Friends

Angella

If your friends are gourmets and money's no object 4th December 2007

2 found this helpful

www.friendsrestaurant.co.uk

FOOD
A gourmet's delight.

You start with a choice of breads including white, bread with olives, and my favourite, brown bread rolls containing walnuts.

Along comes a plate of tiny free titbits. We had a smoked salmon canape and a liver pate canape each.

The special of the day was a clear mushroom soup. Delicious and different. I should have had that instead of the terrine.

My main course was chicken with mashed potato. Somehow arranged in a cute cone shape. Good succulent chicken.

The vegetables of mange tout and carrots were good but not exciting.

My bread pudding was more like a creme caramel than a solid bread pudding.

Coffee is served with chocolates or nutty biscuits. I used to like the brown sugar crystals on wooden skewers which have been discontinued so I asked for them to be revived.

Drinks
I ordered a kir which was served in a slender glass.

SERVICE & MANAGEMENT
Serving staff are not effusively chatty but if you ask about food you'll get detailed replies.

The warmest, friendliest person is bearded Terry Farr who writes cookery columns in newspapers, also books, which I used to see sold in the restaurant.

He often writes letters to the local newspapers. He campaigned for years to get the parking hours changed. You used to get a parking ticket at two minutes to eight in the evening and he and everybody else lost business. We are all indebted to him for changing that.

It's disappointing when he's busy in the kitchen and does not appear to say hello or goodbye.

DECOR
The ancient black and white exterior amuses foreign visitors.

A warm fire adds a glow downstairs where you find about half a dozen tables. Numerous plates showing AA rosettes are over the cosy fireplace.

Upstairs (stairs rather steep) are two linked rooms.

Pictures are spotlit. White cloths on tables. Shielded candles light the tables.

The ladies toilet has a vestibule with a flower. On the washbasin is an aloe vera soap dispenser which leaves a pleasant aroma on your hands.

Cleanliness
Perfect. Pristine white walls and black beams.

GETTING THERE
Easy to find. Near Pinner Metropolitan station.

PRICES
If you can't afford the dinner, the lunches are good value and look for off-season deals.

The prices are high but we are almost always pleased we went there.

On Saturday night you can have a two course or three course dinner. No a la carte.

A meal for five cost more than £200. We paid about £40 each.
One family thought the prices were a rip-off. Another thought the food was good, and the atmosphere elegant, and service efficient.