emerged from the gloom to guide me. The tables at Clos Maggiore are draped with linen so luminously white that it almost made up for  someone having forgotten to pay the electric bill.  I’m not sure about the plastic box hedging though. When my eyes had got used to troglodyte living, I was childishly delighted by the twinkling little lights (OK, could have done with more of them),  the general air of quiet efficiency and the lovely fireplace – flames dancing – which unfortunately disappeared from view once I sat down.

The service was charming (not quite faultless as they forgot my aperitif and had to be reminded) and efficient. The bread was lovely bread , fresh-baked, moist crusty and both the focaccia and plain while roll were better than I bake at home. (What a blow.)

The set earlybird menu starter was young chicken with stuffed baby artichokes – I see that I managed to write “mushroomy, earthy, pan juices –“ and nothing else, before gobbling the whole thing up greedily. I do remember that the chicken was beautifully moist.

A main course of belly of lamb  (which looked more like breast to me) had been  rolled and almost all of the fat cooked almost out. The notes say “ unctuous, soft shreds of delicious meat, deep flavour, beautifully presented, chickpeas firm, good counterpoint to soft meat,  carrots, tomatoes, tenderstem broccoli”.  I have to admire my own self-control in managing to write that much before falling on the food.

I resisted the pudding and any extras as I wanted to see how the set two-course menu performed without any added frills, in terms of value for money. It included half a bottle of wine, and with a glass of Prosecco to start, the bill came in at £29.95 including service.  A bargain in my opinion –though I wouldn’t come on Valentine’s Night (or not without a hosepipe).

33 King Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 8JD  Tel : +44 (0)20 7379 9696

Feeling virtuous in Leeds

Create, Leeds

A Christmas dinner special and I am always a bit suspicious about these, generally preferring the usual offering - Christmas is not just a time for goodwill to all men, but to all menus. Restaurateurs take advantage of this shamelessly, it seems to me.

On this occasion I was happily surprised. I have to say that this was one of the most pleasant and enjoyable dining experiences I have had in Leeds for years.  In fact, it was one of the most enjoyable full stop – this little place would hold its own easily in the capital for the quality of its food, though perhaps it would be sneered at for its lack of sophistication. And it is none the worse for that. As a Yorkshirewoman, there is no way that I am going to pay extra for something as intangible and downright poncy as sophistication in its own right. It needs to have value added, which is to say, bells, whistles, posh décor and free stuff like amuse bouches.

The latter were in short supply at Create but the mainstream stuff on offer was just the ticket. The food was described succinctly and without frills. Five of us sat down to eat and every single one was happy – not a single complaint on the table. Soup was creamy, mushroomy, chestnutty – Christmassy! Then I had duck breast, which can be hit and miss (over or under cooked) but was pink perfection, moist, deeply flavoured, enough to make a veggie faint. But rested to a T – no tell-tale red juices (aka blood) leaking out onto the plate to soggify the wonderful fat chips, real potato crisply and perfectly cooked. Plates were beautifully dressed  and not overloaded but portions were perfect . I pigged out on the side dishes (sumptuous pureed root vegetables were irresistible) and couldn’t manage a pud on my own but extra spoons were supplied for scavengers to raid the plates of friends (who are still, amazingly, on speaking terms). The pudding plates tasted simply sooper and looked a treat, from old-fashioned ice-creamy sundaes to creamy flan - which tasted as good as it looked. 

Choices on the Christmas menu were limited but staff were happy to allow mix and match with the a la carte. We went in feeling virtuous and charitable, but came out feeling as though we had definitely had the best of the bargain.

Verdict: value for money 8/10 service 8/10 quality of food 8/10