Calling Londoners. Where to eat for my birthday treat on on around the South Bank or London Bridge.

[spidermama]

My ahem-tieth birthday is coming up and dh, the kids and I are going on the London Eye. Then we need to eat lunch somewhere nice (because it is my birhtday) but child friendly (because we have no-one willing or able to babysit our four for a full day - SIGH!).

I love that place upstairs in the Festival Hall but it's closed for refurbishment so I'm stuck.

So we need somewhere on or near the South Bank and failing that somewhere around London Bridge would do so we could eat on route home.

TIA.

Oh, and I'm another who's not that impressed with Giraffe. Yes, they like kids. The food is ok. Not great, though.

what time is your flight on the eye? you're not a million miles away from covent garden or china town for dim sum...

Another anti-Giraffe vote - food a sort of pseudo-international mush.

A`second for Tas - yummy and child-friendly. It's situated on The Cut, right near Tate Modern.

actually, i would try in priority order:

tapas brindisa (but would check re the kids thing)
cantina vinopolis - can vouch for a pretty good balance between quality of food, child-friendliness and special occasion ambience.
dim sum in china town - if you can sprint across the river

Cantina Vinopolis, Bossykate - that name brings back very drunken memories, lol...

think i would put tas equal third with dim sum. great food, v. child friendly, smart enough...

quite considerably cheaper than tapas brindisa or vinopolis though if that is a consideration.

i love doing stuff like this in a parallel universe someone would pay me for this and i could make a living at it!

Great thanks.

Wow! Roast looks amazing. No veggie option though which would suit dh and the dcs but it's MY birthday and I'm veggie.

I'm liking the look of the one upstairs at the Tate. Great views and we can do the Tate after we've eaten but, not having been to it, I'm worried it might be a bit canteeny. Has anyone bveen? I guess I'm suspicious because it's affordable.

Bossykate you know your stuff don't you?

Tas- wicked Turkish and baby cuddling waiters

hi spidermama

as far as i remember it's not canteeny in ambience but the menu is quite simple - although that could be an advantage with the kids of course. great views and as you say you have the tate to look around afterwards. your youngest will probably love running around the turbine hall most of all!

we go to the s. bank/borough area quite a lot as you can see - it's so easy to get to from brixton.

hope you have a lovely time

Ah yest I forgot you were in Brixton. Thanks for the suggestions. I'll report back. I'm loving the look of the Bankside under the arches place to.

went to the Taz on the cut a few weeks ago (my evening out with DS! ) tbh I wasn't all that impressed with the food. They were very child friendly. I personally prefered the food at Sofras, one is in Covent Garden - they have a roof garden if the weather was good which would be nice. DS and I and various others have been there loads, you can get a two course dinner for under a tenner, from a set menu or a little more if you are feeling fancy!! Hmm, having put that perhaps not special enough either. But Tas wasn't that fab IMO!

there is a strada (simple italian) at the festival hall. strada is one of my current favourites actually. they have a seafood risotto which is divine.

If its a sunday - Bank at Aldwych does a family brunch (but is more lunch than brunch) - its a lovely restaurant which you probably wouldn't normally take children to but on a sunday its a great mix of proper grown up restaurant but child friendly. no good if its not a sunday though.

Is Sofras the one that has a branch up near Oxford Circus? I really really like that place, don't make it often enough. Quite posh-feeling, but really quite cheap. Lots of little plates, very veggie-friendly.

there is a sofras up in ?st chistopher place. Just behing Oxford street. There is a carluccio's too and a lush smoothie shop! I think there is 5 in all. One is in a tower. I think the website is www.sofra.co.uk. I can't open it tonight.

Yeah, it's Ozer I'm thinking of, which is run by the same folks. Really really really nice place.