Lomito Argentinian Style Steak Restaurant, Northwood

 

Lomito is Spanish for sirloin steak, occasionally a steak sandwich. Who has a steak sandwich? Not usual in England. Only here. That is the whole point. This restaurant is Argentinian style. 

We knew it would be a big meal so we went without a starter, especially as I had already eyed the desserts.

Round Rolls

Up came small warm round rolls with crispy outsides. And oil. If I had known that they served herb butter with the steaks, I would have asked for butter with the bread starter.

Drinks

I drank a glass of Prosecco. Standard fluted glass. 

The two men had glasses of red. The other lady, looking after her sleeping daughter, opted for one apple juice. 

Four styles, cuts, of steak. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Steak Variety

Steak is one of the dishes this restaurant feaatures. Two of our group ordered the steak for two persons deal, and received four types of steak. We started with the fillet and then tried the other three types. The fillet was definitely different. The other three, well, pretty similar, no preference.  

Spatchcock Chicken

Spatchcock chicken at Lomito restaurant. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

I had the spatchcock chicken. That is split and spread on the plate in an x shape. 

One of our group of four adults opted for the vegetarian pasta, because she has salmon so much at home and in restaurants. 

Pasta at Lomito Restaurant. Photo by Angela Lamsbury.

The flavour was not remarkable and next time she would opt for the salmon.

What about potatoes? The steak dishes come with a choice of potatoes. So I bagged a couple of chips. 

Chips at Lomito restaurant. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

My meal came with salad on the side, a mound of greens with small tomatoes. 

at Lomito restaurant. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright

Plus a tiny, tasty flower.

at Lomito restaurant. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright

Desserts

at Lomito restaurant. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright

I opted for the trio of pannacotta. All creamy. Not what I was expecting. Creamy, with different coloured toppings, a bit like cheesecake or mousse in a glass.

A nice touch was real frit on top. Well presented.

A good choice for sharing between three. Too much for one. I would not order that again. Unless sharing or taking some home.

Tiramisu In A Wafer

at Lomito restaurant. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright

 The tiramisu was unusual. Not the usual sponge biscuits, but a large wafer. for an edible bowl. Definitely different. Not my taste, but the tiramisu fan liked it. 

at Lomito restaurant. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright

Decor

The decor is interesting. Cows or bulls and ethically dressed gaucho figures, the horsemen who are beloved symbols of Argentina and South America - with a guitar, all very jolly and atmospheric.

Seating and Booking

We managed to get the last table, booking on the day. The frontage of the restaurant looks a modest size, with a doorway between two glass windows. Inside there's an open kitchen area on your right, tables on your left, a staircase in the middle down to more tables in a basement, more tables at the side and back, and another room off the back which might suit a large group or birthday party.

Toilets

The toilets were on the ground floor at the back. The handicapped toilet was on the right inside the door to the washbasins shared by the ladies and gents. The handicapped area as usual had its own washbasin which I liked, having manoevred myself inside with my walking frame.

at Lomito restaurant. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright

The fancy gilded double toilet roll holder was a nice glamorous touch. 

We were too full for coffee. 

Take Away & Leftovers

The other couple took home a portion of tiramisu for a late night snack, and because the four year old slept through the entire meal in her push chair, having had an exciting but exhusitng day at Wobrn Safari park (see my previous post.

Regarding my leftovers, not much. Just a tiny amount of salad. The brown box had a slot lid which came apart in my shoulder bag and left a mess, so I would take care to place it in a plastic bag on another occasion.

On a return visit, I would opt to try the sticky toffee pudding instead. (As a dessert a holic, for a fine restaurant, my top choice would be Mill Hill's restaurant with apple strudel, or a take away strudel from B & K in Hatch End.)

But for delightful decor, something different on the menu, great steaks, and smiling service, we were happy with Lomito.

Where Is It?

Northwood is an upmarket area on the Uxbridge Road, in north west London.

Driving west towards Heathrow from Edgware, Hatch End, Pinner, when you reach the main high street you have Northwood station and Waitrose on your left, Lomito at the far end. 

Parking

On Saturday night in August 2025 I was relieved to see that parking ws free in the high street outside the restaurant after 6.30 pm,

Lastly, remind us about Argentina. Don't cry for me Argentina. Its the southern tip and upwards of South America. Second largest south American country after Brazil. 

Useful Websites

https://www.lomitorestaurants.com/

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Italian words for cooking and shopping in Italy and Italian delis

At an Italian show in London I saw some pasta in different colours. The brand name was Livera. I came home with a brochure showing handy pictures of different shapes and colours of pasta. 

Here are my translations into Italian which will help you translate Italian pastas and other foods on restaurant menus. Also for trnaslating packaging of items you consider buying in shops or online. 

Italian - English

acqua - water

arancio - orange

bicolore - two colour / two tone

colori - colours (plural)

di - of / made of

doppio cuore - double heart

duro - hard

e - and

farfalla - butterfly (feinine singular ending in a)

farfalle - butterflies (feminite plural, shaped pasta piece)

fischi - whistles

fischietti - little whistles

funghetti - mushrooms (or mushroom shaped pasta)

giallo - yellow

grano duro - durum wheat

limone - lemon

maxi  - large

mini - small

monumenti - monuments

nero - black

orecchiette - ears

orsetti - teddy bears

papillon - bow tie

peperoncino - paprika

spinaci - spinach

rosso - red

tonde - round

tricolore - three colours / three tones

English - Italian

Black - nero

Bow tie - papillon

Orange - aranchio

red - rosso

round - tonde

spinach - spinaci (plurral)

teddy bears - orsetti

Three colours - tricolore

Whistles - fischi

How do you eat a Shanghai dumpling at Dim sum or snacks? Advice from Singaporean Chinese

Problem
How do you eat a Shanghai Dumpling?
What is a Shanghai dumpling?

Answers
In Singapore at a hawker centre I was treated to Shanghai dumplings. They are served in what looks like a circular steamer or basket carried to the table with a lid to keep the contents warm.

The dumplings are made of a pasta pinched together at the top. Inside is minced pork in a soup or clear gravy.

If you puncture or pierce the dumpling making a hole the delicious soup will spill onto the table making a mess and you will lose the soup and maybe even the contents if the dumpling disintegrates in mid-air.

It is not just a politeness to lift the dumpling carefully by the top and not pierce it. It is in your own interests not to lose the succulence and the juice.

Use your chopstick to lift out the dumpling and place it on your small plate. On the way to the plate, dip the dumpling in ginger-flavoured dark brown soy sauce in a tiny dish.

The Chinese name for Shanghai dumplings is 'dragon ....'.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

You can see the Dumpling photos on the internet. My photos will be added later.)

Welsh Words List Expanded For Holidays In Wales With Writers

Problem
1 How do I learn Welsh?
2 Do I stop and keep repeating the difficult words and sentences until I get them right? Or just keep going, hoping eventually repetition will make whole phrases and sentences stick?
3 Why Welsh?

Answers
Duo lingo
1 I am learning though Duolingo. I've tried several systems. They are all good.

Earworms
I like Ear-worms. You can listen to while tidying up, or on car journeys.

Babbel
B a b b e l is good and thorough . If you need a language for work or get a subsidy from your employer it might be worthwhile doing their free starter and then paying for the later more advanced course.

But for me right now Duolingo is best. It offers lots of languages. It is quick. You can just do five minutes a day. It's something you can do on the computer when you need a break. You can see at a glance where you were last time.

2 At the beginning I used to do everything methodically. I completed the review. Each time I got something wrong I did the entire review start to finish - sometimes just eight words, sometimes 12, 16 or more.

When you are in a hurry because your holiday is imminent, it might be better to add five new words, instantly recognisable and easy to remember words. rather than spending time practising one you keep forgetting. If you are tired and easily discouraged or doing it more for run than to pass an exam, just plough on.

Secrets Update
I used to 'cheat' by looking words up on google translate. That way I got everything right first time.

Today I made a list of all the words. I planned to write this blog post on all my words up to date.  My first thought was that neither I nor you wanted to see the same old words again. I could save time by not repeating words from the last lesson.

My second thought was that the reputation would be good for me, and you.

Then I found that my writing the words in a list, my notes helped with later translations. At the end of the exercise, you get asked to translate the other way. Recognising the Welsh is easier than remembering the Welsh when given the English word to translate into Welsh.

Welsh - English
B
b y r g e r - burger
C
c a t h - cat (first three letters are the same) Memory aid 'a (Welsh) cat - huh/uh!'
chocolate - c i o c l e d (memory aid - the first and third letters are the same, c and o, then both s and l appear, t and d sound similar)
cawl - soup (Memory aid. Like Porthcawl, the Welsh place on the southern coast. P o r t h is port or harbour.  Cawl might be related to the word Ghaul, says Wikipedia. But I think of it as a harbour of soup or soupy water!
c y r i - curry
L
lemon - lemon
M
mel - honey
O
oren - orange
orennau - oranges
P
pasta - pasta
pel - ball
pitsa - pizza
R
reis - rice
S
s i o c l e d - chocolate (s pronounced like SH as in the name Sean pronounced Shawn)
tatwys - potatoes (like the Scottish mashed neaps and t a t t i e s, meaning mashed turnips and potatoes)
sudd - juice
T
tost - toast
toy - t e g a n

English - Welsh
B
ball - pel
burger - b y r g e r
C
cat - cath
chocolate - c i o c l e d
curry - c y r i
H
honey - mel
J
juice - s u d d
L
lemon - lemon
O
orange - o r e n
oranges - o r e n n a u
P
pasta - pasta
pizza - pitsa
potatoes - tatwys

R
rice - r e i s
S
soup - cawl
T
toy - t e g a n

Language Insights
Welsh has no words for a/an. the same applies to several other languages. If your native language has no a nor an and you struggle with English, you will find Welsh easier than English speakers who keep searching for a and an.

Why Learn Welsh
Why not? If you are going to drive into Wales, you might as well. If you want a holiday in Wales,

Writers and Artists In Wales
Writers Holiday has spring breaks, a summer week, and an autumn break in Fishguard Wales at a hotel overlooking the harbour. On the summer course you can also spend time on painting. (See my previous posts and their website.)

If you have no plans to go to Wales, it's still useful to spot a few Welsh words on the map of Great Britain.

Tips
duo lingo
www.visitwales.com
writers holiday.net

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have posts on languages and menus and restaurants hotels and attractions in Wales, the UK, Europe, the USA, Asia and worldwide. Please share links to your favourite posts.

How to learn and remember Welsh words

Problem
I am planning to visit Wales later this year. I can recognise a few words on the map but want to learn some more and understand signposts and what people are saying.

Answers
You can learn Welsh for free online using Duolingo.

I find it easier to revise and keep track by going through words alphabetically.

GRAMMAR NOTE
Welsh omits 'a' and 'the'.

Free words which are written the same
car - car
lemon - lemon
pasta - pasta

Words with initial letters the same
(Spaces inserted to forestall spell checker.)
y d w - yes

Words with the first two letters the same
o r e n - orange

Words with the first three letters the same
Welsh - English
b a c w n - bacon
c a t h - cat

Words with the same letters in different order
b e i c - bike
r e i s - r i c e

WORDS ALPHABETICALLY
Welsh - English
a f a l - apple
b a c w n - bacon
b e i c - bike
car - car
c a t h - cat
ci - dog
lemon - lemon
oen - lamb
oren - orange
pasta - pasta
y d w - yes

English - Welsh
apple - a f a l
bacon - b a c w n
bike - b e i c
car  - car
cat - c a t dog - ci
lemon - lemon
orange - oren
pasta - pasta
yes - y d w

Tips
www.duolingo.com
http://www.visitwales.com

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, teacher of English and other languages.
I have other posts on visiting Wales, learning Welsh and learning other languages.
Please share links to my posts. 

IO Italian Restaurant in Singapore for pasta and great desserts

IO Italian restaurant in Singapore still serves a huge range of Italian food and glasses of wine, especially desserts. Where is it? The IO Italian restaurant is on the upper level at HILLV2 near Hillview MRT station. You need to book a couple of days in advance to get a booking at the early sitting or late sitting on a Saturday night. But they do accept walk ins at the cross over point if they've got a table.

If you don't get in, you can buy the away food and drink and the upper level has Chinese and Indian restaurants with more down the escalators.

What's the decor? Wooden,

Atmosphere? Crammed with tables close together. But glass picture windows at the back. Huge, echoing, crowded on a Saturday night and humming.

We chose two pasta dishes.

DRINKS
The prosecco was so-so but they have a large range of drinks.

DESSERTS
Alas my favourite dessert (Cassata Siciliana - here made as a huge cake) was not on display. My dessert however had lots of ingredients. Take your choice of fruits or nuts or chocolate. The tiramisu in a lidded jar looked interesting but was mostly cream. I think the solid cheesecakes are a better bet. However, if you like your desserts moist, you might like to mix a creamy dessert with a dry solid one.

This place seems to suit everybody, groups, couples, families with children. Like many restaurants in malls in Singapore, you are expected to use the shared toilets outside in the mall on both levels.

Not much fresh fruit nor vegetables to be seen in what we chose. Next time I'll have a piece of fruit before leaving home. Nonetheless, a very pleasant evening.

IO Italian Osteria
4 Hillview Roade, 02-01HillV2 Singapore 5667979
Tel: +65 6710 7150
www.io-osteria.com

etnaitalianrestaurant.com