THE WIZARDING GOURMET

This issue I, Lilia Le Fay, will again be covering for Jamie Pevensie. Apologies for the absence of Jamie; she is very busy at the moment and does not have the time to write a review. However, she did accompany me to the latest subject of our reviews; the new Alfresco Dining House in Diagon Alley.

Alfresco means 'to eat outside', Jamie informed me as we entered, and eat outside we did! The sky overhead was grey and downcast when we entered the eating house, but passing through the light, airy interior to get to the outside at the back where more tables could be found, the sun shone and the sky overhead became a bright, cheering blue. We were both delighted and confused, and questioned the waitress on the matter when she came to take our orders. She informed us that several strong and complex enchantments had been placed overhead to make it appear as if it was always good weather over the eating house so that customers would feel distinctly sunnier when they entered the restaurant. Both Jamie and I assured her that we were and then went on to order our food, finding the menu to consist of classic dishes from a variety of cultures. After examining the menus, Jamie and I both ordered a light Thai Chicken soup, which was brought to us with great speed.

The soup was delicious - perfectly spiced and made with gorgeous chicken (Jamie ordered a vegetarian version though, which was also apparently fantastic). Myself and Jamie enjoyed it so much that we raved about it continuously whilst we were consuming it and congratulated every waiter and waitress who passed us. The soup was also accompanied by fluffy white rolls which were a pleasure to eat, though Jamie had to give me hers due to her wheat allergy. I did not protest against this arrangement - I was more than happy to consume another of those gorgeous rolls!

For afters, (the soup was such a filling starter we skipped the main), I ordered a chocolate biscuit cake, wanting to sample it and inform my father, who is a well known maker of the dessert, of its quality, and Jamie ordered apple pie and ice cream, insisting she could eat the pastry despite her allergy. Both puddings were marvellous, actually - the chocolate biscuit cake just right and packed full of raisins and nuts as well, which I wasn't expecting. Jamie told me that her apple pie was also lovely, though the pastry was a little tasteless. She went into ecstatics over the ice cream, however, which was made with organic dairy and apparently some of the best ice cream she has ever tasted - which means a lot, since Jamie has a reputation for trying the ice cream wherever she goes.

For fun, both of us also ordered coffee, and though I found mine very bitter, it was made so smoothly I could actually consume it, and my request for a large amount of cream in it was surprisingly accepted.

On the whole, I would rate the restaurant as a great place to stop off and grab a bite to eat at when you're shopping in the alley - it has a wonderfully cheering atmosphere to it and the food is gorgeous!

Rating:★★★★½

- Lilia Le Fay