Buon Apps Italian restaurant in Yorkshire

 

Buon Apps restaurant, Yorkshire. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Buon Apps is Italian short for good appetite a good wish before eating. The restaurant is on two floors beside the gushing river at the weir. Down stairs you can eat indoors, in the covered glass sided conservatory, or outdoors. Upstairs is more seating, and a cosy, modern bar with armchairs.

We started with French fries and deep fried zucchini, zucchini fritti.  Zucchini is also called courgette.

I had a glass of Prosecco at an affordable price.

My main course was a chicken salad with a boiled egg. The cooked chicken said spicey and I am not into spicey.

The pork casserole ordered by another diner came with potatoes so we were able to share the potatoes.

My dessert was a hard pastry tube containing what seemed like cream or cream cheese. My Italian friend told me that's how it is supposed to be. I think I would have preferred the lemon cheese tart which she ordered.

The atmosphere was lovely. Jolly. Three birthday groups. Busy downstairs and upstairs. 

Buon App Restaurant is on the river Wharfe at Otley in Yorkshire. Plenty of parking outside. Children's high chairs. Ground floor toilet accessible to the wheelchair user, bigger than the upstairs cubicles, and with a bunch of flowers on the windowsill.. 

Useful Websites

https://www.buonappsotley.com/

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Fine Food and Drink and Company at Italian Cugini Restauran't Barolo Wine Dinner

 Cugina has outdoor and indoor seating. The restaurant echoes, like all Italian restaurants, because the decor designed for hot countries has tiled floors. 

Extravert and engaging wine salesman with a little beard and a large smile greets us. The shy chef, however, is equally important with his wonderful food.

Our drinks began with a Prosecco. I am a cheap date. Two glasses of Prosecco and I am happy all evening.

We were not in for a cheap evening, but a six course meal with matching wines.

The amuse bouche was amazing, Flavours. 

Then pasta with a delectable sauce.

Another kind of pasta, like large ravioli, was a superfluous dish. Then a wafer thin slice of meat.  The main course of a fist size piece of meat, which fell apart off the fork, amazingly soft and delectable.

Xavier, one of the paying guests at the Cugina restaurant which served a dinner with Barolo wines. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright..

The Company

One of the delights of  organized set meal wine diners is the chance to chat to the restaurant owner, the chef, the wine supplier and like minded people. 

We arrived early which gave us the chance to choose a table for two between two other similar sized tables and immediately made friends with two other agreeable couples. You can see Xavier raising a glass to us.

Our two companion on my right, left after the fifth course and the fifth glass of wine. They had eaten enough.

The service was impeccable.

We stayed on for dessert and paid an extra 5 dollars each for a small cup of coffee. 

At the time I was very happy.

The Coffee

The next day I realised that ordering and drinking coffee had been a mistake. It kept me awake, was nothing special and did not come up with a chocolate, unlike most Indian restaurants in the UK which sweeten the bill by presenting a chocolate per diner.

Useful Information

 37 Joo Chiat Place Singapore 427761

Tel +65 6243 5215

Useful Websites

https://www.cugini.com.sg/

https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Restaurant_Review-g294265-d2355124-Reviews-Cugini_Trattoria_Pizzeria-Singapore.html

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Collecting Your Own Jokes On Holiday

I have been to several Toastmasters International meetings when we have all been asked to tell a joke. One's mind goes blank. Unless you are one of the few comedians who spend their life telling non-stop jokes.

The trick is to keep a log of all your family jokes. Often another person's story reminds you of one of your own. On Facebook I saw a story about a woman with failing sight who too a book back to the library and apologized for the fact that it was overdue. The librarian replied, "Don't worry. It isn't a library book."

Love it. I expect she always wondered why her friend wouldn't talk to her.

We once sent back a bill in an Indian restaurant which was added up wrongly. Several waiters pored over the bill, and kept giving us funny looks.

My husband started muttering: "I could see at a glance the total was wrong. Can't any of them add up. What's wrong? We are regular customers. I don't know why they don't admit that I was right."

Eventually, the manager returned to tell us that he had conceded, "Yes, you were right, sir. It was added up wrongly. But don't worry, it wasn't your table's bill."

If you write down on the back page of your diary all the funny misunderstandings on holiday, you will have a fund of funny stories to re-tell later.

We had a different kind of mishap on our birthday dinner at an Italian restaurant. We waited forever for our birthday cake. A cake had been taken to another table, who had started their meal after us. I stared diconsolately at their cake. Eventually, despite my son's protests, "no, Mum, you are not to go up and ask about their cake," I could not resist going up to them.

I said, "How's the cake. We ordered a birthday cake, too, but it hasn't arrived yet. You don't took too pleased. Doesn't it taste nice?"

The wife said, "The cake is fine. But it's a birthday cake. And we are celebrating our wedding anniversary."

I asked, "Did you tell them?"

"Yes, but they haven't produced our cake yet."

I reported straight back to my son who immediately identified the problem. They got your birthday cake. The kitchen now has to make a new wedding anniversary cake for them, followed by a new birthday cake for us. Meanwhile, the chef is blaming the waiter. The waiter is blaming the chef. The owner is threatening to fire both of them. They are threatening to walk out."

The two restaurants have both gone out of business.

About the author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Label your photos and certificates - here's why

Paper Storage Problem

I inherited boxes, deed boxes, of old papers and certificates after the deaths of my parents and uncle. Some of the documents were clear. I was awarded a pass in a speech test as a child. I had totally forgotten it. Bu there was my name and the name of the organization and date.

Holiday Photos

  Later I looked at notes I was making. I had a photo with the name of an Italian restaurant, IO, in Singapore. I had other photos of an Italian restaurant in London, Osteria Modigliani. If I simply labelled the photo 'us in Italian restaurant', that would be meaningless years later. Since it was a restaurant I went to the previous week in Singapore, I knew where it was. However, if I had looked at it back in the UK twenty years later, I would have forgotten.

Awards And Ribbons

  Similarly, I found myself writing on the back of a ribbon for Best Speaker, from Toastmasters International, the date and place. What was missing? My name!
I know my name. I know I won the ribbon. But if I dropped it in another meeting, nobody would know which of the twenty people in the room the ribbon belonged to.

  My husband also won a ribbon. Which was his ribbon and which was mine? When we both die, our son will inherit all our possessions. He won't know which ribbons were won by which of us. If a stranger were to be your executor, and they find a certificate with no name on it, there's no record of who won it and what date.

Diary -  of a Nobody!

  Why would anybody care about your old diaries? Maybe you are not a VIP. Let's look at a few scenarios.

AA Certificate

  I have an AA award to my father from the 1900s. Maybe not very important to anybody but him when he was alive. Not important to anybody but me now. But in a few decades time that could be important to my grandchildren or even to the AA.

Roman Records, Victorian Victories, Recent Way Of Life

   A Roman inscription is fascinating to children and teachers nowadays. The everyday life 100 years ago is fascinating to schoolchildren.
   Cemeteries worldwide show that after people have died their relatives, and even strangers, think that a recording of somebody's life should be made and kept.

Language Preserved In Captions

Even the way you record names and places and people and events can be important.

Lockerbie Plane Crash

 Do you recall the Lockerbie plane disaster? A plane came down over Scotland caused by a bomb. All the possessions of the people were stored for decades afterwards. The curators of the possessions meticulously recorded every item. What use were the items?

a) They were used to identify who was on board. 

b )They were treasured by the relatives and descendants. 
  We went to Scotland and on the drive back to London, England, from Edinburgh (where we attended the jolly Edinburgh Festival with its street comedy acts) we passed the sign to Lockerbie.
If you go to Scotland you can visit the cemetery. At the far back, right, at the top of the slope, is the semi-circular memorial with the lives of each of the passengers and crew victims around the front and on the wall at the back. The lives of each person are meticulously recorded.

Why Label Awards, Documents & Photos?

   If an entire family dies in an accident, there's nobody left to ask. But the papers, photos, certificates, awards and other items with dates and names tell their story.
  So please label every photo and certificate with the name, date, place. Your moment of happiness and success will be recorded for the information and pleasure of your descendants and even complete strangers.

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker..

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Your Quick Links To Fun & Useful Posts On Italy and Italian Restaurants and Valentine's Day

ITALY and ITALIAN!
Buongiorno! Good morning.

Useful Websites (alphabetically

FOOD & DRINK
Prosecco, Italian Restaurants, Truffles, Wine

LANGUAGES 

http://duolingo.com
http://www.dummies.com/languages/italian/italian-greetings-and-good-byes/

earwormslearning.com

https://translate.google.com/ (Useful for translating into English.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

LEARNING ITALIAN LANGUAGE

https://wikitravel.org/en/Italian_phrasebook (pronunciation)

Map of Italy from Wikitravel.

IN ITALY
Assisi, Florence, Perugia, Rome; Terni; Verona; Umbria; Sicily; Valentine's Day.
See also photography by Trevor Sharot and website Grapedeal.

Etruscan gate, Perugia, Italy.

The Etruscans.

St Francis of Assisi, his trail and his followers.

 Valentine's Day

St Valentine (one of many Italian heroes called Valentine, meaning victory) from his skull.

His skull in Rome.

 His remains in Terni, Umbria, Italy, where he was the bishop.

St Valentine honoured in Ireland.

ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN ENGLAND
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/valentines-day-dinner.html
Other posts on
Dona Teresa,  Hatch End
Fellini (now Porta Grande), Hatch End
Osteria Modigliani, Pinner
Porta Grande, Hatch End.

My most popular post, about Osteria Modigliani.

Chef at Osteria Modigliani in Pinner, Middx (NW London, England).

Osteria Modigliani with Modigliani paintings.

Valentine's Day menu.

MORE BY TRAVEL WRITER & PHOTOGRAPHER ANGELA LANSBURY
See my other travel blog:
http://www.luxurytravelforless.co.uk

MORE ABOUT ANGELA LANSBURY & TOASTMASTERS International

See Braddell Heights Advanced Speakers Club, Singapore. See Harrovians, London, England. See HOD, London, England. 

Angela Lansbury and book Who Said What When.

MORE ABOUT ANGELA LANSBURY, AND HER BOOKS
See Amazon, Lulu, Wordpress.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, teacher of English, learner of 12 other languages.
Not related to the actress Angela Lansbury who also has a son named Anthony, nor to 12 other people on LinkedIn with the same name.
Please like, follow and share links to my posts.

USEFUL LINKS
ST AUGUSTINE IN ITALY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terni
https://wikitravel.org/en/Terni
http://www.turismo.comune.terni.it/en
https://www.umbriatourism.it

https://www.baciperugina.com/uk/en/about-us

ST AUGUSTINE WORLDWIDE

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Altars_of_Saint_Valentine
http://www.stvalentinesday.org/valentines-day-in-us.html
http://www.stvalentinesday.org/valentines-day-in-singapore.html
visitusa.org.uk
visit-usa.com (Links to tourist boards in each state.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Valentine
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Saint_Valentine_in_art (Facial reconstruction.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day (Customs and places worldwide.)

UK Restaurants
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/marvellous-meal-at-osteria-modigliani.html

Arrivederci! Goodbye!

Osteria Modigliani, Fine Italian Restaurant in Pinner, Middlesex

Osteria Modigliani Restaurant, Pinner, Middlesex, UK. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
Where can you get real Italian food, cooked by a chef who cares about Italian food?

We read about Osteria Modigliani in a local magazine and when we padded through Pinner, decided to pop in and have a look.

The first thing which strikes you is the Modigliani portraits along both walls done the sidewalls leading to the bar at the far end. Four portraits are on each wall, large portraits.

I asked the owner, "Were the ladies Modigliani's 'girlfriends'?"

He smiled, "Yes. 'Night' girlfriends."

Uh-huh.

Having read that Dante Gabriel Rossetti had a wife and two girlfriends, variously described, not to mention ladies painted by Toulouse Lautrec and assorted others in Italy, and Paris France, I had immediately wondered about the subjects of the paintings.

We discussed the wine list extensively. My husband just received his diploma in Wines and Spirits.

In addition to the wines on the menu, if you know your Italian wines, or want to know more, you can ask. He will show you other bottles of wine. One is his own label. If you want a limited quantity organic wine from a small grower, he has that.

The lunchtime set menu, offering half a dozen choice (only three options for desserts), is cheaper than evenings. You can have two courses or three.

The toilets are white and bright, clean, tiled, new.

The owner's first name is Christian or Cristian. That's all you need to know.

The restaurant business card has the drawing of a plate and knife and fork.

Osteria Modgliani
Fine Italian Restaurant
52 Bridge Street
Pinner
HA5 3JF
www.osteriamodigliani.co.uk
info@osteriamodigliani.co.uk

Opening times
Tuesday-Friday 12-3 pm and 6-9.30 pm
Saturday 12-3 pm and 6-10 pm.
Sunday 12-4 pm.

Pinner is on the Met line from Baker Street.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
(I also have some blog posts on Italian, but the owner speaks perfect English. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.

Fellini Goodbye. Hello Porta Grande!

Problem
What's new in Hatch End? Fellini restaurant Caffe's owner has gone, retired, moved. Now the entire restaurant, in prime position on the corner of The Broadway on the Uxbridge Road, and Grimsdyke Road, with a car park right behind, is changing. To what?

Answer
It's still Italian. The name Porta Grande means Big Door. Presumably a big door, in a a grand place, and a great welcome. A new menu and decor is promised by the new owners.

When?
They will be closed October 31st, Halloween. That's a Tuesday. They are re-opening mid November, the 17th November, to be precise, on a Friday, ready for the weekend, with the new look in time for Christmas and New Year.

Tel: 020 8428 0111

Tel: 020 8428 4359.

www.portagrande.co.uk

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Yes, you should book a restaurant table

Stories
Shanghai, CHINA
My worst disaster was in Shanghai. My friend assured me she knew a wonderful restaurant and no need to phone because they did not take bookings. Our taxi drove round and round and both my friend and the driver were unable to find it. Eventually, she located the name and address on satnav. We got out and walked to the number. The place was boarded up. They had gone out of business.

Usually the opposite happens. You arrive on what you think is an off season midweek night, What could go wrong. The place is humming and full. There's a wedding, a conference, or it has just opened and advertised a free drink in the local paper.

Or it is tiny. Only six tables. All full.

I have often arrived at a place where I want to eat and met the guard on the door who demands, "Do you have a booking?"
I recently learned by chance what to do.

SINGAPORE
I went to IO, Italian restaurant in Singapore, on a dark wet night, the Friday before our last weekend, and found the place packed.
The man on the welcome desk said welcomingly, "Do you have a booking?"
"No. But could we see the menu in case we want to book for another day? Ooh, it looks lovely. We'll definitely make a booking."

We retreated out of the way and phoned. "Hi. Can we have a booking for tomorrow? You're fully booked? The next day? No. You can do it when? The day after - no, we're going overseas. We're outside the restaurant now - if you get a cancellation. Please note our phone number. You have a cancellation! Forty five minutes? Fine!"

By the time we'd checked out two other rival restaurants, looked into the wine shop window, and been to the toilet, and got back to reception, it's thirty minutes. Five minutes to get to the front of the queue. Twenty-five minutes.
I said, "We have a booking. We're a bit early."
"Would you like to sit and wait at the bar, and order a drink?"
I said, "While we're waiting, may I look at the cabinet of desserts?"

I photographed the entrance. I'd only been by the large dessert display two or three minutes when the head waiter appeared and whisked us in:
"Your table's vacant, Madam. If you don't mind an unmade table, you can sit and read the menu, while we lay the table and fix it up for you."

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Please share your favourite posts.

La Rugoletta Italian Restaurant - Such a lovely evening

La Rugoletta Italian Restaurant. Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Italian cuisine. Notice the green rocket motif.

Problem
Where to go for an evening meal in London. Indian or Italian? We looked at three restaurants. All seemed good.

The interior has paintings, wine bottles and flowers on the tables.

Answer
But when our wine buff saw that the Italian restaurant offered BYO, Bring Your Own bottle of alcohol, that clinched the decision.

La Rugoletta has two branches. The one which was nearest to our friends was closed. We didn't mind. I thought the smaller restaurant looked as if it had basic chairs. Were the seats and back broad enough for me. Never mind. We visited the larger, more chic restaurant.

We found parking free in the road outside after 6.30 pm, providing that you watch out for the double yellow lines on corners and other no go areas and read the signs.

One of the two smiling waitresses came forward to greet us immediately and showed us to our table. The place settings already set up with knives and forks and napkins and the menu, water glasses and wine glasses.

My trip to the ladies put me in a good mood from the start. It was conveniently nearby on the ground floor, no trip upstairs, nor down to a basement nor round the back of a building. It was spotlessly clean, white and gleaming chrome. Looked like it was installed yesterday.

For starters we ordered ravioli. It proved pleasing to look at and a satisfying taste and texture.

My main course was the classic chicken with white sauce and mushrooms and saute potatoes. I was in heaven.

The portions were large, large enough for me to have some wrapped up to take home.

We shared desserts. The chocolate soufflé eclipsed the other chocolate dessert, which as Okay, just not quite as zingy and moreish.

We had a candle on the table. And two roses.

Coffee came with a wrapped biscuit. I didn't have coffee. But I ate the biscuit!

At the end of the evening, I noticed a lady sitting at the back. I recognized her from the restaurant's website which I had looked at earlier in the day.

My first question to her was, what does La Rugoletta mean?

It means rocket, a variety of lettuce, which you see pictured on the front of the restaurant menu. Rocket has a peppery flavour.

I had been looking for a translation of the word on the internet earlier in the day without success. The usual Italian word for rocket is rucola. Rugoletta is Napolitan dialect. (From Naples, Italy.)

My other questions was: why does La Rugoletta offer BYO? We found BYO at restaurants all over New Zealand. BYO is much rarer in London, England, and other cities outside New Zealand.

The husband and wife team opened their first small restaurant intending to apply for the 'liquor license' as Americans would say. But customers were so keen on BYO that the restaurant stayed that way. The system suited both management and customers.

When they opened their second, larger, restaurant, they applied for the liquor license and you can order a sweet dessert wine with your dessert. However, you still have the option of BYO.

When we left the two young waitresses, one of whom was Romanian, had run to stand either side of the gate to smile at us and say goodbye and thank you.

La Rugoletta,
308 Ballards Lane,
Finchley
London
N12 0EY
Tel:+44 (0)208 445 6742
www.la-rugoletta.com

Latteria mozzarella bar, my latest favourite Italian restaurant in Singapore

Problems
Location
Finding the Latteria Mozzarella bar.

Name
What does the name Latteria mean?
What exactly is mozzarella?
Menu translation - what is burratina?

Answers
Location
Finding it is not problem. It's on the corner in Duxton Hill, which is clearly marked by a signpost.

Name
The name Latteria means dairy. My first thought was latte is milk. Right. As Singaporeans say, correct. But I guessed milk bar, and it's dairy.

Menu and Mozzarella
According to Wikipedia:
"Mozzarella (English /ˌmɒtsəˈrɛlə/; Italian: [mottsaˈrɛlla]) is a southern Italian dairy product traditionally made from Italian buffalo milk by the pasta filata method. Mozzarella received a Traditional Specialities Guaranteed certification from the European Union in 1998. This protection scheme requires that mozzarella sold in the European Union is produced according to a traditional recipe. The TSG certification does not specify the source of the milk, so any type of milk can be used. In Italy mozzarella made with the milk of the Italian water buffalo is an important variety."

Ampelos Wine Cellars of California
I went to a wine dinner, a set meal with pre-arranged dishes (no choices) and matching wines. The meal featured wines from Ampelos Cellars in Santa Barbara, California. The name Ampelos is Greek for vine. The winery owner Peter Work wore a distinctive American cowboy hat.

Peter told us about the winery following the organic principles established by Rodolf Steiner, better known to me for his architecture featuring curves to soothe both the well and the sick.

The other speaker was Peter's wife Rebecca. She enlightened us about how many choices you make when deciding on the kind of wood for wine barrels. Wood from which country (American Oak, French Oak etc). Should it be roasted, if so, medium ...etc. Should the wood be made with dry or wet treatment.

Wine - Prosecco!
We started with Italian Prosecco which is my favourite. The staff are Italian and the waiter who served us came from the same place as the Prosecco. The name Prosecco di Valdobbiadene means Prosecco from Valdobbiadene. (Confusingly, Prosecco was originally both a place name but the grape has now been renamed Glera, to avoid confusion.)

Welcome Canapés
As we stood around outside the front of the restaurant, we had Prosecco with canapés. My favourite was the smoked salmon - which I love. I'm allergic to calamari, which other people sampled.

Sit Down Menu
Then we sat down for the dinner, matching the food to the pre-ordained wines brought over by the wine maker, rather than the usual way you dine by choosing your food and then the wine.

I marked both the wines and food dishes out of ten as a simple guide to what to re-order. (My husband made proper detailed tasting notes for himself, on appearance such as colour and density, bubbles if any etc, aromas, taste (sweet, acid, tannin, finish) and quality assessment.

The Burratina
The mozzarella cheese I tried was a burratina, served in a white bun shape, with a soft centre. Rather bland, but lifted by the tasty accompaniments. That was a novelty. I gave it 5 out of ten, but loved the Viognier, which I gave 8 out of 10.

An Italian meal includes a past a course, before the meat. Yes, we then had pasta. Veal ravioli. Enhanced by a cream sauce, visually enhanced with the contrasting colour of pistachio nuts scattered on top. The numbers I awarded were creeping up. Seven out of ten both food and the Pinot Noir, Santa Rita 2012. I don't normally like Viognier, nor Pino Noir, so I was impressed.

The next dish was the highlight for me. Oven baked Chilean Cod fish. I normally prefer plaice to cod but the cod was exceptional, with roasted pumpkin. None out of ten for that.

The main dish was Lamb shank. To finish we had dark chocolate and hazelnut parfait.

Service was brilliant, except I was not offered the coffee or tea.

My observation is that when you have a speaker, they should go round every table in turn to speak to every diner. The waiters should have a tick list of every table being served tea and coffee. Also just because the husband or host says, 'no thank you.' to the offer of coffee, does not mean that the wife or guest did not want any.

My overall assessment of the meal was 4 out of 5 stars. That's the top mark for a restaurant.

What would have taken it up to 5 stars - Michelin standard in my opinion?
1 A real surprise in the presentation of the dessert. For example, made in the shape of a swan or ship or basket; or a surprise - doing something unusual such as an exploding bombe, or cutting open to reveal another colour and flavour.
2 Special chocolates served with the coffee and/or bill.
3 Something to take home - such as a rose for the ladies, a chocolate wrapped in foil, a discount for another meal on paper shaped like an origami swan, or even an address card in the shape of a Prosecco bottle, or shutters opening to reveal a Prosecco bottle.

At the side is a pleasant patio if you want to eat and drink al fresco.

Latteria mozzarella bar (and restaurant)
40 Duxton Hill, Singapore 089618
Tel:(+65) 6866 1988.
Open lunch time 12-2.30 and evening 6-11.30.
info@latteria.com
www.latteriamb.com
www.ampeloscellars.net
www.ampeloscellars.com (the vineyard in California, USA)

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker

Italian Restaurant, Dona Theresa - why?

Problem
Why did I go back to Dona Theresa a second time in one week? If you enjoy something once, is there a danger that the novelty will wear off?

Answer
Why did I go back? Why not? Different people (except for two), different experience. The menu is varied, and the specials board included new items such as a pecan tart.

Stories
Bread and butter is on the table when I arrive, plus the carrot and celery and a dip. The centrepiece on the table is silver and solid.

Starter
This time I started with smoked salmon and avocado. The salmon was salty enough to be tasty, whilst the avocado was a refreshing contrast and added a healthy touch.

For my main course I had turkey, again. Seasonal turkey will be gone by January, so I might as well take advantage of the option whilst it is available.

Manuel does look after the regulars.

Another table had a birthday. The lights dim. Happy birthday to you plays. Along comes a candle like a flashing firework. I've seen this all many times, here and in other Italian restaurants in Hatch End, for the past thirty years.

However, my Indian friend says he has never been to an Italian restaurant before. He usually eats Indian or Chinese. My right eyebrow is doing a little dance of surprise so I hold it down with my fingertips.

He is also very impressed by the restaurant's Happy Birthday performance.

Another member of our group comments how impressed he is by the mural and the whole atmosphere. Yes, Saturday night when the restaurant is full, when the winter starts so early that the candles and flashing lights are illuminating the dark and the reds and vibrant colours of the restaurants, it is at its best.

Mural
The mural is of Venice and we spend a happy half hour analysing it. There's a lot of it, over two walls. Must have taken ages to paint. I wonder whether it was done using a photo. We discuss the perspective, how the boats on the canal are four different sizes. The largest boat is in the foreground. The smallest ones are along the back.

Prosecco
I order a Prosecco. I used to order kir or kir royale in our local Italian restaurants, every time. For years. But now I am converted to Prosecco. It is not an extravagance. It is cheaper than the kir royale. The pink of rose Prosecco sounds attractive and costs no more. But my companion points out that the pink Prosecco is brut which is the driest, so I opt for the plain Prosecco.

I must have liked it because it all disappeared. (Most dry red wines I am offered sit untouched in my glass or get poured away at a wine tasting.)

This time we play musical chairs which is great because you get to talk to more people. I should have moved more when offered the opportunity earlier.

Desserts
Others opted for Christmas pudding, tiramisu or ice cream. The ice cream, said one person, "is a refreshing end to a meal".

I tried to wear my polite happy face as I broke the bad news to him, heavily censored. I said: "Ice cream is full of calories, all cream, or milk and eggs and sugar, frozen calories."

He didn't offer to share. I should have asked, offered to help him diet. He said he would have liked to have been given a choice of ice creams, as he had three flavours. But he ate every one of them quite happily. He never offered me any.

The lighting is impressive. Some may consider it gaudy, but I thought it was very tasteful and lively and colourful.

We finished with coffee. I had decaff.

Plus, of course, at least one of the mint chocolates. Since you ask, two. You have a choice or orange foil or green foil. Curiously, meaning I am curious as to why, but also it is strange, that I flatten out the foil in the vain hope that I shall save it and use it again to decorate Xmas cards. Yet other diners to do the opposite. They scrunch it up into a tight ball. Sacrilege! Cruelty to foil. I wanted to save it and re-use it. I was foiled.

The toilets are conveniently, if you'll exclusive the pun, on the ground floor opposite the bar. The ladies was enhanced by a pink dancing candle. The supply of toilet paper was copious. About three white rolls, stacked up by your right hand, all vying for attention.

Service is good. The restaurant is just the right size, not too small and not too large. You can always raise your hand and catch the eye of somebody serving, even when they are at the bar at the far end. If you want your food wrapped up to go, no problem. You need a paper bag with handles/ Manuel will fetch you one. (If you can't remember his name, it's Manuel, like the waiter in the TV comedy programme about the restaurant, Fawlty Towers. Still having trouble remembering the name, you need a manual.

If you are a regular, Manuel will greet you warmly and look after you. A very pleasant evening.

I have written other posts on Dona Theresa and the other Italian restaurants in Hatch End in this blog and on TripAdvisor. I also have several posts about my recent trip to Umbria in Italy.
Come back tomorrow. I shall add some more photos of Dona Theresa restaurant.

Dona Theresa, Italian restaurant,
451 Uxbridge Road,
Hatch End,
Pinner,
Middlesex
HA5 4JR
England.
Tel: +44 (0)208421 5550
Website:donatheresa.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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Choosing a restaurant for a group Christmas party

Problems and Questions
I have had two meeting with groups at Dona Theresa, Italian restaurant, this December 2016. (Gosh - it's nearly 2017.) At the first party, one of my fellow guests asked me and the others on my table "Why did you choose Hatch End, and why this restaurant? How did you know about it?"

She was from Kenton and did not know Hatch End but had parked outside and saw that Hatch End has four Italian restaurants plus about twelve more restaurants. All are within five minutes walk, up and down both sides of one short, wide main street called The Broadway.

Three of the committee members live in Hatch End. Committee members had discussed all the possible venues for a Christmas party in this location and two of three others nearby. We had already had a successful party here. Was it time for a change?

Answers
We needed a place large enough for all our potential members. We wanted the entire restaurant so we could have speeches. We did not want to commit money in advance, before we had time to collect it from the members, nor did the club want to pay for those who had to cancel if they fell ill, nor get in arguments with them about not refunding their money. After all, the whole exercise was to create goodwill amongst members, cement commitment to the club, and have a happy time. Large restaurants will only give you the whole restaurant if you guarantee a certain number of places.

Then there is the cost. If you have to guarantee a certain minimum, you need a certain number to break even. Do they need a deposit?

And do you feel that the restaurant, regardless of their terms, are simply explaining the economics from their point of view? Are they being unfriendly and aggressive, unhelpful, uncompromising, unwelcoming. Or are they being nice about it, agreeable, saying, "I'm sure we can work it out"?

Stories
A couple of our members enterprisingly, or perhaps greedily, depending on your positive or negative view or life and other people;s motives, went along to sample the food. They wanted to try the turkey, probably the most popular choice at Christmas time in England. What could go wrong? Who knows? Even a reliable place can go downhill, maybe in case the chef had changed or changed suppliers.

A vote was taken on the shortlist of restaurants. Phone calls were made.

One thing must be said about Manuel, he is always smiling and happy and keen to help. Other restaurants had problems. We could have the whole restaurant on a different day. We could have half the restaurant on the same day, sharing with other groups or individuals.

The same thing happened with the second group, much smaller. The alternative restaurant could take our initial numbers, but when we wanted a larger group, they did not have room. Restaurants are limited by the numbers their cooks and waiters can cope with. That is pretty obvious. They may also have to take into account things you don't at first think of, such as fire regulations limited the numbers on the premises.

Would I change anything for a group? Yes, not having any table for a large group for only four people (not my choice - other committee members). The result was that one group consisted of three people who were on the table for four, with an empty seat because one person was late.

So they met nobody new and looked neglected. That table was a round table and could not be pushed together with one of the longer tables. I would choose square tables you could push together.

I would also get half the people changing seats half way through the evening. Any VIP should move table or go round the room speaking to each person.

Have lights full on during the speeches so that any photo or video can be taken and will be in good enough light and focus without time-consuming editing. Also a few people at the back might to hear. Having lights on enables them to lipread.

Tips
Check dates and size of restaurant.
Advise all guests of parking and postcode.
Give everybody the phone number of the restraint and an organiser, in case they get lost.

Dona Theresa Italian Restaurant
451 Uxbridge Road
Hatch End
Pinner
HA5 4JR
Tel: 020 8421 5550 / 0352
www.donatheresa
twitter @dona_theresa
Facebook Dona Theresa Restaurant

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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Photos by Angela Lansbury, copyright 2016.

Funicular song, sung at Fellini Italian Restaurant in London

I had a wonderful evening at Fellini's opera night in London. During the interval for the main course buffet the opera singer, Davide Sorrentino, took a rest and we were serenaded by Vittorio. One of his songs which proved popular with the audience was Funicular.

I recorded the singing and worried about whether the song was in copyright. I looked it up and was amazed to find that it dates back to 1880, when it was composed for the first funicular.

Wikipedia says:
"Funiculì, Funiculà" (IPA: [funikuˈli ffunikuˈla]) is a famous Neapolitan song composed in 1880 by Luigi Denza to lyrics by Peppino Turco. It was written to commemorate the opening of the first funicular cable car on Mount Vesuvius. It was presented by Turco and Denza at the Piedigrotta festival the same year. The sheet music was published by Ricordi and sold over a million copies within a year.



Fellini restaurant and caffe has events through the year listed on their website and you will see posters or brochures outside the restaurant.

More details from

www.felliniacaffe.co.uk

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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More On IO Italian Osteria Restaurant and Etna

What's Osteria? Hostelry, same word.


Etna - what's mount Etna? A Volcano. A friend tells me: "Sicily wouldn't exist without Etna. It's a volcano island." That explain a lot.

Service
Everybody rushes around. A bit confusing as two people may try to take your order and you want to be careful not to order twice. Another confusion was that we wanted a quarter bottle and one glass, not two glasses of wine but one empty glasses, and one glass of white wine.

Anna Borrasi a jolly lady, is Partner / Chief Operations Officer.
IO
#02-01-hillV2
Hillview Rise
website: io-osteria.com
IO Osteria@Hillview
Phone: 671071050
Two other restaurants on one of their business cards:
Etnaitalianrestaurant.com

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Amarone Italian Restaurant, Singapore

Amarone is an Italian wine. The main physical feature of this restaurant is the huge circular pillar with shelves of wine bottles.

The chef's free taster was good. Moist and moreish. Also good was the oil for dipping bread. the bruschetta starter was great.

My pumpkin soup was disappointing, oily, after the lovely mustardy potato pumpkin soup I'd had earlier at Halia restaurant (see previous review).

The restaurant is large enough for you to sit in an anonymous corner for a business meeting or tete a tete.

The desserts of the day were apple crumble and chocolate cheesecake. I love apple crumble, which has healthy sounding apple, as well as satisfying crumble but I have so often been disappointed by a crumble which turns out to be cornflakes that I opted for the chocolate cheesecake.

This arrived with a few raspberries. Full marks for adding fruit. (Still not a match for the over the top calorific New York style cheesecake at some delicatessens.)

Incidentally, there's a deli counter at the entrance which I did not have time to investigate.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Christmas and New Year Dinners: Fellini Restaurant, Italian

In London it is bright and sunny in December 2015, a bit chilly, so the conservatory which was open to the air in summer is now glassed over.

Earlybird menu, two courses, £12.75.

The menu is displayed outside.

Here's their phone number, tel 020 8428 4319.

Doesn't that table look lovely and inviting.

Celebrations: Decorations and dips with fresh vegetables to start.

Fellini Christmas tree and reindeer and in one of my previous posts.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.