Ditto Restaurant Review

DITTO THAMES DITTON

MEDITERRANEAN, MUSSELS, MUSIC AND MORE…

If you love Mediterranean inspired cuisine - and like to get that bit of something extra from your restaurant experience - then look no further than Ditto Thames Ditton.

As well as serving some of the finest food, wines, cocktails and desserts, every Friday night Ditto play host to the best in live music; bringing an extra touch of that Friday feeling to their guests dining experience. Every week a different local act plays and has become a regular fixture for this popular Thames Ditton-based restaurant.

If live music is not your thing, enjoy a cocktail on Saturdays, Bruno’s BBQ on Sundays or Chess Nights on Mondays are also on their weekly calendar of events. Or maybe you are planning an event yourself? Ditto has just started doing venue hire. This can be from as little as 30 to as many as 120 guests – depending on the size of your function. Get in touch to be offered a detailed quote for your next party.

OUR EXPERIENCE…

We arrived at Ditto on Monday afternoon, and were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by one of the owners, who are always on hand to ensure every guest gets the five star Ditto service. The restaurant was surprisingly busy for a Monday with 30-40 diners in total… always the sign of a good restaurant! We choose to sit in the light, airy conservatory area after being offered a table in the Secret Garden (another huge plus for Ditto – as you can see from our photographer’s pictures).

The service was exemplary. Our brilliant waitress Suzanna gave us just the right time to order and even gave us recommendations from our given dietary requirements.

Next up was ordering – with such a wide and varied menu we were spoilt for choice. To start, I went for the King Prawn with Garlic and White Wine Sauce served on toasted sourdough with a mixed leaf salad. The prawns were huge, fresh and perfectly cooked with just the right amount of garlic, not too overpowering. The salad was drizzled in balsamic and the toasted home-baked sourdough slices were the perfect compliment to this delicious dish.

My guest ordered the Salt and Pepper Squid; deep-fried calamari with chilli, lime and basil alioli. Cooked to perfection with just the right amount of crispy batter (no signs of any grease). The chilli, lime and basil accompaniments set this dish off perfectly.

For the main course, I opted for a Ditto favourite, Moules Mariniere; a generous helping of tasty mussels (caught fresh that day) in a sumptuous cream and French white wine sauce with shallots, onions and flat leaf parsley, served with home-baked sourdough bread. If you are feeling particularly hungry, the larger portion Ditto offer of this classic dish comes with French Fries, perfect for dunking if there is any leftover sauce. Devine.

My guest ordered the Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini for main which was served in a sun-blushed tomato pesto sauce with fried courgettes, kale and parsley. The fresh, homemade pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and the softness of the pasta filling was perfectly offset by the crunch of the crispy kale leaves. An amazing dish.

The pizzas, which our reviewers have had here on previous occasions, are also fantastic. There are 11 to choose from – seven with tomato bases and 4 without. All are made mini for kids too on their ‘Diddy Ditto’ kids’ menu.

There are also amazing meat dishes to try including 28 Day aged Surrey Farmed Sirloin with peppercorn, mushroom or blue cheese sauce or the Pan-Fried Breast of Duck with creamy mash, heritage carrots, wilted spinach and a wild berry jus.

If you have room, Ditto do brilliant dessert options too.

Choose from delights such as Sicilian Lemon Pana Cotta, served with a mixed berry compote and lemon shortbread or Tiramisu Cheesecake with biscuit base, coffee and Tia Maria liqueur, topped off with fresh blueberries and mint. There is also Ditto’s Chocolate Pizza, a savoury pizza, Nutella spread and your choice of sorbet or ice-cream. Slightly sinful but equally delightful.

IN SUMMARY…

We were mightily impressed with Ditto Thames

Ditton from start to finish. The quality of the food, presentation, décor, service and ambience was top notch. Surrey is blessed with lovely restaurants but this was a class above the rest.

Hope you enjoy dining out at Ditto – we certainly did.