Eating my lunch Mediterranean style (Bistro 1 (Covent Garden))

Member Name: i_am_joy

Product:	Bistro 1 (Covent Garden)
Date:	28/04/08 (99 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lovely food and a very nice menu to choose from, the prices are reasonable by London standards

Disadvantages: ---------

We were looking for somewhere close to Covent Garden to go and have a spot of lunch. My sister remembered she had heard good things about a restaurant called Bistro 1 which is located not far from the Lyceum Theatre where we would be going to see The Lion King later that evening.

When we arrived I thought it was a lovely bright and cheerful restaurant that is obviously heavily influenced by Mediterranean designs and décor. The tables and chairs are beautiful, very sturdy wooden furniture that are very comfortable to sit on while I was enjoying my lunch and a drink or two. I liked that there was a nice mix of people in Bistro 1 because during my trips to London I have noticed that more and more restaurants seem to cater for either very young people or older couples. In Bistro 1 there were diners of all ages and backgrounds and I thought it was nice to see people mixing like this.

I did not see any children in Bistro 1 but it was a school day so I do not know if they are allowed in or not. From the appearance of the restaurant I'd say children probably cannot come in, or perhaps they can come in but perhaps would not be made welcome.

We saw on the menu that we could have 3 courses for £7.90 so we both ordered this because I think this is very good value for lunch in this area of London.

I had a melon and mango salad for my starter, sea bream with smoked salmon topping for my main course and a big slice of Apple Tarte Tatin for dessert. I thought the melon and mango was a very good starter because it freshened my mouth ready for my main meal and the fruit was fresh and succulent. It was topped with a mixed berry sauce that was tangy and very richly fruity.

My fish course was super and very well cooked. I think fish is very often overcooked in restaurants and it is usually too dry for my tastes. My sea bream in Bistro 1 was still lovely and moist. It was filleted and topped with pieces of smoked salmon mixed in a light and tasty saffron cream. I was quite surprised to see that a upmarket dish like this was served with mashed potato but when my plate arrived I saw it was special mash with herbs in it and very buttery. It was especially lovely when I got a little bit of mash and a little bit of fish on my fork together because all the different flavours blended in nice together.

My dessert was a bit of a disappointment because I like a strong tasting Tarte Tatin and I found this one a bit bland. They were generous with the apple filling and it was lovely and moist but I think there was definitely something missing from it and think it could have had a little more spice to it. Still it was a nice way to round off my meal and I cannot really complain when the rest of my food was so delicious.

My sister enjoyed her meal as well. She had deep fried calamari in a garlic dressing for her starter, Shish Kebabs with rice and chocolate cake for dessert. She told me that everything was perfect and even though she usually eats like a bird she ate every mouthful of every course. We shared a lovely bottle of Chenin Blanc from the wine menu which was one of the best I've had in a Mediterranean restaurant because I think they tend to offer very run of the mill wines but this one was lovely. It cost about £15

We enjoyed our meal at Bistro 1 very much and I would definitely go back again if I was in this area. I do not visit London very often but I will remember this restaurant is here because we both ate and drank our wine and our total bill was only £40 which included 2 very nice cups of coffee. Bistro 1 can be found at 33 Southampton Street in Covent Garden and it is very easy to get find thanks to the bright orange and green colour scheme of the front of the restaurant.

Summary: Delicious food in the heart of Covent Garden.