Art of Good Taste
in association with Tio Pepe
Charles Campion
Charles Campion has written about food and restaurants for the London Evening Standard for over a decade, he has appeared on various foodie television programmes and written a number of cook books. He also writes Charles Campion's Guide to London Restaurants - supported by Tio Pepe and published by Profile Books, £8.99.
Choosing a Restaurant to Suit the Occasion
There are 40 or so different restaurant guides that cover British and London restaurants. Restaurants tend to be assessed depending on three factors: Food. Service. Ambience. Of course you want good food, you'd like the service to be friendly and unintimidating, and you need to be at ease at the table. But in reality the mantra of F.S.A just chips away at the surface. What about the cost? What about the wine list? Does the restaurant have a good cheese board? Where is it? Handy always beats a route march.
Think who you are dining with, your Bank Manager will probably warm to a different kind of restaurant than your sweetheart.
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Think about the time of day, a restaurant that may be the perfect, relaxed, lazy lunch spot can turn into a noisy beer garden on a Friday night.
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Some cuisines work better in the evening - lots of people avoid curry at lunch time, while eating cassoulet or fondue late at night is a recipe for a sleepless night.
