I treated the present Mrs Walker to dinner last night at the Back Street Bistro in Holborn Avenue. It was her birthday , afte all.
We had a great evening (and not a bad deal with dinner for two coming in at £24.95 between 5-7pm Monday to Friday) and the atmosphere was relaxing even though the restaurant was busy.
Anyway, we got to talking about what makes a restaurant a good one. Over the main course (I had the risotto and Margaret the chicken - both lovely) we went back and forth with ideas. Is it the food? or the service? or the atmosphere that makes a good restaurant great.
In the end we came to the conclusion that the most memorable restaurant experiences we have had weren't solely because of the food, as important as good food well presented is. Instead, it's a package of decent food, good service and a relaxing atmosphere. If a restaurant gets one of them right that's OK. But it's only when they get a good mix of all three that you have a really memorable evening.
And of course it helps if your dinner companions are in good form!
But what do you think? Food, atmosphere or service. What's the most important to you, why, and where have you found it to be great?
Gavin
