The Olive Tree

Centrally located and Mediterranean in flavour, this restaurant is one of a grand tradition of eateries which uses the word Olive in its title. And why not? Olives are great little things, they provide oil, they’re delicious to nibble, they make pizzas and salads what they are, they finish off a martini.
The focus is mainly Italian here, and the bread is particularly amazing with a tomato, basil and spinach option. Mmm. The simplicity is what makes it — there are only a few dishes to choose from but they’re excellent ones. I was a huge fan of the vegetarian pancake, a savoury delight filled with almonds, tomato, spinach and mushroom. The combination worked a treat. The desserts are very much traditional, with tiramisu, pannacotta, crème brulee and cheeses, so if you don’t like any of those you might find your sweet tooth unsatiated!
It’s a cute place with a friendly atmosphere and the staff are great. So a couple of goes and you might have exhausted the menu, but who cares? We all keep going back to places and grabbing the same dish again and again — this just makes the process far easier.