The Waterway, Maida Vale, London

I've been to this place a few times, and I have fond memories. The first time I remember, yes in spite of all the alcohol, was for a friends 30th birthday, going back a few years-in case any of you are wondering, this friend is older than me! Located on the canal it makes for a beautiful setting in this leafy part of London. With plenty of outside space, the lovely terrace makes it ideal when the sun is shining.

This time we made the journey to the waterway for lunch. In terms of riverside places this ranks I'm sure amongst the best in London. The leafy surroundings overlooking the canal make it a perfect place for a boozy afternoon. We arrived and although our table was not yet ready, it would be prepared in 25 minutes. We took the opportunity to get a bottle of wine and sat in the garden to enjoy the sun. The place was buzzing, with a smart crowd who all seemed to be around for hours.

We were lucky enough to have an outside table so made ourselves comfortable with a second bottle of wine.

Although polite I did find the service a bit slow. But on a positive note, it seemed to add to the vibe, we weren't in a rush to go anywhere so we had more time to enjoy the sunshine and the company.

  

We opted for a selection of starters to share and being the easy going people we all ordered either the burger (£13.50) or the salmon (£15), there was seven of us-you would have expected a more diverse selection! I was very impressed with the starters especially the greek meze. I avoid these because usually it's a selection which resembles what you would get from a discount section at the supermarket. Not at the waterway, I can assure you. The taramasalata was the best I have had at any restaurant (including greek ones). It was white in colour, which is exactly how good quality taramasalata should be. Our mains were also very good and hit the spot. I would also recommend the vanilla panacotta.

It was such a fun afternoon and I would recommend this, both for the setting and the food. Just make sure to book well in advance, it's always extremely busy.

The Waterway, 54 Formosa Street, London, W9 2JU, Tel: 020 7266 3557 http://www.thewaterway.co.uk/