Latest reviews for Restaurants in Tooting Bec, London, United Kingdom

Shiv Darshan - by niomi123

niomi123 — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:42:02 +0000

Review by niomi123

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8682 5173

Tags: good service, vegetarian, indian

My cousin's wedding reception was catered by them and the food was great. Definatly will order from them again.My cousin's wedding reception was catered by them and the food was great. Definatly will order from them again.

Numero Uno - Decent Local Italian by Litro_K

Litro_K — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 21:31:28 +0000

Review by Litro_K

Rating: 3.00

Tags: italian, good value, romantic

Having stumbled upon this restaurant whilst checking out our new neighbourhood,it looked so inviting that we headed in for an impromptu dinner.

We were warmly greeted in Italian by our Polish waitress, who efficiently took our orders. A very tasty green olive tapenade was brought to the table along with the usual grissini and bread basket, and this went down well as we chose a (very reasonable) carafe of house white and our mains, a prawn and monkfish risotto and a gamberetti diavoletti pizza. Both were good, simple dishes if a little basic.

The restaurant was busy for a Wednesday evening and very cosy with candles. I was pleased to know that a place like this is nearby to our new house and I'm sure we'll go back.Having stumbled upon this restaurant whilst checking out our new neighbourhood,it looked so inviting that we headed in for an impromptu dinner.

We were warmly greeted in Italian by our Polish waitress, who efficiently took our orders. A very tasty green olive tapenade was brought to the table along with the usual grissini and bread basket, and this went down well as we chose a (very reasonable) carafe of house white and our mains, a prawn and monkfish risotto and a gamberetti diavoletti pizza. Both were good, simple dishes if a little basic.

The restaurant was busy for a Wednesday evening and very cosy with candles. I was pleased to know that a place like this is nearby to our new house and I'm sure we'll go back.

Masaledar - Simply-Awful! by kangaroo69

kangaroo69 — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:46:25 +0000

Review by kangaroo69

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 8767 7676

Tags: indian, cheap eat, lively

AS a Tooting resident, I have aten at all of the restaurants on the high street. LAst night I had the worst meal that I have ever ahd at Masaledar. The service was awful-it took 75 minutes to get the food and we waited a further 40 minutes prior to that to order.
the food was dreadful; cold and full of oil. The atmosphere wass also poor; full of drunken yobs, swearing and shouting. To top it all off, when i asked to speak to the manager, the waiter refused to get him.
DO NOT EAT HERE-you would be a hundred times better off at the Banana Leaf Restaurant down the road!AS a Tooting resident, I have aten at all of the restaurants on the high street. LAst night I had the worst meal that I have ever ahd at Masaledar. The service was awful-it took 75 minutes to get the food and we waited a further 40 minutes prior to that to order.
the food was dreadful; cold and full of oil. The atmosphere wass also poor; full of drunken yobs, swearing and shouting. To top it all off, when i asked to speak to the manager, the waiter refused to get him.
DO NOT EAT HERE-you would be a hundred times better off at the Banana Leaf Restaurant down the road!

Noodle Express - Didn't like it at all by Anastasiya078

Anastasiya078 — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 20:38:26 +0000

Review by Anastasiya078

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 8767 0087

Tags: oriental, lively, japanese

I saw other people reviews and they are good. My personal experience wasn't as good. I ordered the delivery on a week day and it was an hour late. The food was cold and tasteless, and what with the portion sizes? i'm sure even the kids eat moreI saw other people reviews and they are good. My personal experience wasn't as good. I ordered the delivery on a week day and it was an hour late. The food was cold and tasteless, and what with the portion sizes? i'm sure even the kids eat more

Nando's Chickenland - cheap nasty chicken anyone by Jeroen

Jeroen — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:46:35 +0000

Review by Jeroen

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 8682 2478

Website: http://www.nandos.co.uk

Tags: cheap eat, international, family & home feel

We went here when they opened and couldnt believe it. This place is just about selling cheap chicken full of e-numbers to customers who who dont know any better. Id never been to a Nandos before, and Id never go back. Nothing but big chunks of dry tastless mass-produced broiler-chicken, wall to wall. It tastes bad, its uncreative, and the customer interface is like a badly run post office on a Monday morning. I genuinely thought Id gone back in time to the 80's, after a night there you would have gained 2 kilos and your heart will be attempting to remove all the trans-fats for weeks!
Id recommend it only to people I didnt like very much, be warned, If your up for a fun evening of e-numbers, rubbish service, boring food, cheap meat and great company from all the others who go there, then please GO THERE ! Highly recomended.We went here when they opened and couldnt believe it. This place is just about selling cheap chicken full of e-numbers to customers who who dont know any better. Id never been to a Nandos before, and Id never go back. Nothing but big chunks of dry tastless mass-produced broiler-chicken, wall to wall. It tastes bad, its uncreative, and the customer interface is like a badly run post office on a Monday morning. I genuinely thought Id gone back in time to the 80's, after a night there you would have gained 2 kilos and your heart will be attempting to remove all the trans-fats for weeks!
Id recommend it only to people I didnt like very much, be warned, If your up for a fun evening of e-numbers, rubbish service, boring food, cheap meat and great company from all the others who go there, then please GO THERE ! Highly recomended.

Hop & Spice - hop and sexy by herb

herb — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:14:29 +0000

Review by herb

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8675 3121

Website: http://www.hopandspice.com/

Tags: good value, lively, romantic

hop and spice was a good place for a business meeting - to impress without being over the top. The bread, delicious butter, olives and almonds were a nice touch as I was starving but the curry and lamb was quite a small portion and the lamb a bit tough unfortunately. The service was top-notch and having just returned from a holiday in France I found it less surprising than my guest that we were chatting in French at one point to the waiter!

hop and spice was a good place for a business meeting - to impress without being over the top. The bread, delicious butter, olives and almonds were a nice touch as I was starving but the curry and lamb was quite a small portion and the lamb a bit tough unfortunately. The service was top-notch and having just returned from a holiday in France I found it less surprising than my guest that we were chatting in French at one point to the waiter!

Ferrari's - by herb

herb — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:18:18 +0000

Review by herb

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8682 3553

in tooting there are only idian and asian restaurants ....no thats wrong you can find fine italian food as well, i came to ferrari's with a friend and he's a chef, beeing in the industry for years i had an open mind in trying new things, i had a pasta and a risoto, very well cooked and served in a goodsize portion, the service is good and good to speak to.in tooting there are only idian and asian restaurants ....no thats wrong you can find fine italian food as well, i came to ferrari's with a friend and he's a chef, beeing in the industry for years i had an open mind in trying new things, i had a pasta and a risoto, very well cooked and served in a goodsize portion, the service is good and good to speak to.

Kastoori - Great vegetarian food by greeneyedemu

greeneyedemu — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:21:31 +0000

Review by greeneyedemu

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8767 7027

Tags: indian, vegetarian, good value

Kastoori is a small family run vegetarian restaurant in Tooting. The family that run it are from Uganda so it is a mix of African and Indian food. The nearest tube is Tooting Broadway.
The food here is really unusual. I first went with my partner and my family. My partner and brother were both very worried about the prospect of a meal without meat but the variety of flavours in the curries soon put their minds to rest. The sev puri and the dahi puri are especially good, like little taste bombs, and the masala dosai is also lovely. The sauces and chutneys for the poppadums are homemade and full of flavour. The tomato curry is really delicious. We usually now just go for a few of those mentioned and the specials on the day. They also have a good range of drinks.
The food and drink here is very reasonably priced and I always come away feeling full up without paying a massive price. The decor isnâ¬"t exactly great, but with great food at those prices, who cares?
I have always found the service there friendly and helpful, and the owner always comes over for a chat. Iâ¬"d recommend this restaurant to anyone- veggie or not.
Kastoori is a small family run vegetarian restaurant in Tooting. The family that run it are from Uganda so it is a mix of African and Indian food. The nearest tube is Tooting Broadway.
The food here is really unusual. I first went with my partner and my family. My partner and brother were both very worried about the prospect of a meal without meat but the variety of flavours in the curries soon put their minds to rest. The sev puri and the dahi puri are especially good, like little taste bombs, and the masala dosai is also lovely. The sauces and chutneys for the poppadums are homemade and full of flavour. The tomato curry is really delicious. We usually now just go for a few of those mentioned and the specials on the day. They also have a good range of drinks.
The food and drink here is very reasonably priced and I always come away feeling full up without paying a massive price. The decor isnâ¬"t exactly great, but with great food at those prices, who cares?
I have always found the service there friendly and helpful, and the owner always comes over for a chat. Iâ¬"d recommend this restaurant to anyone- veggie or not.

Jaffna House - OK Not Bad by gunners4life

gunners4life — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:03:47 +0000

Review by gunners4life

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 8672 7786

Tags: indian, lively, takeaway

To be honest that for an indian restaurant this place has done incredibly well for iteself. It has won countless awards which they display and out back eating is so much more enjoyable with wine and champange. The food is a bit on the mild side most of the time and portions could be larger but even though this is a great place to eat in but if you insist on better food quality then there is a place down the road called suvai aruvi which is maily a takeaway but still it is all good. Overall OK food with a wonderful atmosphere really lightens things up a bit.To be honest that for an indian restaurant this place has done incredibly well for iteself. It has won countless awards which they display and out back eating is so much more enjoyable with wine and champange. The food is a bit on the mild side most of the time and portions could be larger but even though this is a great place to eat in but if you insist on better food quality then there is a place down the road called suvai aruvi which is maily a takeaway but still it is all good. Overall OK food with a wonderful atmosphere really lightens things up a bit.

Zaytoon - Pretty Good by gunners4life

gunners4life — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:04:55 +0000

Review by gunners4life

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 8672 6680

Tags: indian, takeaway, expensive

This restaurant is OK, I wouldnt say that is amazing or I would say bad. To be honest I do find their prices pretty high and on contray to the other reviewer there have been better curry houses but anyway this is still good out there, beats those curry in a bottle sort of fakes by pataks. Aalthough this isnt really important I do find the name quite interesting which played an important part when I went to this restaurant.

Overall I would still reccomend this curry house but I would take more money just incase you do go over and then find the prices but after all this is the credit crunch.This restaurant is OK, I wouldnt say that is amazing or I would say bad. To be honest I do find their prices pretty high and on contray to the other reviewer there have been better curry houses but anyway this is still good out there, beats those curry in a bottle sort of fakes by pataks. Aalthough this isnt really important I do find the name quite interesting which played an important part when I went to this restaurant.

Overall I would still reccomend this curry house but I would take more money just incase you do go over and then find the prices but after all this is the credit crunch.

Mini Mundus - Pretty Good by gunners4life

gunners4life — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 21:52:45 +0000

Review by gunners4life

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8767 5810

Tags: french, good value, lively

I have been here only once but still it had a very good expression on me. I thought that the food was amazing and even though I have to drive a long way to get here I really dont mind if only the petrol prices were lower. This place is definetly value for money anyday. The atmosphere is very nice and cosy and I hope that I do come here again very soon with my friends. Also I dont know why but the dessert stood out the most.

Overall I reccomend that you do come here to a really authenic french cuisine and you wont be dissapointedI have been here only once but still it had a very good expression on me. I thought that the food was amazing and even though I have to drive a long way to get here I really dont mind if only the petrol prices were lower. This place is definetly value for money anyday. The atmosphere is very nice and cosy and I hope that I do come here again very soon with my friends. Also I dont know why but the dessert stood out the most.

Overall I reccomend that you do come here to a really authenic french cuisine and you wont be dissapointed

Thai Buffalo - Great food, lovely little venue by Tanya78

Tanya78 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:12:28 +0000

Review by Tanya78

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8682 9966

Tags: thai, good value, family & home feel

I've been going to Thai Buffalo for the past 3 or 4 years, and it's been consistently good every time. Staff are friendly, service is quick & all the dishes I've tried were just as good as I had when I went to Thailand.
It's a cosy little place & downstairs has never been open when I've been there, so if you're planning to go on a Friday or Sat evening it's probably advisable to book. The Pad Thai & Buffalo platter & gorgeous!I've been going to Thai Buffalo for the past 3 or 4 years, and it's been consistently good every time. Staff are friendly, service is quick & all the dishes I've tried were just as good as I had when I went to Thailand.
It's a cosy little place & downstairs has never been open when I've been there, so if you're planning to go on a Friday or Sat evening it's probably advisable to book. The Pad Thai & Buffalo platter & gorgeous!

Mirsch Masala - wonderful by shopaholcleo

shopaholcleo — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:23:47 +0000

Review by shopaholcleo

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8672 7500

Tags: indian, good value, cheap eat

I came here for my birthday the other week and was pleasantly surprised. The buffet lunch was under Â£7 and we got a massive starter of chicken and lamb kebabs, a huge onion bhaji, pakora, naan bread and chapati, plus raita. The buffet had a choice of 3 or 4 curries, plus rice and vegetables. The only thing I wish they'd had was a wider variety of dishes, but I guess that's just what happens when you get the buffet, and I'm sure they have more dishes on the menu which I'd love to try out. I was full after one trip, and would definitely love to visit here again.I came here for my birthday the other week and was pleasantly surprised. The buffet lunch was under Â£7 and we got a massive starter of chicken and lamb kebabs, a huge onion bhaji, pakora, naan bread and chapati, plus raita. The buffet had a choice of 3 or 4 curries, plus rice and vegetables. The only thing I wish they'd had was a wider variety of dishes, but I guess that's just what happens when you get the buffet, and I'm sure they have more dishes on the menu which I'd love to try out. I was full after one trip, and would definitely love to visit here again.

The Paddyfield - Yum! by sketchy1

sketchy1 — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:20:11 +0000

Review by sketchy1

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8772 1145

Tags: lively, quick bite, vietnamese

I go far too many times to Paddyfields. The place is small, and finding an open table is sometimes fustrating, but it is worth the wait. The Thai food is amazing - the curry is my bestI go far too many times to Paddyfields. The place is small, and finding an open table is sometimes fustrating, but it is worth the wait. The Thai food is amazing - the curry is my best

The Exhibit - Tres romantic by ilovelucy

ilovelucy — Fri, 09 May 2008 23:00:17 +0000

Review by ilovelucy

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8772 6556

Website: http://www.theexhibit.co.uk

Tags: good value, british, lively

Came here last week and was pleasantly surprised. Have been to the bar on the ground floor quite a few times but never the restaurant which is on the 1st floor overlooking Sainsbury's car park. I always thought it was a bit of a strange location but actually the restaurant with its exposed brick and long wall of windows felt really airy and light. And the view wasn't that bad- felt nice to be so high up. The menu is quite like a brasserie menu, small but caters for all. Gi went for the sea bass which she said was lovely and I went for the feather steak which is served rare. I would probably go for the sirloin next time - as the feather wasn't as tender as i would have liked. Sorbet ice cream was divine though. Service was great and i liked the candles which gave the restaurant a romatic glow. Definitely will come back to try the rest of the menu - especially as i've got 50% off with the tp card!Came here last week and was pleasantly surprised. Have been to the bar on the ground floor quite a few times but never the restaurant which is on the 1st floor overlooking Sainsbury's car park. I always thought it was a bit of a strange location but actually the restaurant with its exposed brick and long wall of windows felt really airy and light. And the view wasn't that bad- felt nice to be so high up. The menu is quite like a brasserie menu, small but caters for all. Gi went for the sea bass which she said was lovely and I went for the feather steak which is served rare. I would probably go for the sirloin next time - as the feather wasn't as tender as i would have liked. Sorbet ice cream was divine though. Service was great and i liked the candles which gave the restaurant a romatic glow. Definitely will come back to try the rest of the menu - especially as i've got 50% off with the tp card!

Chatkhara - good value for money by sheren

sheren — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:09:41 +0000

Review by sheren

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8682 2519

Website: http://www.chatkhara.biz

Tags: indian, takeaway, good value

friendly service & best chicken tikka roll in londonfriendly service & best chicken tikka roll in london

Lahore Karahi - Curry heaven by ilovelucy

ilovelucy — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:37:41 +0000

Review by ilovelucy

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 8767 2477

Website: http://www.lahorekarahi.co.uk/

Tags: lively, good value, indian

Easter weekend was spent DIY-ing and my folks were fantastic in helping. We finished up late on Monday evening and I said I'd treat us all to an Indian takeaway. My dad loves Lahore and often stops off on his way back from the gym at lunch to scoff down a cheeky curry. That I night I popped down, it was busy but as usual there were tons of staff hanging around to take orders. I ordered nan bread, chicken madras (I desparately wanted a hot curry having been disppointed with numerous curries that were not hot enough), and prawn karahi. I sat down at one of the tables and waited for the food to be prepared. I did not realise how torturous this was until about 5 minutes into waiting. I should have brought a book - I could only stare at the delicious curries and sundries tempting me under the glass counter and watch people put mouthful after mouthful of deliciousness into their stomachs. 15 minutes later it was ready - i paid Â£12 and rushed back home. Food was great - definitely could taste the fresh ingredients such as ginger and corriander, and the madras was suitable hot. It made the wait worthwhile.Easter weekend was spent DIY-ing and my folks were fantastic in helping. We finished up late on Monday evening and I said I'd treat us all to an Indian takeaway. My dad loves Lahore and often stops off on his way back from the gym at lunch to scoff down a cheeky curry. That I night I popped down, it was busy but as usual there were tons of staff hanging around to take orders. I ordered nan bread, chicken madras (I desparately wanted a hot curry having been disppointed with numerous curries that were not hot enough), and prawn karahi. I sat down at one of the tables and waited for the food to be prepared. I did not realise how torturous this was until about 5 minutes into waiting. I should have brought a book - I could only stare at the delicious curries and sundries tempting me under the glass counter and watch people put mouthful after mouthful of deliciousness into their stomachs. 15 minutes later it was ready - i paid Â£12 and rushed back home. Food was great - definitely could taste the fresh ingredients such as ginger and corriander, and the madras was suitable hot. It made the wait worthwhile.

The Gateway - Hayley by Spsteve

Spsteve — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:23:10 +0000

Review by Spsteve

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8772 4566

Website: http://www.thegatewaybalham.co.uk/

Tags: lively, romantic, good value

Great atmoshere. Friendly independent bar where the owners make you feel at home. Had a birthday party at the Gateway and they made every effort to go the extra mile for us. Christmas was special too and they didn't charge to get into your local; on New Year's Eve. Try itGreat atmoshere. Friendly independent bar where the owners make you feel at home. Had a birthday party at the Gateway and they made every effort to go the extra mile for us. Christmas was special too and they didn't charge to get into your local; on New Year's Eve. Try it

Tagine - Fine experience! by AlexWoods

AlexWoods — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:11:43 +0000

Review by AlexWoods

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8675 7604

Tags: lively, good value, north african

I love this place!
Cosy, friendly, it looks and smells exotic and exciting.
The menu is interesting and varied, even for a vegetarian (not me I hasten to add, but the person I went with!)
Having little experience of Moroccan food, I relied on the advice of our waitress who proved to be knowledgeable, charming and very happy to offer her advice (probably used to morons like me, bless her.)
The meze was an excellent way to start. Gives you a little taste of a lot! In truth I could have eaten that all evening!
I had a lamb tagine with almonds and prunes and my partner a stuffed pepper. Both dishes were fragrant, generous and delicious and well complimented by the (presumably) fresh baked flat breads.
Neither of us could face desert, though had we been a little earlier we would have happily spent a couple of hours outside with shisha and tea before tackling the desert menu (or just more of the meze dishes!)
My one criticism of the place is that the service was a little leisurely. Or maybe "unobservant" is a better way of putting it.
Top tips: nip into Threshers, next door, and pick up a couple of bottles of something red and Spanish on your way; start with as many meze dishes as you reckon you can force down (bearing in mind your main course will feed you well!) I love this place!
Cosy, friendly, it looks and smells exotic and exciting.
The menu is interesting and varied, even for a vegetarian (not me I hasten to add, but the person I went with!)
Having little experience of Moroccan food, I relied on the advice of our waitress who proved to be knowledgeable, charming and very happy to offer her advice (probably used to morons like me, bless her.)
The meze was an excellent way to start. Gives you a little taste of a lot! In truth I could have eaten that all evening!
I had a lamb tagine with almonds and prunes and my partner a stuffed pepper. Both dishes were fragrant, generous and delicious and well complimented by the (presumably) fresh baked flat breads.
Neither of us could face desert, though had we been a little earlier we would have happily spent a couple of hours outside with shisha and tea before tackling the desert menu (or just more of the meze dishes!)
My one criticism of the place is that the service was a little leisurely. Or maybe "unobservant" is a better way of putting it.
Top tips: nip into Threshers, next door, and pick up a couple of bottles of something red and Spanish on your way; start with as many meze dishes as you reckon you can force down (bearing in mind your main course will feed you well!)

Ly Bar - CLOSED - Ly Bar Chinese Restaurant by Browners

Browners — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 22:07:07 +0000

Review by Browners

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 8772 8616

Website: http://www.lybar.co.uk/

Tags: restaurant, chinese, bar

After a hard morning playing hockey on an icy pitch what better way to spend the afternoon than to tuck into Heston Blumenthal's latest book and read about how to cook the perfect Peking duck. Half an hour later and I was gagging for a pancake, some crispy skinned duck, a few shards of spring onion and cucumber and lashings of hoi sin sauce.

The lengths Heston went to were outrageous. Blowing air into a well chosen duck with a drinks straw or bellows and a bizarre range of cooking processes all seemed a bittoo much! So Cowie and I popped out to find a decent Chinese restaurant in Balham. Life's too easy sometimes!

We'd walked past Ly Bar quite a few times and had never had any inclination to pay them a visit. From the outside it looks like a newly painted glizty bar with a seedy underbelly. But inside it's great. A touch of contemporary, oriental style. Laquered screens and a very discrete waterfall made us feel like someone was reading our minds and giving us exactly what we wanted!

Cowie reigned me back from ordering a half peking duck, which was a good thing! Instead the two of us shared a quarter of a quacker with a range of pancakes and lettuce leaves. Having got really excited about haivng the perfect duck with pancakes, I guess I had set myself up for a bit of disappointment! Don't get me wrong we devoured our duck and needed several reloads of hoi sin sauce... but I think we were stretching our imagination too far to think the Ly Bar was going to be up to Heston's exacting stadnards. Heston's main technical problem when cooking crispy duck was that creating duck with crispy skin and keep the felsh moist is about as easy as some of Zeno's paradoxes. If you want crispy skin you get dry flesh. And if you want juicy meat the skin is normally flabby. Ly Bar's duck was a bit tasteless and dry, but a good dollop of sauce sorted that out!

Our main courses were really very good. Cowie's whole steamed sea bass with soy sauce, ginger and spring onion was moist and delicious. The only draw back being the fact that it was given a laparotomy at the table by someone who didn't know what they were doing. We felt very sorry for our waitress who continually apologised and explained that she had only ever done one before! Someone needs to train the staff up a bit. Disecting an expensive fish in front of a paying customer has to be done well. It's these kind of touches that make eating at places like Sheeky's so special.

My BBQ stewed pork belly arrived in a beautiful clay pot and tasted delicious. Slightly spicy, gooey and deeply porky. Just what I like. And then it got even better when I discovered some really slippery mushrooms that seemed like pieces of cartilige! Yummy. And very different what you get at your average local Chinese restaurant.

So, the food was good, if unspectacular. A cut above most Chinese restaurants. But the staff need some training and they need to read Heston's book to get a bit closer to serving the perfect duck!After a hard morning playing hockey on an icy pitch what better way to spend the afternoon than to tuck into Heston Blumenthal's latest book and read about how to cook the perfect Peking duck. Half an hour later and I was gagging for a pancake, some crispy skinned duck, a few shards of spring onion and cucumber and lashings of hoi sin sauce.

The lengths Heston went to were outrageous. Blowing air into a well chosen duck with a drinks straw or bellows and a bizarre range of cooking processes all seemed a bittoo much! So Cowie and I popped out to find a decent Chinese restaurant in Balham. Life's too easy sometimes!

We'd walked past Ly Bar quite a few times and had never had any inclination to pay them a visit. From the outside it looks like a newly painted glizty bar with a seedy underbelly. But inside it's great. A touch of contemporary, oriental style. Laquered screens and a very discrete waterfall made us feel like someone was reading our minds and giving us exactly what we wanted!

Cowie reigned me back from ordering a half peking duck, which was a good thing! Instead the two of us shared a quarter of a quacker with a range of pancakes and lettuce leaves. Having got really excited about haivng the perfect duck with pancakes, I guess I had set myself up for a bit of disappointment! Don't get me wrong we devoured our duck and needed several reloads of hoi sin sauce... but I think we were stretching our imagination too far to think the Ly Bar was going to be up to Heston's exacting stadnards. Heston's main technical problem when cooking crispy duck was that creating duck with crispy skin and keep the felsh moist is about as easy as some of Zeno's paradoxes. If you want crispy skin you get dry flesh. And if you want juicy meat the skin is normally flabby. Ly Bar's duck was a bit tasteless and dry, but a good dollop of sauce sorted that out!

Our main courses were really very good. Cowie's whole steamed sea bass with soy sauce, ginger and spring onion was moist and delicious. The only draw back being the fact that it was given a laparotomy at the table by someone who didn't know what they were doing. We felt very sorry for our waitress who continually apologised and explained that she had only ever done one before! Someone needs to train the staff up a bit. Disecting an expensive fish in front of a paying customer has to be done well. It's these kind of touches that make eating at places like Sheeky's so special.

My BBQ stewed pork belly arrived in a beautiful clay pot and tasted delicious. Slightly spicy, gooey and deeply porky. Just what I like. And then it got even better when I discovered some really slippery mushrooms that seemed like pieces of cartilige! Yummy. And very different what you get at your average local Chinese restaurant.

So, the food was good, if unspectacular. A cut above most Chinese restaurants. But the staff need some training and they need to read Heston's book to get a bit closer to serving the perfect duck!