[James]

Please Vote in this Poll and Add a Reply if you have any comments about this Restaurant

Mediterranea

21 Westow Street, Crystal Palace SE19 3RY

Closed Monday
Open Tuesday to Friday 12.30-2.30pm and 6.30pm-10.30pm
Open Saturday 12.30-10.30pm
Open Sunday 12.30-9pm

Web: www.mediterranealondon.com
Email: not available
Phone: 0871 811 1462

Mediterranean

[joleapman]

This new restaurant is fantastic!

I went to Mediterranea with a group of friends on Friday everning and it was fabulous. The food was amazing, with a very extensive choice. It's a real mix of excellent mediterreanean cuisine, including some Saridninan specials!

This is the restaurant Crystal Palace has been waiting for!

I had artichokes and mullet roe as a starter (and others in our group had the sardines which was a speciality), followed by some lovely ravioli.
The trout looked great too.

The food was also extremely good value. This is a top-quality menu being offered at aroud £13 for two courses!

The atmosphere was lovely, very modern and rustic at the same time. But the staff were also great. The owners have worked hard in producing a really high-quality restaurant that you would expect in the West End. But they are also extremely friendly and helpful and explained all the food and wine to us. They are certainly very enthusiastic about food and it makees such a difference. We felt very welcome and looked after!

I will certainly be back - perhaps next time for a romantic dinner as it is an ideal venue for groups and couples.

Try it... it's wonderful.

[elleme]

Based on just one meal, I'd say it was excellent, but I'll probably try it out a few more times before voting. Delicious food with clean, well-defined flavours, and if they keep this up, it's going to be great. Decor might still need more tweaking to get it feeling a little more cosy in the longer term, but it's certainly nicer than it was before, and the lighting level was about right.

[Elmo]

Wow - what great food. The venue isn't as cosy as it could be, but it wasn't too busy... and the food was wonderful. Easily the best I've had in weeks - the fish especially was amazing. It's all fresh from Billingsgate market and it showed in the quality of the produce - excellent. If there was one thing that shone through, it was the passion the owners have for their work, it's a real foodie place - they'll talk to you about the dishes, where they're from and why they're on the menu.

The four of us shared dishes, and the scallops with rocket (£5!!!) were a particular favourite for a starter. As for the mains, go for the Rainbow trout or Seabass, but they all look great.

Make sure you pay Mediterranea. It's a wonderful restaurant, a notch above others on the triangle.

[charlie]

Elmo, on Apr 1 2007, 11:58 PM, said:

Make sure you pay Mediterranea. It's a wonderful restaurant, a notch above others on the triangle.

Elmo - We usually do pay when we eat in restaurants.

Do you mean "make sure you pay Mediterranea a visit "?

Are there any vegeterian dishes on the menu?

This post has been edited by charlie: 02 April 2007 - 09:18 AM

[Helen]

We ate here on Saturday night and were very impressed. We both has the wild boar salami and fennel to start followed by the seabass and trout. The fish was very fresh and the whole meal delicious. What's more the matre'd explained where everything was sourced from and is obviously keen to use local businesses where possible (i.e the Blackbird Bakery)

I can't wait to go back!

[Elmo]

charlie, on Apr 2 2007, 10:17 AM, said:

Elmo - We usually do pay when we eat in restaurants.

Do you mean "make sure you pay Mediterranea a visit "?

Are there any vegeterian dishes on the menu?

Ooops!! Yes I did... can't edit the blummin' post either! As for veggie options, I'm really not sure. Have a look in the window if you get the chance, but bear in mind that the menu does change.

I had the wold boar to start as well... and I now know what to do with my fennel when it arrives in the veg box

Going back for lunch this week...

[LSPE]

You can slice them finely (as I do) and pan fry them and use them as base for meat dish.

I think in Rome there is a dish with fennels and cheese to bake in the oven (or similar)

I love them sliced thinly and just with olive oil, salt and pepper (last night salad)

There is plenty u can do

Just never call an Italian guy fennel (the translated word is finocchio) as it is extremely offensive ……

This post has been edited by LSPE: 02 April 2007 - 10:15 AM

[elleme]

There was one main course veggie option on the evening I went, and probably 2 or 3 starters which were veggie. Nothing veggie on the lunch menu the other day.

[LSPE]

I thought the ravioli were veggie

[Liliput]

Thought we'd do a test run with the new bubs here recently one quiet afternoon.

The wild boar salami, sardines, and mixed grill were fantastic along with the rose wine, ricotta cheese cake and tate tatin - the proprietor was very friendly and I hope this becomes a CP mainstay.

Give it a whirl.

This post has been edited by Liliput: 08 April 2007 - 10:44 PM

[The Joker]

Visited for the first time on Saturday evening.

Despite the spartan interior we were very impressed with the food. For mains we had a wonderful tagliatelle with crab meet, chilli and ginger (1) and monkfish kebabs skewered on rosemary with a couscous salad (2). Both excellent. A white chocolate thingy to follow that was also good. As it was closing time the owner brought over a couple of complimentary shots of liqueur - a nice touch.

Had a little chat and he said both he and his chef have lived in the area for a number of years. The owner previously managed an Italian resturant in central London. When I commented on the similarities between his and Al Torre's menu he chuckled and remarked that they see each other at Billingsgate some mornings!

With mains between £8 and £12 and most wine between £12 and £15 I also thought it was very fairly priced and is worth a visit.

[scrappy]

Mr Scrappy & I went for dinner here last week, and it was really, really good, and excellent value for money.

We had:

Fresh sardines & scallops for starters
Crab tagliatelle & sea bass for mains
Tarte tatin & cheesecake for puds

It was all beautifully cooked, nicely presented and the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. If I had to find anything wrong with it, it would be the rather spartan decor - needs pictures on the walls! - but we had such a good time that, after a glass or two of wine, we didn't really notice.


Scrappy

[Rom]

Have been meaning to write about this place for a few weeks. Have been in for dinner quite a few times now and it has become one of our favourite restaurants. The focus is genuinely on the food and the ingredients used are fresh, seasonal and authentic. The owner is constantly looking to make improvements and seeks feedback every meal so I think we're onto a real winner. Highlights for us have been the wild boar salami, the fresh sardines and pretty much any of the pasta which is all home made (sometimes by Effizio's mum). And of course the fresh fish.

Last night we tried their home cured salmon for the first time and also a monkfish and scallop dish which was perfectly cooked and as usual the food was faultless. The sardinian cheeses had just come in and were delicious. The Italian liqueurs are a lovely addition to the end of the meal as well and it really is top value for money.

Effizio is well aware of the current interior not being ideal and has plans for further additions particularly authentic Sardinian plates and baskets. It has been more a function of having to prioritise as a new restaurant rather than not realising it needs work and I think they have been right to focus on the food and then worry about the interior as they settle in.

In short we think this place is superb. I hope more people try it as I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[Wombat]

My wife, teenage daughter and I went about a week ago. We were extremely impressed.

The interior is simple and comfortable, the service (Effizio in particular) attentive and really interested in what we had to say, but the food was quite outstanding. A couple of examples:

The bottargo starter was quite unusual (at least in these climes) and really rather tasty. A lightly smoked piece of grey mullet roe, sliced thinly and served with salad. Not as assertive as smoked salmon say, but just right as a light opening to the meal.

My daughter's trout was beautifully cooked and more to the point got eaten with great relish right down to the bone.

The wine list is developing - we shared a couple of bottles of a Vermentino recommended by Effizio which was perfect with the food - slightly floral but with a nice crispness to complement.

We gave already booked up for my birthday next week...