Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

If you're looking for a safe, tasty bite to eat then you could do worse than Le Piaf. Check tablecloths and basic French cuisine seem somehow re-assuring, although the staff can at times be a little off hand (maybe to add to the typically French atmosphere!) Excellent value.

Putney Station is located on Upper Richmond Road in Putney, directly across the main road from East Putney tube station; it is a stylish place with a busy bar and a great atmosphere. The look is spacious, light and modern with large windows at the front and a romantic garden at the back. The bar serves all your favourite cocktails and has a happy hour from 5 - 7 pm, there are 3 TV screens, which show sky sports and they also have a private area to watch sports.

The menu is contemporary, modern British/Italian-style serving pizzas, pastas, steaks, burgers, salads and delicious puddings. They are open all day every day for lunch, dinner, coffees, drinks, cocktails, snacks, etc, with specials on the blackboard that change daily.

There is an impressive selection of wines, all sold at shop retail prices, not the usual restaurant ones. They start at £7.50 per bottle for Brinkleys house wine, this must represent some of the best value in London!

They can accommodate up to 40 people for a party in the restaurant upstairs and they also have an area downstairs next to the garden, which is available for private hire for drinks parties of up to 80 people.

If you find yourself on Lower Richmond Road with a great hankering for some hearty Italian food, then Blades Barbecue Restaurant would seem like an ideal choice. With its rustic decor featuring plenty of brick and wood, it exudes a cosy and comforting ambience, perfect for a delicious meal with friends or family. The traditional open grill captures your attention as you enter and naturally the inclination is to try one of the juicy steaks they have on offer, which is not a bad choice, although do take a look at some of their other tasty options as well.

Baby squid with parsley, garlic and white wine get the meal off to a great start, and then the grilled sea bass with spring onions and fresh ginger makes an interesting main course. Other tantalising options could include breast of chicken with wild mushrooms, truffle and cream amongst numerous others. The wine list offers a variety of choices which meet your requirements suitably.

Carluccio's was started by Antonio and Priscilla Carluccio as a small café and shop stocking Italian food and ingredients in 1991, and grew into a restaurant serving authentic cuisine at sensible prices in 1999. Antonio is an expert on food and has been a wine merchant, restaurant manager and owner, cookery expert on television and author of twelve cookery books. It is therefore not surprising, that today Carluccio's has over fourty-nine outlets across the UK.

Antonio believes Italian cookery involves minimum fuss and maximum flavour. This is exactly what his restaurants try to do by using fresh produce, and working largely with families who make things the traditional way - with care. Their passion also translates into special events like hands-on cookery classes and recipe sharing, Antonio and his team regularly organise for interested guests. They also offer takeaways and a catering service.

The breakfast menu offers croissants and breads served with butter and preserves or honey and free range eggs, either scrambled or fried and served with pancetta or ciabatta. They also have long cured Parma ham and healthier options like muesli and fruits. These are best had with coffee, tea or freshly squeezed juice. Carluccio's offers an impressive list of white, red, rosé and sparkling wines which complement your meal.

The restaurants offer a range of soup and salads which give your meal a nutritious start before moving on to the mains. If you like pasta, enjoy the small filled parcels served in a ham and cream sauce, or sample the Neapolitana spaghetti with whole fresh clams, garlic, herbs and chilli. The branzino con salsa e patate, fillet of pan fried sea bass served with tomato salsa and sautéed potatoes and Somerset rib-eye steak with rosemary potatoes, called bistecca di bue con patate, are good options too. If you are looking for something lighter, you could opt for the numerous sides called contorni and panini.

In the Tuscany region of Italy, meals end simply with almond biscuits dipped in a sweet local wine, Vin Santo and eaten. You can enjoy that experience at Carluccio's, or settle for a more conventional dolci of tiramisu, warm chocolate and kahlua pudding, your choice of Italian cheeses or gelatos in different flavours.

Emile's brings classic fine dining to Putney in an informal yet sophisticated atmosphere where guests can allow themselves to feel indulgent without breaking the bank. This Felsham Road restaurant is a gem that has been around for nearly two decades, pleasing customers with their range of delicious French food. The cuisine also includes a selection of Modern British dishes which crank up the comfort levels considerably.

Menus change on a monthly basis and could include seared scallops on pea risotto with sage and red wine butter with white truffle oil amongst the starters. Meanwhile, you could follow up with a main course of roast rump of lamb with cumin, raisins and white wine, spinach, chick pea purée and pine nut butter sauce. Finish with a melon salad with pineapple and coconut milk sorbet and choose something from the extensive wine list which covers both the New and Old World with elegance and charm.