66 replies to this topic

[PaulAmersham]

I see One 0 One, an Italian restaurant, has opened in place of the butchers (which will be dearly missed by me at least). I had a chat with one of the waiters on Sunday morning who seemed a pleasant fellow and told me that it's "bring your own" for the time being until they get a licence. The food menu looks reasonable. Has anyone eaten there yet? If so what are your thoughts? I hope to get there at some point in November.

[Eaton]

I didn't even realise that it had opened!

[PaulAmersham]

I was also unsure as to whether it was open or not as there was nobody in there (looked like they did a good breakfast menu though). Seems a bit more expensive than La Rucola in Chalfont. Keen to see if anyone has sampled the food yet....

[Eaton]

I had a look at both the day and evening menu today and tried to take a photo of the evening menu but it wasn't a great success. I liked the look of the evening menu and we'll definitely give it a try.

I've listed below some of the items that were on the menu but as I was taking the photo sneakily the items on either side weren't very clear so there are quite a few items missing.

Starters
Chevri Grill - Bianchetti something (Whitebait)
Carpaccio - Calamari
Fishcakes-

MAIN COURSES
Grilled Salmon Provencale - Grilled Lamb Cutlets
Lamb Shoulder - Chicken Milan
Sea Bass - One o One special
Artichoke Chicken - Barbeque Pork something
Sirloin Steak - Grilled Chicken
Calves Liver - something oz 101 gourmet

PASTA
Pollo Bella Casa - Wild Mushroom something
Lasagne Meat/Vegetarian - Risotto Frutti something
Linguini al Salmone - Carbonara

PIZZA
Margherita - Napolitana
Inferno - Fiorentina
Vegetarianna - Quatro Formaggi
Calzone di Pollo-
Calzone something or other (it might be Monteroy)

[nds]

My wife and I ate there the other night and the food was excellent. It's the same people that run the Cafe Inn. The food is reasonably priced and the staff are super friendly. We're looking forward to going back.

[Eaton]

I'm meeting my husband there tonight so will give a full and frank report later!

[Eaton]

When we arrived at 6.30pm there were 2 tables occupied but the rest of the tables had reserved signs on them. I'm slightly pessimistic about that and sure enough a table was found for us without any mention that we needed to be out by a specific time. However, my pessimism was unfounded because by the time we left every table was taken and they'd turned a table of 4 away.

Ambience 8/10, point deducted for the horribly naff 'med-villa' facade, it would have been 3 points deducted but I accept that some people might find that attractive. The background music was quiet enough to be in the background so you didn't need to shout to be heard but it was Spanish Flamenco music which seemed a bit strange in an Italian restaurant.

Food 9.5/10. I had bruschetta and margarita pizza with pepperoni plus a tomato and red onion side salad. My husband had ensalada tricolore and the special of sea bass with potatoes and veg. We each tried the others food and I have to admit that his sea bass was very good even though I'm not a huge fan of fish and the mozzarella in his salad was gorgeous! For dessert I had mint ice cream and my husband had tiramisu which included, on the plate, an espresso coffee.

Cost was £45, which included a bottle of still water and a diet coke.

The only serious downside that I found offputting were the ladies toilets, which although the tiling, mirror etc were new, I do not believe that the toilet pan was and they should have either replaced it or invested in some heavy duty stain remover.

I would definitely go back as the food was very good so I can cope with the other niggly bits.

[Missjoanie]

My wife and I ate there the other night and the food was excellent. It's the same people that run the Cafe Inn. The food is reasonably priced and the staff are super friendly. We're looking forward to going back.

Good to know. I had a look at the menu and felt it was varied and reasonably priced for Amersham. It looked unpretentious On Thursday evening 28/10/10 it ws packed. Will give it a try.

[LnM]

With two friends, my partner and I ate at 101 last Tuesday night (2nd November). We booked a table in person on Saturday and were advised to take our own alcohol, which wasn't a problem. Two types of glass were required for champagne (it was my birthday, after all!) and for red wine: they were brought and the wines were poured for us with every courtesy.
The menu offered something for everyone - none of us eat meat, and the vegetarian and fish dishes on offer all sounded great so we had difficulty deciding what to eat. Our starters were on the table quite quickly enough for our liking, and they were delicious: the huge bruschetta looked amazing, rich with tomatoes, olives and garlic; the funghi alla forno (baked mushrooms) was delicious, apparently; and my crayfish and avocado salad was good.
After a suitable pause for more wine pouring and chat, our main courses arrived. There had been a mix-up whereby a cheaper, very similarly named dish was served to two of us: we had asked for 'the salmon' and were given 'the linguine with salmon'. We mentioned this and, after a short interlude, the correct (and very good) dishes were on the table. There was no great attempt to persuade us to have what had been provided and the atmosphere remained convivial. The other diners' main courses were spaghetti alla pomodoro and sea bass: both are firm favourites and both were very good.
Desserts are essential at birthday dinners, and they were perfect - tiramisu for three of us and apple pie for the traditionalist among us. Our only mistake was to have coffee: none of us normally has caffeine in the evening and all of us were awake through the night, but that's hardly 101's problem!
My partner colluded with 101's staff to provide a cake, complete with candles and, because everyone in the restaurant sang to me, they all got a piece of cake! That included the chef: he came out from the kitchen and spoke to us later to find out what we had thought of our food. As we told him we thoroughly enjoyed our evening at 101 and will definitely go back, although perhaps we'll ask for de-caffeinated coffee next time!

[Fran]

It sounds very appealing. What about the seating - is it upstairs, downstairs or both? Surely the downstairs it pretty small, though I remember a largish upstairs tea room when it was still Hopper and Babb.

[Eaton]

The seating is only downstairs at the moment but there was a fairly large room upstairs that was used by the Tea Room so maybe they will extend into it if demand dictates it's needed.

The one thing that I'd forgotten about but a neighbour mentioned (apparently she was sitting against the bar so could hear) and I remembered and agreed was that I wasn't keen on the way the manager spoke to his serving staff! I have the disadvantage of being able to lipread and didn't like what he was saying or the way he was saying it but I hope that it was just a blip during the first stressful week in business. When we go in again, which we will, if he is still behaving in such a way I will talk to him about it.

[Fran]

Despite the name, there is nothing Orwellian about the place. We went there tonight and had a really excellent evening; I think it is a small notch above La Rucola in Little Chalfont.

• They now have a licence, so no need to bring your own.
• It was full up with people who had booked in advance (they squeezed in extra tables) and they intend to open the upstairs some time in December.
• Despite being so busy, service was remarkably quick and, as NDS said, super friendly, but without being smarmy or ingratiating. They were especially delightful and helpful to my mother, who was utterly charmed.
• Because of Mel's comment, I was on the look-out for any harshness in the way the staff were treated and I didn't notice any - though there were only two front of house. They both seemed very chirpy and enthusiastic about the place.
• The menu had a huge choice (plus specials); the examples Mel quoted are just a small sample. We had a tough job choosing amongst so many appealing things.
• The food was delicious and well presented. The calves liver and the salmon with artichoke came with enough veg that we didn't really need the side dish of beans that we ordered (but we ate them anyway, so they weren't wasted). The only (slight) weakness was the profiteroles filled with ice-cream: apparently they were a little too solid and the ice-cream fairly average.
• We spent ~£26 per head for three courses with soft drinks.

Overall, a great addition to the town and we certainly intend to go back - and once again we'll book.

[Eaton]

We went back again this evening and I'm pleased to say that the food was as good as it was the first time with very generous starters!

The waiting staff were different although it was the same manager and tonight I have no complaints on his behaviour towards his staff and the toilet pan was new!

We had a table booked for 7pm but we met there at 6.30pm and they didn't have a problem seating us early.

Will definitely visit a 3rd time.

[gazza13]

Went to 101 for breakfast this morning. Unfortunately the water pipes were frozen. So we were offered only hot Chocolate or Tea by the manager. The Hot chocolates were microwaved, not that good and he still charged £5 for the two. Ok they were having difficulties, but I would have thought for water and a couple of spoons of cadburys chocolate stirred and microwaved warranted a small discount.

We also think the manager (South African?) is the same one who bought out Hopper and Babb.

[Elios John Dandrea-Harris]

We ate there on Saturday Lunchtime after a failed trip into London due to the snow. Two adults and a baby.

Decor is ok but nothing special.

They do have an upstairs

Food wise we had the calves liver and the chicken milanese with a side order of sauteed spinach.

The food was satisfactory and enjoyable.

I would recommend for anyone bringing and infant or baby that requires a child seat that you book it in advance as they have only one. Fortunately we had finished with it so that another family with 2 children could use it as their food turned up.

Also there are no changing facilities - I changed him in the small area in front of the mirror outside the toilets but this area may not been an option for parents with babys older than a year as it's not very wide.

Not having tried Guido's up the road i'm not sure how this place compare's but i would say that the food is okay but not stand out special.

The staff were very helpful and the service very good.

[Eaton]

We went back for a third time tonight and again really enjoyed it. They have added diced olives to the bruschetta and I can't bear olives but that is a small issue and I managed to pick the bits out.

We had booked a table for 6.15pm but the met line was suspended due to a signal failure, the 17.27 from Marylebone was cancelled and the 17.47 left late so we weren't sure what time we'd arrive. I rang them and explained the situation and they assured me that they'd hold the table for us but did ask that we kept them informed if we decided that we wouldn't eat there. When we arrived at 7pm they were welcoming and said that they appreciated the fact that I'd called ahead and warned them there was a delay. (For reference they said that they'll only hold a table for 15 minutes if they aren't informed that you will be late).

My only complaint was that I did find it rather cold in there, my feet were like blocks of ice when we left despite wearing my climate control, ankle length riding boots!

[jarrod]

Had a very enjoyable meal here on Sunday evening.

Tasty, well cooked food, friendly staff, good service and reasonable price.

Arrived around 6:30 p.m. and we were the only 2 people in the restaurant, however 2 more couples + a table of 6 showed up in the next half hour or so.

Starters:
- Salmon fish cakes
- Grilled goats cheese

Mains:
- Lamb shank + mash + veg
- Sirloin steak (with gorgonzola sauce)

Sides:
- Chips & Salad (as the steak didn't come with anything)
- Green beans

Deserts:
- Apple pie + ice cream
- Tiramisu

.....plus a coffee and 4 Peronis came to a total of £75.


This was our first visit but we will definately return.

[struthie]

This is where you will find myself and Eaton at least once a week,love it there.

[K&P]

Lovely man runs it; he gave us his menu to take home and consider.

[WatchOutWorld]

We ate there on Friday when we were looking for the butcher that a friend recommended. The food was lovely, but I think my friend needs to go to the butcher more often!

[Eaton]

We ate there on Friday when we were looking for the butcher that a friend recommended. The food was lovely, but I think my friend needs to go to the butcher more often!

I may be wrong but I think that the butcher runs the restaurant!

This is where you will find myself and Eaton at least once a week,love it there.

ahem, it's once a week not 'at least' which makes it sound as if it's more often, although saying that I wouldn't mind!

[Delta]

I have to say that on the one occasion I ventured into One 0 One I wasn't at all impressed with the food or the cheesy 1970's English take on Italian style (if one can use the word style) decor. The staff were friendly and attentive, although not Italian, but the food was very ordinary, not even average and definitely not authentic Italian.

Someone told me that they had a wood fired oven, which is why I excitedly went along in the first place, and that "the pizzas are miles better than Pizza Express". I ordered Pizza and have to say that base tasted stale and frozen like something from the Tesco Value range, about as far removed from a genuine freshly made pizza base as you can get and unfortunately the toppings were pretty tasteless too. There was no wood fired oven. My wife had the Chicken, Bacon and Advacado salad and my son the Lasagna, both of which I tasted and were again bland and just average and a lot worse than the food I get served at home.

Looking at the menu, this is clearly not a genuine Italian restaurant, more an Anglicised version that it is run and owned by a South African! Surely Trading Standards should investigate? Why people settle for this and actually think it's good is beyond my comprehension. Mind you, that's probably what 20 odd years of having a Teco in Amersham has done to dumb down peoples food tastes and standards. Seasons Deli in Old Amersham is in a similar price bracket but worlds apart in terms of the ingredients, food, cooking and taste, and that IMHO is the way forward for a local restaurant.

[Eaton]

Mind you, that's probably what 20 odd years of having a Teco in Amersham has done to dumb down peoples food tastes and standards.

I rarely shop in Tesco and when I do I never buy meat or fish products from them as I believe that meat should be purchased from a butchers and fish from a fishmonger. I'm married to a Spaniard and have fairly high standards but my husband's are even higher than mine and he likes it. Nevertheless if we all agreed on tastes and standards we could be surrounded by McDonalds and only McDonalds.

[WatchOutWorld]

I have to say that on the one occasion I ventured into One 0 One I wasn't at all impressed with the food or the cheesy 1970's English take on Italian style (if one can use the word style) decor. The staff were friendly and attentive, although not Italian, but the food was very ordinary, not even average and definitely not authentic Italian.

Someone told me that they had a wood fired oven, which is why I excitedly went along in the first place, and that "the pizzas are miles better than Pizza Express". I ordered Pizza and have to say that base tasted stale and frozen like something from the Tesco Value range, about as far removed from a genuine freshly made pizza base as you can get and unfortunately the toppings were pretty tasteless too. There was no wood fired oven. My wife had the Chicken, Bacon and Advacado salad and my son the Lasagna, both of which I tasted and were again bland and just average and a lot worse than the food I get served at home.

Looking at the menu, this is clearly not a genuine Italian restaurant, more an Anglicised version that it is run and owned by a South African! Surely Trading Standards should investigate? Why people settle for this and actually think it's good is beyond my comprehension. Mind you, that's probably what 20 odd years of having a Teco in Amersham has done to dumb down peoples food tastes and standards. Seasons Deli in Old Amersham is in a similar price bracket but worlds apart in terms of the ingredients, food, cooking and taste, and that IMHO is the way forward for a local restaurant.

What do I know, I am just a stupid American. BTW, where is the McDonalds?

[Fran]

Looking at the menu, this is clearly not a genuine Italian restaurant, more an Anglicised version that it is run and owned by a South African! Surely Trading Standards should investigate?

I've eaten there once and enjoyed it; you did not enjoy it. Either way, it is nothing to do with Trading Standards because I doubt anyone is misled or that there is any intention to mislead. How Italian are all the staff and chefs in Pizza Express and Ask; how American is McDonald's? You even see white staff in Indian and Chinese restaurants, but I doubt anyone complains, nor should they.

Seasons Deli in Old Amersham is in a similar price bracket but worlds apart in terms of the ingredients, food, cooking and taste, and that IMHO is the way forward for a local restaurant.

Seasons is nice, but I wouldn't class it as a restaurant (indeed, it doesn't describe itself as such) and it closes at 5.30pm. The Artichoke is an example of a proper, home-grown local restaurant, but that is in a significantly higher price bracket.

BTW, where is the McDonalds?

I think the nearest is probably the M40 service station at Beacosfield.

[WatchOutWorld]

I think the nearest is probably the M40 service station at Beacosfield.

Thanks, I will try to avoid that area.

[Delta]

Nevertheless if we all agreed on tastes and standards we could be surrounded by McDonalds and only McDonalds.

I am completely aghast at your closing sentence and strongly believe the opposite would be true. Why should it be that we would all sink to the lowest level?

I'm sorry to say that in my opinion this statement is just so typical of what's gone wrong with British society. Surely, high standards and competition raise the bar in all walks of life and have done since time immemorial. If this attitude was an innate Human trait then we would never have walked out of Africa and evolved. In fact, and dare I say it, we would probably have gone the same way as the Neanderthals!

Edit for spelling!

[Eaton]

I am completely aghast at your closing sentence and strongly believe the opposite would be true. Why should it be that we would all sink to the lowest level?

I'm not inclined to get into an argument with you, today, but tomorrow may be different. The reason I said McDonalds is that even my husband has the very odd McDonalds (perhaps once a year) and I would presume that it is one of the most frequented 'restaurants' (I use that term very loosely) in the world, principally because in every corner of the world that I have been in I've seen a McDonalds! Although I personally haven't eaten in each of them...

Incidentally Struthie and I ate in One 0 One tonight and the food was far from

very ordinary, not even average

and even though it may not be

definitely not authentic Italian.

we still enjoyed it, but I guess that's our

dumb(ed) down ... tastes and standards.!

[Delta]

I've eaten there once and enjoyed it; you did not enjoy it. Either way, it is nothing to do with Trading Standards because I doubt anyone is misled or that there is any intention to mislead. How Italian are all the staff and chefs in Pizza Express and Ask; how American is McDonald's? You even see white staff in Indian and Chinese restaurants, but I doubt anyone complains, nor should they.


Seasons is nice, but I wouldn't class it as a restaurant (indeed, it doesn't describe itself as such) and it closes at 5.30pm. The Artichoke is an example of a proper, home-grown local restaurant, but that is in a significantly higher price bracket.


I think the nearest is probably the M40 service station at Beacosfield.

So you've been there once Fran. Says it all really.

You've completely missed the point on the Trading Standards bit and appear to have gone down the race route which I find rather crass and outdated in 2011. The plain fact is that an "Italian" Restaurant serving Lamb Shanks, Liver & Bacon, packet base pizzas and weak frothy coffees owned and run by someone who is not an Italian is IMHO a bit of a con. I would be embarrassed to take any of my Italian friends from Italy there and surely this is the acid test?

Seasons? My point exactly. It's not even a restaurant but the food is far superior and the pricing very similar. I had Lunch at One 0 One one weekend and Brunch at Seasons on another and the bills came to around £35!

What is your point on Artichoke in the context of One 0 One? Both Seasons and Gilbeys have the same cooking ethos as Artichoke but for different pockets.

[Delta]

I'm not inclined to get into an argument with you, today, but tomorrow may be different. The reason I said McDonalds is that even my husband has the very odd McDonalds (perhaps once a year) and I would presume that it is one of the most frequented 'restaurants' (I use that term very loosely) in the world, principally because in every corner of the world that I have been in I've seen a McDonalds! Although I personally haven't eaten in each of them...

Incidentally Struthie and I ate in One 0 One tonight and the food was far from and even though it may not be we still enjoyed it, but I guess that's our

Fair enough, each to their own. Just giving my opinion. People will make their own minds up. I just felt hoodwinked when I went there, that's all.