Review: Wild Lime Restaurant and Bar

One of today's reviews (I will post three in total)features a pretty restaurant situated in Portswood, called Wild Lime. Although the restaurant's aesthetics invite the diner in, the food and the food service disappoints. Each and every time I have been there I have gone in with high expectations. The clean, open inside of the restaurant is inviting and the shabby chic décor is charming. They always have quizzes and other events on which is good for people in the area to gather there and socialise. However, even though the front of the restaurant informs the customer that the establishment they are about to go in is a Bar as well as a Kitchen, it does not perform as the latter very well. First of all, the food takes very long to come, so if you are ever in a rush to grab your grub, this isn't the ideal place to go to. Second of all, the staff doesn't seem to be very informed about the Kitchen's working hours or availability of certain meals. It seems almost as if the Kitchen is a completely detached place that hasn't got much connection to the main Bar and seating area. Last time I went to The Wild Lime, my friend asked for a roasted vegetable and halloumi wrap. After waiting a while for the food, the waitress informed her that she has only brought the wrap with the vegetables and not the halloumi. The reason for this was because apparently some people have confused the salty cheese with chicken before, therefore the restaurant had decided they would ask customers whether they in fact wanted the cheese and knew precisely what the food was. Now, my friend was only informed about this upon the arrival of her food, not before, as they should have done. The waitress asked her if she wanted the halloumi (after informing her of the distinction between halloumi and chicken), after the wrap was served in front of her. My friend answered that indeed she wanted the cheese. After a long while after, after my friend had finished her meal (the food would have gone cold otherwise), a separate plate of halloumi arrived. In my opinion that is just absurd. The staff should have questioned my friend immediately after she placed the order for the meal, not after bringing the wrap. Furthermore, even if they had done that, and asked her after serving the wrap with the vegetables, they should have brought her halloumi very shortly after she said she wanted it. The fact that it took even a longer while for the star of the dish, the halloumi to grace her plate, than the rest did, is unacceptable. In addition to this instance, I have gone to the Wild Lime a handful of other times to eat, because of some event or another I went to with friends, such as Christmas dinner, etc. I have found that the food time and time again is very boring, overpriced and taking extremely long to come to the table. I would recommend that if you decide to go to the restaurant you do so for the Bar, not the Kitchen as it is likely to disappoint.

Mango - Restaurant Review

Hello all! Since yesterday I wrote a review about my favourite restaurant in Southampton, I feel it is appropriate that today I talk a little about my second favourite: Mango. Mango (I will be reviewing the one in the centre of Southampton) is a Thai Tapas Bar and restaurant and it is some of the most delicious food available in Southampton. When you hear the name 'Tapas', little portions of Spanish food come to mind and to have a Thai Tapas Restaurant is a brilliant innovation on the concept of Tapas. First of all, it is the perfect restaurant to go if you love sharing food and trying a little bit of everything by doing so. Second of all, you also have the option of ordering a full meal for yourself (for those of us who don't like sharing so much) and they have a selection of stir-fries, soups, salads and noodles guaranteed to suit every like. The wide selection means that I spent a while trying to decide what I was going to order, because everything sounded absolutely delicious. I finally ordered a soup to help cure my cold and it did the perfect job. On the side I had tempura vegetables and I received a wide selection of mushrooms, peppers, courgettes and cauliflower which was all scrumptious. There was some sweet and chilli sauce on the side of my tempura vegetables which gave it a nice touch and the sauce itself was also very scrumptious. Which brings me to my favourite part: dessert. I ordered a salted caramel and brownie tort and although that sounds extremely indulgent, it was just right. It wasn't excessively sweet, the brownie filling of the tort was rich and dark, which contrasted nicely with the more sweet caramel on the top. The coconut ice cream scoop on the side was my favourite part. I am a fan of coconut ice cream and Mango Tapas Restaurant's coconut ice cream was gorgeous. I will also add that the selection of alcoholic drinks was also very affordable and I shared a happy hour deal with the friend I had lunch with and the raspberry cocktail we ordered was tangy and delightful. I will also add that the service was excellent and the attentive service provided by their waiters and waitresses made for a great customer experience. Additionally, the atmosphere was very agreeable. It reminded me of being in a calm temple, with little Buddha statues and tropical plants placed adequately in the modest restaurant. I have been there many times but always in the afternoon, so I will comment on the type of lighting they had for that time of the day. The lighting was dim and appropriate for the etherial ambiance. The music was soothing and provided a nice backdrop for conversation to take place. The prices overall I found to be affordable and for any students reading, I believe you will find that to if you decide to go to Mango Thai Tapas Bar and Restaurant. It would make for a great location to go for Valentines Day which is fast approaching but it would be wise to call in and book in advance as spaces there are limited. Overall, I would greatly recommend this restaurant and bar for anyone visiting Southampton or who lives in the city but has never been there before. It is located just five minutes away from WestQuay which is good news for anyone wishing to take a lunch break from a day of shopping and who doesn't really like the crowded eating spots in the dining court of the shopping mall. This is all for today and I will post another review of Southampton spot tomorrow, I hope you are all having a great day.