The Gay Hussar - Greek Street, Soho

I had read that this restaurant was pricey and the portions were small but having dined here this week with the Gourmet Society discount card,I was neither stung by the price or disappointed with the portions.

I enjoyed a traditional plate of Hungarian starters followed by piping hot goulash complemented by a full bodied Hungarian red. The restaurant was cosy and the ambiance great, despite the wet, winter-like weather. The setting was intriguing: caricatures of famous politicians populate the walls.

I suppose the only disappointment was that none of the staff whom I met were actually Hungarian and therefore their knowledge about the food and culture didn't seem quite genuine.

However, for a fine taste of Hungary in an interesting welcoming setting, you won't go far wrong.

A friend recommended me this place as somewhere in London I should definitely visit. We turned up, and apparently they'd lost our reservation, so they decided to sit us down on a table where we were sitting adjacent to each other (rather than opposite each other), which was kind of weird. After some minor complaining they were happy to reseat us so we were actually sitting opposite each other.

I didn't realise beforehand, but it's a restaurant that's frequented by politicians and their hangers on, as is demonstrated by the interior design - rows of cartoon depictions of various politicians that have eaten in the establishment. Also, because of this, you tend to get a certain demographic in this restaurant - older people, shall we say, so if you're looking for a lively restaurant you should probably go somewhere else.

It's quite fusty, but in an endearing way. The waiter that served us was really rather eccentric, but that was good as it provided us with amusement throughout the meal.

The wine list was expensive, although they had some cheaper Hungarian wines which we decided to plump for. The food was good, but not amazing.

So in summary, this place is more an experience than a great eating establishment. Go there if quirky and politics is your thing, but don't go there expecting fine dininig.