Restaurants

With heavy velvet drapes, antique clutter and a welcoming Polish owner, Patio oozes old-school charm. It’s one of three strikingly unreconstructed restaurants on an unpromising strip of busy Goldhawk Road. Three courses, complimentary coconut cake, fruit and a shot of vodka cost just £15.99, so too much quibbling is probably misplaced, but we feel standards have slipped a notch recently. If you’re after whopping portions of hearty home-cooking, you’re unlikely to be disappointed, but subtlety is rare. Reliable starters included a thick slab of Polish ham with beetroot and horseradish, tender herring, and decent clear barszcz. Mains were less consistent and more disappointing. Our pork schnitzel was a dense torpedo of minced pork: tasty, but a lot to wade through. Chicken walewska (breast in a dull tomato sauce) was uninspiring. Usually, delicious fresh vegetable side dishes save the day here – red and green cabbage, fried potatoes and raw carrot often feature – but this time all were a bit tired. For pudding (if you can manage it after the calorie assault), hefty portions of properly dense baked cheesecake or rum-infused sweet-cheese pancakes will leave you truly replete. Somewhat hit and miss then, but not bad if you’re on a tight budget.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008