Optima Magazine

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The Edgwarebury • Elstree

• The Edgwarebury 3 Feb 12

  stepping into the lobby at The Edgwarebury Hotel gives you a definite feeling of going back in time, with an ornate fireplace, plus wonderful frieze paintings of the Spanish Armada, and wood... Read More

• The Cricketers 20 Jan 12

  When it comes to location, The Cricketers in Sarratt probably has it all. Taking pride of place in the centre of this delightful little village, right next to the duck pond, it’s hard to ignore its... Read More

• Hawtreys 6 Jan 12

  I’ve enjoyed eating at Hawtreys, in the Barn Hotel, Ruislip, several times before (with ‘enjoyed’ being the operative word), but I’m trying not to let my preconceptions influence my experience... Read More

• Buca 2 Dec 11

  ‘Hi Guys… have you had a busy day?’ was the universal greeting as diners were ushered to their tables in this new Italian/American diner at the Village Hotel in Elstree. Buca, I’m led to... Read More

• Bina 18 Nov 11

  Not being A Northwood resident, I was under the illusion that Bina was a new kid on the local restaurant block. Not so. It’s been established – and family-run (now on the second generation... Read More

• Recipe 4 Nov 11

  Chinese food (cue: sweet and sour, cue: special fried rice) has become something of an English institution, with at least one restaurant or take-away in almost every neighbourhood. It’s... Read More

• The Hare 21 Oct 11

  The Hare at Brookshill in Harrow Weald has undergone some notable transformations in its 200 year history, but its newest look must be one of the most pleasing. The interior design scheme is muted... Read More

• Buon Cibo 7 Oct 11

  Sometimes you come away from a restaurant having expected more. Sometimes you get more than you bargained for. The latter was certainly true of my recent visit to Buon Cibo, a delightfully... Read More

• Peking Garden 23 Sep 11

  Many a local restaurateur must be envious of Peking Garden. Its location, central to the Moor Park estate, gives it a captive audience, but it would be unfair to suggest that that is the only... Read More

• Thai Sunset 9 Sep 11

  I love Thai cuisine. Good Thai cuisine, that is, bursting with fragrant flavours and imaginative combinations of tastes and textures, plus the ‘wow’ factor of great presentation. Thai Sunset... Read More