Evening Standard from London, Greater London, England • 112

i 32 Wednesday 8 May 2002 Evening Standard wwwthisislondoncoukfood Which London restaurants are worth going back to time and time again? Certain of a good time: classical French dishes at Almeida in Islington Chinatown moves: the team from Aroma II are now in Gerrard Street at Aroma Up to scratch on second helpings ft AROMA but not with their erstwhile chef David Tan who is cooking Shanghai food at Capital a few doors away warm and capable housekeeping creates its own following and we recently had a satisfying Sunday evening supper which included excellent grilled dumplings mou-shou pork with exemplary light-on-the-flour pancakes and a stunning vegetable dish of stir-fried Chinese watercress It tasted good as you felt it doing you good Finally in all the excitement of the new long-serving restaurants such as LE SUQUET should not be overlooked A little corner of Cannes in South Kensington it continues to serve fabulous plateaux de fruits de mer simple robust assemblies like palourdes Provencal fish of the day such as St Pierre a file and meat of the day as earthy as tripe I hold my breath here I know I am going to have a good time And I did FM ALMEIDA 30 Almeida Street N1 (020 7354 2777) £44 LOCANDA LOCATELLI 8 Seymour Street W1 (020 7935 9088) £50 KITTY'S AROMA 11 Gerrard Street W1 (020 7439 2720) £28 LE SUQUET 104 Draycott Avenue SW3 (020 7581 1785) £45 Prices above indicate the cost of a meal with wine for one You're going to love HP digital photography- we guarantee it Just buy an HP Photosmart camera or printer or an HP Scanjet scanner and if it doesn't transform your view of photography we'll give you your money back All you have to do is register your purchase and you'll have 45 days to shoot scan and print your images with absolutely no risk whatsoever Call 0207 949 0122 for further information Or visit wwwhpcomuktrydigital for all the details great hints and tips oh getting the most from digital photography plus the chance to win hundreds of cool prizes was one seared tuna with shaved radish one chicken with crispy bacon ciabatta and one tuna and Welsh rarebit melt with avocado salsa too many offered on the lunchtime menu of a new Islington gastropub that sent me running into the comforting arms of the bourgeois French menu at ALMEIDA down the road I had reviewed Almeida favourably when it opened last December and the rationale for this and the following brief reviews is checking to see that all is still in order And going where 1 am pretty sure of having a nice time The lorrines rillettes and saucissons on the hors trolley were neat and tidy pristine in some instances hut we started with half a dozen oysters with spicy chipolata (Hordeaux-style) and plump but dainty frogs legs in garlic-and-parsley butter After that came unassailable lapin a la moutardc and poulet a 1'estragon the sort of dishes Elizabeth David evoked so lovingly It is odd that these days French should seem almost a theme but it is a theme most efficaciously done The ring-back service works on the telephone number for LOCANDA LOCATELLI Hi is is a valuable tip for anyone trying to book a table at the hot ticket of the moment The fact that chcfproprietor Giorgio Locatelli was away making a TV programme might have accounted for an unevenness in the perfection of the dishes tried last Thursday lunchtime To some extent it was a matter of who chose what and I drew the short straw with a first course of flaccid sweet shrimp mixed with soft wild mushrooms and win the pasta course with the slightly still' and worthy ravioli of wild herbs 1 lowever my gounnandising friend for whom it was the fifth time of eating there said hers was the best meal (broad-bean salad gnochetti with mushrooms jierfectly roasted duck) she had had so far Then is a pleasing relaxed urbanity about the room and some terrific Italian wines In Chinatown nothing stays the same for long Kitty and Ken Lee who ran Aroma II in Shaftesbury Avenue are now in Gerrard Street at KITTY'S invent Participating retailors JESSOPS John Lewis 5m i W-M I tj I homatan applin to product purrtmsecJ brWan Id May lHh Junr 2002 mud he ngnd 1 8 end am Dnm nnl nUncf tw purchaser's dukilray righfc OHer if Cmttad to nmuttance fcx one camera one (inter anrliy arc scanner pnr person Mud register wrthm 7 days of purchase Mud lump He lien arressorias and receipt of purrhnsn Mud appiy far fermtemre wilhin 45 days al pun iise Rcniitancr may he portal or hid depmlmg on cundihon of rehirned prJui1(s and ntarn of urxmarins manuals and lohwne Renulkince is by direct money transfer Participants may Ic nMjiiirud to partaiptite in advertising or prnmatmns liy the promoter Full terms and conditions apply fcir hit details ail 0207 949 01 22 or visit wwwhpcomuklrydigital cir pick up a Inode dure Offer upplms In the Mlowing products only HP Phatosmart camera 318 HP lliotosmart rnmera 812 HP Phcdbsmmt asmera 715 HP Hinlnvnarl namera 812 HP Ftmtoirnart printer 100 HP Phatosmart printer 1115 HP Fhatounart printer 1315 HP Samp scanner 4470 HP Snmp srnraw 54AI Pleasing and relaxed: Locanda Locatelli Ratings among the best to be found in London notable good adequate poor i.