I have reviewed plenty of restaurants during my two years with the Gazette and I must say, as a whole experience, this was one of my favourite.
The atmosphere was relaxed, the music the right volume, the decoration cool and quirky, the vibe positive, and the staff extremely friendly and chatty.
Limeyard in the Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre, which only opened on September 22 , serves food inspired by the Americas and has subtle hints of an American diner with traditional booths but is not over the top.
Our waitress Ariana was lovely. When asking her about the working environment she seemed genuinely happy, saying the team all get along well.
She said staff tested all the food during training, making selling it more meaningful, and that what she enjoys about working at the all day café and restaurant is that it is somewhere she would choose to go personally.
With the help of Ariana, my dinner date and I made our choices for the evening.
We got mojitos, usually rum, mint, strawberry, rhubarb, lime and soda, £4.95, but the staff were very accommodating when I asked for a version without rum.
To start we shared sweetcorn tamale, £5.75, made of baked quinoa, polenta, parmesan and spring onion with sour cream and the salt and pepper squid, £5.95, with citrus ponzu dressing, red chillies and coriander leaf.
The squid was nice but pretty standard, whereas the tamale was more unusual. It was presented in an artistic way and was surprisingly light.
For the main meal I chose the grilled yellow fin tuna, £12.95, with warm heritage tomato salad and chimichurri sauce, and a side order of house seasoned fries, £2.95.
I thought it was perfect. I asked for it cooked through and that is how it came. It was light, fresh, and delicious. The sauce gave the dish a bit of a kick and it was a suitable sized portion.
My friend ordered the chargrilled 8oz sirloin, £14.25, which came with green chimichurri and seasoned fries, and she got a side of crispy cabbage and radish slaw, £2.50.
She was very pleased with the steak and seemed to be enjoying it. Perhaps it was not quite as rare as she had asked for but she was not complaining as it was more than good.
For something sweet we shared the warm chocolate brownie with pistachio ice cream, £5.50, and the baked apple and cinnamon pie with yoghurt ice cream and butterscotch sauce, £4.95.
The two together were a good mix, the chocolate brownie being more indulgent and rich while the pie was light and fruity.
To be honest I usually walk out of reviews feeling slightly uncomfortable after eating more than my small stomach can handle but after this meal I felt good.
I would definitely recommend Limeyard. The appearance is both quirky and quaint with interesting decoration and cute outside space, and the food- as I have described above- is great.
I can imagine this place becoming a real hotspot in Ealing.
Visit their website on www.limeyardrestaurant.co.uk or follow @Limeyard on Twitter.
