Description: There was quite an upmarket feel to this extremely popular al fresco restaurant. We’d walked past it several times and it was always busy and buzzing. So on a Sunday night we decided to dine here. A number of the tables were reserved and I reckon that we got one of the last remaining places in the restaurant. We sat down to consider the menu and then realised that it was O’Pescador’s special night – Sunday is karaoke night. I muttered something about nightmares and disasters and then we both shrugged and decided to sit tight. After all, neither of us intended to participate! If you don't fancy karaoke then Lui, a local musician, performs here live on a Wednesday night.
The dining layout was quite lavish with heavily padded wrought iron chairs ensuring comfort and wooden tables adorned with rich deep blue table cloths, bordered with golden brocade edging, adding to the opulence. Maroon cloth napkins, a substantial cruet and a smart candleholder all complimented the effect. Whilst ordering our meal the singing started and I was extremely surprised at the quality of the voices. We were treated to song after song both from the resident singer, who had a fine voice just perfect for the easy listening jazz numbers of the rat pack era, and a range of really competent guest or karaoke singers. Obviously the odd one disappointed, but overall this was not the tacky affair that we dreaded. We actually quite enjoyed it!
The overall ambiance of this restaurant was great and an interesting array of lights highlight and compliment the plants that flourished in the garden. The place was a mass of fairy lights and a host of star shaped lanterns giving some interesting hues and occasionally some eerie shadows.
Our first course was described as fish fingers, but in truth it was a fine blend of fresh fish and herbs breaded and deep fried. They were served, piping hot on a bed of finely chopped salad and with an exquisitely tasty freshly made tartar sauce. What a superb starter for our meal. We stuck with vegetarian as our main course, although there was a good range of meat dishes (not all Indian) and opted for a cauliflower and button mushroom bake alongside spinach with cottage cheese. I’m afraid we just fancied French fries as the accompaniment. There was no major delay in this being cooked and soon we were tucking into our delicious main courses.
I'd eaten sufficient but my wife was intent on having a desert and I'm too much of a gentleman to let her eat alone! So I had an ice-cream with a warm chocolate sauce. Mmmm - delicious. And to top off the meal we had a couple of Irish Coffees.
This was a great meal in a great venue and our meal only cost us 635 rupees (just over £8 for both of us!). A real bargain for quality fayre.
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