Recurring theme: Strada Exmouth Market

After a few drinks after work it was always going to be eating something out last night and where better than an old faithful?

The Strada on Exmouth Market always has great staff to go along with the usual great menu and wood fired oven pizzas.

I had the margherita (it's always my benchmark for a pizza) with the other half going for a rustica. The pizzas are still the best in the UK for a chain and are always great.

These ones went down exceedingly well with a rose prosecco and were perfectly topped of with some limoncello and grappa.

Overall score: 3.5/5

Tiredness can kill: Yassar's

It's not often I'm too tired to cook.

Last night was one of them though and a Yassar's kebab was the order of the day. Yassar's has been around for almost as long as I have serving up kebabs for usually drunken people.

Mostly I eat in the restaurant but last night was a take away. It was a great shish too served up with some rice, veg, salad and chili. Great if you can't be bothered to cook.

The picture doesn't sell the kebab well but it tasted very good indeed.

The review score below has been amended for a relative kebab shop score.

Overall score: 3/5 

El Parador: Great tapas in Mornington Crescent

Last night four of us went to El Parador in Mornington Crescent for a fairly late dinner. It used to be a regular haunt went I worked in the area and I'd always enjoyed going there.

The specials are usually worth checking out and offer bit more variety than the usual tapas offerings you get. Either way, last night's visit was a winner, with a great selection of meat, fish and vegetarian options. From memory, we had:

• Grilled octopus
• Beef with thyme
• Scallops
• Chorizo in cider
• Deep fried calamari
• Grilled artichokes
• Tortilla

And a load of other stuff that's a little hazy, maybe due to the 2 bottles of perfectly good house red that went along with it. A great place to go and never expensive either.

Finishing off with coffee, calavados and all stuffed to the brim it came in at around £25 a head. All in all a bargain and one worth going back to.

Overall score: 4/5