The restaurants of Hampshire

Okay.  The SO and I are on staycation in deepest, rural Hampshire for the summer hols.  Usually abroad but Covid has somewhat kyboshed that.  No matter.  This part of rural England is gorgeous.  It is so peaceful.  It's a 2 mile walk to the nearest village, and Indian restaurant, it transpires.

The Shapla (60 West Street, Alresford, SO24 9AU) is not haute cuisine.  It is not fine dining.  It is a mid-standard "Indian".  Two or three a penny in towns and cities up and down the country.  We've been twice in less than one week.

But, the food is done well.  It is tasty.  It is succulent.  The tandoori offerings are sweet with a mild hint of burnt.  The king prawn pathia is the possibly the best I have ever had.  The pilau portion was generous.  Soft, fluffy rice.  The first time side dish we had sag aloo which was pleasant even if a little moist.  Second time was a thick, warm tarka dhal.  Yum.  Garlic bread was good quality, light but with a hint of crisp.  The service is brisk but not impersonal.  They are efficient!

Downsides?  Two.  The first is the cost: £60 for 2 - starters, mains, drinks.  It's just a hint on the steep side but thankfully no added gratuity "for your convenience".  The second is the starters.  Not bad, not good, they just are.  The mains are sufficiently fine and generous to obviate the need for starters.

The SO, who is usually a better judge of things than me, said to the manager on the way out "we'll be seeing you soon".  Indeed we shall.

The restaurants of Twickenhamshire 3

Good grief.  It has been nearly 5 years since the last post here.  Rest assured the SO and I have been eating out.  New places?  Some but we are creatures of habit however we have discovered a new Indian.  Well, I write new but it's been in Twickenham for ages.

Atithi (27 York Street, Twickenham, TW1 3JZ).  Classy.  Clean lines.  Interesting artwork. Unfussy service but attentive.  For the meat eater the mixed kebab platter - it's a sharing dish - is awesome.  The biryanis are a delight.  The SO particularly like the fish molee and the yellow dal tadka.  They are both good.  Chilli cheese naan, yum, but go for the chef's mini bread basket and get a quarter sized piece of all.

The also serve champagne by the glass.

The downside.  It's coming, right?  Yup.  Not the cheapest.  It's a monthly not a weekly, at least for us. 

Obviously 2020 has been a year of lockdowns given the coronavirus pandemic so the restaurant sector has been decimated.  We've tried to support by having takeaways.  Atithi do a good service but it's not the same and the food needs to be reheated by the time it reaches us.  It's still a special treat however.

Keep safe and remember to wear a mask, limit contact, and wash your hands regularly.

The restaurants of Twickenhamshire 2

We have found another cracking Italian restaurant in the borough.  It's called Acena (pronounced a-chena).  Located at 418 Richmond Road, Twickenham, TW1 2EB.  This is a grown up restaurant where a lot of thought has gone into it.  And not just the food.  The interior decor is clean, unfussy and has a cool contrasting edge to it,  The website too, once you get past the home page.

How to classify it?  The SO describes it as top notch, authentic Italian.  She also thinks it is warm and cosy, though I think that's more the welcome.  Frequently busy; attentive service;  nice wines, serves prosecco.

The winning part is the food.  It is delicious.  Really.  On no account does it fail.  Now, I'm not a big fan of desserts, but Acena's do turn my head.  The SO is a fan of sweets, and indulges to her utter delight.

Everywhere has a downside, right?  True.  Sometimes booking a table is tricky - the website system doesn't work for us, and it's often busy.  And it is a little pricey, perhaps a pay day treat rather than a more frequent haunt?

Our old fashioned Italian in Waterloo

The SO works near Waterloo and meeting her one evening we chanced upon Caprini (77 Waterloo Road, Lambeth, London). It's an Italian restaurant that certainly used to be family run, and feels like it still is. I am certain that the manager is the son of the original owner.


I write "chanced upon" because it's easy to walk past. It's unobtrusive. Of course there's signage, but...In the advertising war with other restaurants in Waterloo Road, Caprini loses.


It's a little old fashioned, they have an ice cream display freezer at the front which doubles up to chill the salads. The food is cracking. Better portioned than some of it's competitors nearby, and as consequence better priced. They sell wine by the half, and full, carafe. Feel. The. Love.


I confess, I like steak done Italian style. The SO does too, but tries other dishes. She likes Caprini's pastas. This is interesting, as the SO is a demanding critic of pasta. Normally Italian restaurants in London don't do pasta well. Caprini does.


This place is retro-chic, and like many such places has a relatively bohemian regular clientele. If you like achingly cool, probably better to go somewhere else.

The restaurants of Twickenhamshire

The SO and I really like La Seronata (117 London Road, Twickenham, TW1 1EE).  It's a step back to the late 1970's and we do like the nostalgia.  However, it does divide reviews if one reads trip advisor et al.

What to say?  Family run.  Slower paced.  Home cooked?  Sort of.  The owner's wife / co-owner is certainly doing her thing in the kitchen.  The menu hasn't changed in the years we've been going, and thank goodness for that!  The fillet steak with dijon mustard and brown sugar is a delight, and reasonable (for within the M25) at £18.  SO had sirlion with brandy and pepper.  Her summary was "mmm" and a smile.  The veg and starch came in the stainless steel serving platters.  This is like my childhood.

Anything wrong?  The wine's expensive.  It is the one reason we don't come more often.  SO has suggested that next time we drink the house red, or order by the glass.  She's a sensible one, is the SO.

La Seronata does provide a lovely antidote to the relentless march of themes and chains.

Eating in. Eating Out

I like eating out.  The significant other (SO) does too.  The SO likes eating in when we do something special, me too.  We're not foodies.  Nor good enough for Masterchef.

But we do know some decent enough restaurants, and we do like to try new ones.

Any reviews are our own.  We have no financial connection to any restaurants or restaurateurs.