Going Loco In Blackheath

We had a great weekend. On the Friday I caught up with my old workmates in Marvellous Maidenhead. On Saturday we travelled into London... and then straight out again -- with Sara and Stasher -- down to the beautiful Bodiam Castle.

Draw a picture of a medieval castle with a moat. That's what Bodiam looks like.

On Saturday night we headed out to "BBC TV Celebrity Chef" Tony Allan's new restaurant in Blackheath called Loco. Amateur review time:

Food: Italian. Good value (£4 starter, £10 main course). I had goats cheese encrusted in walnut, pan-fried and served on a bed of baby spinach, followed by a pumpkin, leek and fontina cheese risotto. The goats cheese was excellent, the risotta a little cold.

Service: Poor. Our waitress forgot to give us any cutlery for the main course and over-charged us for two beers. The service staff were clearly getting used to the whole set-up. Early days and all that. Worse though was the fact that they had managed to "lose" our table booking and the place was packed. Some discreet prodding from Stasher ensured we got seated after a half hour wait. Not impressed by it though.

Atmosphere: Intimate decor, lounge bar, rich colours and dark wood. Busy, noisy and smoky. Open kitchen area and moody lighting. Pretty good on the whole.