Centonove

So last night was our fiftieth anniversary dinner and we chose to go to a restaurant called Centonove in Kew - I won't go into how come we picked this one - mostly to do with location - and I won't say much about it really. We hadn't been there before.

I guess the experience was a bit disappointing. It wasn't the food - well mine anyway was delicious - my husband's wasn't. It wasn't the service which was charming, erudite and attentive. No it was just that it wasn't special enough for the occasion and also it was just too crowded and noisy. I suppose restaurants pack people in because this is the only way they can make money. The more bums on seats the more money you make. We were shunted into a semi-corridor at the end of the room (just about where the waiter is standing at the end of the bar in the photo below) and the people sitting at the table in the corner by the window were a very noisy group of young people.

I guess it's all to do with expectations. Not that I was expecting Vue de Monde, but this is a one hat restaurant with French wines on an award winning wine list, so I think I might have expected more than was offered.

Disappointing. But we are possibly planning a return visit to Paul Bocuse in Lyon in the summer - so that should make up for it - and spend some of the children's inheritance at the same time!

Not a good time to get married just before Christmas!