Jamie’s Italian – My wife’s rather delayed 2013 review (unedited!)

The first time I walked into Guildford and saw that it had a Jamie’s Italian I was excited to go. I had heard such great things about the food, plus being a Naked Chef fan it was definitely on the ‘to do’ list.

I spoke to Tim about going there one evening and sadly he didn’t share my enthusiasm. His opinion is that it is over priced and pretentious. A little disappointed I didn’t bring it up again. Until one Tuesday afternoon as it was my turn to pay for dinner I decided I would twist his arm and force him against all his will to go.

We looked at the menu at home before we went, and as someone who is incredibly fussy with her food I have to admit there was only a couple of things that tickled my fancy, but I wasn’t going to be talked out of going.

Reading the menu it sounded impressive, using combinations of ingredients that I wouldn’t have thought of putting together, but that’s one of the reasons going out it so appealing, to eat food we wouldn’t normally cook ourselves.

Walking into the restaurant we were greeted really warmly by the staff and I instantly loved the atmosphere. We were surrounded by decorative produce as well as  pots, boards and wine ready to be bought. We were taken to our table and I had a proper look around the building, the exposed brick and pipe work gave it a real industrial feel but it wasn’t overdone, I could have been in a NY studio apartment.

The chunky wooden table, vintage metal lamp and napkins styled as tea towels made it feel like I was sitting in Jamie’s kitchen.  The waitress seemed nice and took the time to go through bits on the menu that we needed. She took our orders and prepared our bread bowl starter in front of us (although I did wonder how long it had all been out on the side).  This went down a treat though dunking away in oil with extra vinegar.

I also ordered some polenta chips mainly because I’ve never heard of them before. When they arrived I have to admit they weren’t what I expected, they looked like little misshapen  roast potatoes. I’m also not a fan of food that either disguises itself as other food or can’t decide what food it is itself. It was the texture of a potato but almost slightly doughy, I also couldn’t quite work out the flavour. They were nice, I think? Just not as flavoursome as I had expected. I’ve since found out that polenta is cornmeal boiled with either water or stock. Doesn’t sound that exciting really!

My wine was going down nicely, though, I don’t think Tim’s beer was. When I asked if it was nice he gave a shrug and said that it was alright, I was desperate for him to have a better experience this time because what if I wanted to come back?

Mains came along and sadly disappointments came with them. I had the Free-Range Chicken, it was a leg/thigh piece sitting on a tomato, chilli, olive and caper sauce with a neat pile of rocket sitting alongside. The chicken was really flavorous and juicy but I would have preferred a breast, I didn’t get enough good meat as I would have liked. The sauce again was nice but far to thick and chunky for my liking not so much a sauce. Though my garlic and herb chips were yummy, maybe a bit dry but otherwise not too many complaints there.

Tim had the burger and posh chips. It did look impressive when it was first brought over and the meat looked lovely, he was about halfway through when I asked him how it was and he still was  not impressed, I wasn’t winning at this but to be honest I hadn’t been completely blown away.

I also had chips and they weren’t very nice, but maybe I’m just not posh enough to appreciate them, Parmesan I don’t think was the best cheese to go with the truffle oil something a bit lighter would have been better.

We ate as much as we could but had definitely over ordered on the chips. I obviously still had room for pudding though. I have given up chocolate for lent so went for a toffee ice-cream with honeycomb and butterscotch sauce. It fulfilled my need for something sweet but still wasn’t as satisfying as chocolate, though that’s not Jamie’s fault.

I know that it’s impossible to like every restaurant that you go to but I really wanted to love this one. The atmosphere cannot be faulted, it’s a beautiful building and really has that rustic kitchen feel. With the food I can see what is trying to be achieved, exciting, unusual Italian inspired food being brought to the table that isn’t being served in every other ‘high street’ Italian Restaurant.

The waitress brought us our bill and commented on how it was nice to see us again, she was left slightly speechless when I said it was my first time.

It was the most expensive glass of wine and bread bowl I’ve ever had! And sadly I won’t be going back in a hurry, give me ASK or Prezzo any day. For me I think that simple is better! And Tim is probably secretly happy that he was right and I won’t be bugging him to go back.

Sorry Jamie.

Greece: Athens (Αθήνα)

So, I’ve not written about anything for a little while because I’ve been out of the country! To be fair I was around at the weekend and could have done a few articles by now, but I am lazy, so I haven’t, because playing the demo of FIFA 12 was more important.

I am going to do a bit of a series on the things I did in Greece, starting with this page. Then what I’ll probably do is set up some kind of link at the top there so that if you ever decide to go on holiday to one of the places I’ve been you can have a look through all the stuff I did and decide if it sounds any good.

I’ll do a separate post on each of the individual things, so apologies for the very general nature of this one. As I write a review of each aspect, I will add links to the below. There’s more below the itinerary!

The Parthenon in the evening.

Itinerary

Day 0
09/09/2011

National Express Coach: Woking to Heathrow (T5)
Hotel: Sofitel – Heathrow (T5)

Day 1
10/09/2011

Breakfast: Giraffe – Heathrow (T5)
Flight: Heathrow (T5) to Athens – British Airways
Transfer to Athens by ‘limo’
Hotel: Divani Palace Acropolis (5*)
Visit to Temple of Zeus
Dinner: Dionysos
Cocktails at the bar on the roof of Divani Palace Acropolis

Day 2
11/09/2011

Transfer to Ancient Olympia by ‘limo’
Hotel: Hotel Europa (4*)
Guided tour of the site of Ancient Olympia and Museum
Dinner: Hotel Europa

Day 3
12/09/2011

Transfer to Athens by ‘limo’
Hotel: Divani Palace Acropolis (5*)
Dinner: Plaka – Kosmikon Grill House

Day 4
13/09/2011

Transfer to Acropolis by ‘limo’
Guided tour of the Ancient Acropolis
Guided tour of the Acropolis Museum
Lunch: Acropolis Museum Restaurant
Transfer to Megara Airfield by ‘limo’
Flight over Athens (Global Aviation)
Dinner: Plaka – Estiatopion Taverna

Day 5
14/09/2011

Kalamaki Beach
Lunch: Kalamaki Beach Bar
Dinner: Diogenes
Cocktails: Grande Bretagne Hotel – Roof Garden Bar & Restaurant

Day 6
15/09/2011

Tour of Panathenaic Stadium
Transfer to Athens Airport by ‘limo’
Lunch: Everest (Athens Airport)
Flight: Athens Airport to Heathrow (T5) – British Airways
National Express Coach: Heathrow (T5) to Woking

Athens

Having never visited Greece (or the surrounding countries) before I didn’t really know what to expect, in fact, even my experience with Greek food was limited to pitta bread, so I was going in pretty blind.

My assumption was that, as a mediterranean country, there would be some similarities with Spain, with white buildings, swimming pools-a-plenty and olive-skinned locals. I wasn’t far off, although Athens as a large city doesn’t have many pools and the like.

The airport is a fair distance from the city and was built with the 2004 Olympic Games in mind. Once you arrive, you are immediately struck by the state of the city in general. Whilst many cities have areas which are in a poor state of repair, Athens is a city which, outwardly, really looks like it is struggling, with graffiti on almost every building and many in a poor state of repair. There are no high-rise buildings, with the majority of the city restricted to 3 stories and, the centre (Syntagma), not exceeding around 7 stories tall. This all relates to the Acropolis and a requirement to keep every building below the height of the iconic hill.

However, once you begin to explore the city, your impression changes. The best way to look around is almost certainly on foot, particularly if your base is towards the centre of the city (known colloquially as Downtown). The first thing you will notice is that it is hard to walk for more than 5 minutes without stumbling across an ancient building or relic of some kind. Syntagma Metro Station has a whole area behind glass reflecting what was found when the station was built as part of a network also needed for the 2004 Olympics. South of there you will find the Temple of Zeus and in between, if you walk via the Plaka you will stumble across once or two fenced off areas with excavated columns and buildings. The Acropolis Museum and even our hotel are built on top of ancient buildings which have been excavated and preserved behind glass.

The city centre has a number of areas which are well worth visiting for their individual charms. Many of the areas worth a visit are pedestrianised, however, this isn’t quite as strict as you might expect and you will often find mopeds or city vehicles travelling up and down, sometimes with scant regard for public safety! Whilst there are a number of places to visit, the must see areas are as follows: –

Plaka (πλάκα)

Plaka is where you will find a glut of restaurants and Tavernas. Based at the foot of The Acropolis on the Eastern side, it is an area which is buzzing every night, generally with tourists. As you walk through in the evening you will find that every restaurateur is quite happy to promise you the best food in all of Athens and won’t leave you alone until you come in for dinner. All I can say is a good wall through will give you an idea of what’s there and help you decide where you want to eat; don’t be bullied! The two restaurants we visited there were both generally good and I’d suggest there are some bargains to be had, but you also get what you pay for in general. There’s also a small outdoor Cinema in Plaka playing newly released films in English with Greek subtitling, if you’re looking for something to keep you entertained, it’s an option!

Syntagma (Σύνταγμα)

Syntagma is the name for the centre of the city. It is here you will find the Parliament Building, which has a changing of the guards ceremony every hour. In front of the building is a large three level square, which is where the protests of recent times have been held, but for the majority of the time a good starting point and somewhere to spend lunch. Lining the square’s North and North Western sides are hotels including the beautiful Grande Bretagne, which has a fantastic view of the city, including the Acropolis and Panathenaic Stadium from the bar on the roof. Syntagma also has fantastic transport links, with the Tram lines starting from here, buses and the Metro station allowing you to reach almost anywhere in the city.

Ermou (Ερμού)

Ermou isn’t so much an area as a street. It is to Athens what Oxford Street is to London, the shopping destination. It’s a good place to have a look with a number of familiar names and a host of new shops to get your teeth into. Ermou runs from Syntagma, north of The Plaka, so if you have a spare day or even an afternoon before dinner, it’s easy enough to walk between the two via this street (free maps are available from the tourist board offices). Simply walk about 2 thirds of the way down and turn left, keep going until you’re past the flea market shops and it’s all restaurants and tavernas unless one takes your fancy on the way.

Kolonaki (Κολωνάκι)

Kolonaki is where all the hip young things go in the evenings! Unfortunately I am not nearly cool enough to go there, so I can’t give you loads of first hand knowledge, but it’s where the local celebs, the rich and the pretty people hang out. Got to be worth checking out, even if you do look like Quasimodo… Although you might find it hard to get in anywhere if you do.

Koukaki (Κουκάκι)

Koukaki is where our hotel was located. It’s just to the south of the Acropolis and boasts one of the most expensive residential streets in the city – the pedestrianised road Dionissiou Areopagitou. This road is the best way to get to the Acropolis, the location of the excellent Acropolis Museum and if you go down there, not far up from the main road, you’ll find a little yoghurt bar, which is great for a refreshing snack.

The Good

A few general things because overall Greece is a really great place, but you will be struck by…

• The people. Greeks are generally exceptionally friendly, but they are honest too. Many Greek people speak English and almost all of those I spoke to went through some higher education in the UK. I was amazed by how willing to help and to chat some of the people were.
• The food. I did have one meal I didn’t love, although that was probably more my taste than the food itself. In general though the standard of the food was excellent. I didn’t have to resort to ordering a burger once and the dry, hot heat leaves you wanting salad, which is almost enforced healthiness!
• The weather. It’s totally predictable. It’s going to be sunny! Everyone there will tell you that for 8 months of the year there isn’t a drop of rain. I am sure this is a bit of an exaggeration and there was the odd cloud every so often, but they were right, glorious sunshine every day, a lovely comfortable temperature in the evening and fortunately, not too much humidity, making the shade a welcome sanctuary.

The Bad

A confession. I am being entirely picky now, but I have to say something here, right?

• The roads. They are incredibly busy in the city and the drivers (and riders) care little about the safety of people on foot. Driving down the main highway out of Athens and into the countryside, it is not unusual to see cars weaving their way through the traffic, although where they are hurrying to in such a laid back society I do not know. In town, travel by public transport or on foot where possible.
• The taxis. I was lucky enough to have a driver in town, but the Taxi drivers do not have a good rep. They are known for ripping off punters, speaking little English and, at the moment, striking a lot. Make sure if you use one that the meter is on. The one way streets make it hard to tell if the route is the quickest, but it is good to try to get an idea of cost before you set off. Public transport is cheap and well worth taking advantage of.
• The civil service. Again, not something you’ll have to deal with unless you’re moving there, but they can’t be sacked and they aren’t happy about the cuts the government would like to make. The striking garbage collectors meant there were over-flowing bins outside of the most important areas, providing one example of the current situation.

The Ugly

• I am sad to say graffiti is a massive problem in Athens. There is a culture in Greece that people should be allowed to express themselves and there certainly does appear to be respect for ancient monuments and the like. However, little else avoids the spray can and with much of it taking the form of tags, rather than a proper attempt at art it has left some areas looking particularly shabby.
• For a city with so much history, much of it with a genuine beauty, it’s a shame to say that the architecture of residential Athens is uninspired and unflattering. A sea of low-rise cheap boxes in many areas let the city down. The height restrictions mean Athens is a low sprawling city.

As I have said, it’s easy to overlook the less good parts because, as a tourist, on foot, you see little of the negatives. The ancient monuments are well-preserved and the Olympics have brought some modern transport and architecture to the city. I really do recommend that you visit.

As a city break, I would have to give Athens 4/5, although you’d be able to achieve much of what you want to over the course of a long weekend with some good planning. However, the fact you can also visit some of the islands easily by boat, either for a day, or longer means that there is potential to have a top drawer holiday for a week or two, with Athens as your base.

2,051

Write something proper about the new Harry Potter film? Erm. No.

So I feel like I should mention, I saw the Harry Potter Film last night. Part 2 of the 7th book. They have really milked that one, haven’t they! My conscience forced me to say… I should warn you now, because I can’t help myself, I have put a spoiler in this post. Some might consider it big and some might consider it obvious, but it’s there all the same.

I am embarassed that I saw it and even more embarassed to admit to it, but since I talk about most of the things I get up to which aren’t day-to-day then I thought I’d better say something. This is also the third night in the row I went to the cinema, impressive going by anyone’s standards.

I only went, because a friend was desperate to see it and I thought maybe its run would be finished before long, so I gave in. I was actively trying not to see it. I haven’t seen any of the others before and only saw Harry Potter and The Fellowship of The Ring (or whatever it’s called, I don’t bloody know) before this one.

I pretty much expected to have no idea what was going on for a while, but luckily, as it’s aimed at kids, there aren’t any particularly taxing themes to follow, or get confused by.

The cinema was pretty full considering, we were shunted off to one side, having previously sat in the wrong seats and been stared at somewhat harshly by their rightful owners for the next 2 hours.

The popcorn was ok, I bought a hot-dog, ate the Wine Gums and drank the Coke I’d brought from home and, as expected, Voldemort dies at the end.

Oh, sorry, did I spoil it for you? Come on, it’s pretty obvious, even if you haven’t read the epic final book.

That’s all you’re getting on that one. And in case you were wondering…

No, I don’t care that I put a spoiler in.

Yes, I will probably go back and warn you about it, because I’d rather like my readers not to think I am a dick.

Yes, I did swear in a review of a children’s film that children might read. Come on parents, it’s everywhere online, if you don’t like it, restrict them to Club Penguin or whatever crap they do these days.

No, I won’t be putting a picture in, it’s bad enough that I am writing this as it is.

Yes, I did manage to go to the cinema three nights in a row. Not only that, having paid half price on the two previous occasions I did pay full price for Harry Potter… In 3D.

No I’m not going to rate it, because having read all this, I should imagine that you won’t consider my opinion of this film as the most useful; you will want to see it if you’ve seen the last 7 regardless of what I say (that’s about £70 you’ve spent on seeing Harry Potter in the cinema just for yourself) and if you don’t like Harry Potter, you probably aren’t reading this right now, since the title includes the words HARRY POTTER.

Now eff off so I can curl up in the corner and spend the next 2 weeks getting over the shame of not just watching this film, but admitting to it.

If you like this kind of thing though, it’s actually not that bad. 😉

Super, Smashing, Great… Super 8.

Super 8

Since Friday night, unusually, I’ve done three different entertainment related activities, I have taken in one theatre trip and two films at the cinema… I’ve still yet to write about any of them, so I’d better get started…

I’ll do a separate review on each, despite my temptation to throw everything into one epic post, since that wouldn’t actually make a great deal of sense. The most recent and therefore, most fresh in my mind was Super 8, J J Abrams and Steven Spielberg’s latest Sci-Fi cum children coming of age action flick. I’ve never done a film review before, in fact I’m reviewing most things for the first time for this blog and, with that in mind, I may give away more than you want to know. If you think I have, let me know and I’ll try and be a bit more reserved with the next one. Otherwise, read on…

We all know Spielberg, we all know the guy can make a kids movie, with E.T., Hook and The Goonies amongst his credits we also know they are films which are capable of entertaining us whether we’re 13 or 33. Finally we know the man has a formula. Yes, there is the standard hero story and yes like every film he slavishly follows it, but Spielberg’s formula, is more complex, it’s devilishly clever in fact, so clever I am almost blown away by its sheer genius… Include a fat kid and, if possible, find an excuse to point and laugh at him. Within minutes of the film starting, I am able relax into my seat, re-assured that this time, things will be no different.

Now, for something a bit different, throw a bit of Abrams into the mix and see what happens. Two genuine movie heavyweights pooling their collective resources, experience and knowledge to produce a genuinely scary young person’s film? This could be good.

As it turns out, it’s great.

All the required ingredients are there, characters you can relate to, an underlying story of romance (extra points for making said romance of the forbidden Romeo and Juliet kind) and a giant great big monster. Now, I nearly wasn’t going to mention the monster, the trailers don’t really show it and perhaps it would ruin it for you.  However, if we exclude Star Trek, which is rather more prescriptive and look back at the stuff Mr Abrams is best known for then immediately we have some clues. Take Lost, the TV series which spent a long time confusing people before introducing… a huge monster, a few of them actually. Then there’s Cloverfield, the film which no-one was allowed to speak about before it was released, barely had a trailer and involved the concept of being filmed on a handheld camera before WHAM, a giant monster comes crashing through the city. Sensing a theme much?

In reality then, I walked in not knowing what to expect, when in reality the two main forces behind this film immediately fell back on what they know best, fat kids and scary monsters.

Despite the formulaic nature of the film, both in terms of the overall themes and specific details it’s a genuinely entertaining picture. Special effects are generally barely worth a mention unless they are either exceptionally good, or terrible. In this case we saw a monumental train crash and a cleverly introduced monster, which you don’t get to see eye to eye until very near the end. Other than the general disaster movie/alien invasion, we are provided with a well constructed story surrounding the fat kid and his friends making their own movie, (giving the film its own title) which is believable and at times touching. This is topped off with our story of young, forbidden love between the children of two warring parents. With the film set some time in the late 70s or early 80s it’s easy to buy the innocence of the children in a story which today could lead to only one thing – teenage pregnancy. However, the story, at least the aspects not directly related to giant monsters or disaterous train wrecks almost feels autobiographical. You could believe a young Spielberg or Abrams was running around corralling a group of friends into different scenes and shots almost oblivious to the world carrying on around them and it certainly gave the film a reality amongst the fiction.

Finally, I should also mention that for once, we have a film which does not feel like the start of a longer story, doesn’t feel like its sole purpose is to set the scene for the next film and hasn’t left us hanging, waiting to find out what will happen next. This is a true stand-alone tale and it is better for it, which is becoming all too rare.

If you accept the fact that originality is almost dead in the world of cinema, particularly when budgets are big and expectations are high, this film is genuinely entertaining and will have a real appeal for all ages. The 12A rating certainly reflects the film’s scarier aspects and I wouldn’t suggest this is a film which is appropriate for under 12s. It’s been out for a few weeks, so I’d suggest getting down to see it if you haven’t already, particularly if you have an Orange Wednesday, or O2 Priority thing going to waste.

4/5

900

Here in my car, I feel ner ner na ner, ner ner ner ner ner na ner, ner ner na ner, IN CARS! My Mazda MX-5

Not my one, but basically the same.

So you might have noticed by now I have a thing for using song lyrics in my blog titles. You may or may not recognise that Gary Numan immediately sprang to mind when I decided to review my regular mode of transport and lets be sensible, everyone knows the song, but no-one knows more than about 4 words!

I’m about as qualified to review cars as anything else (not very!) But it’s something I use almost every day of my life and your car is usually the biggest purchase you can make other than a house, making it rather an important decision.

The first thing I will admit is, I have never ‘test-driven’ a car in my life. I had a test ride in my second car, a 1.1 litre Fiesta, but I desperately didn’t want that car and knew I’d have to buy it anyway, so the purpose of that was just to check it still had an engine and working doors as much as anything.

In terms of my car history, I started out with a ’93 Renault Clio, a car which just about everyone I can possibly think of has owned at some stage in their life. It was the original model and had a huge 1.9l Diesel engine in it. It was slow to get started but went along well and shook you to the very core at the lights as the chassis was really only designed for 1.2l petrol engines. I wrote that car off after 2 months of driving (and after I’d earned my first speeding ticket and had to replace the radiator). I then bought my ’96 Fiesta for an extortionate £1,250 and ran it into the ground over the course of 6 years, during which time it had a new engine and was borrowed by my sister, before being returned with that impossible to remove aroma left behind by those who smoke in their brother’s car. When the classification of my Fiesta went from ‘vehicle’ to ‘scrap metal’, my lovely housemate let me use her Golf (1.6l), a 1998-99 model in white which was one of the most lovely cars to drive. In the short time I used it the alternator went and I had to be towed twice by the AA, a company that since has introduced me to no less than 6 of its roadside mechanics!

Finally, my previous car was an Alfa Romeo GTV, a 1997 Phase 1 model which deserves a paragraph of its own. This was a wonderous car. It was one of those cars which as a child I dreamed of owning. An Alfa Romeo Coupe, amazing! It had a 2 litre engine which made it rather nippy and it just stuck to the road. When I bought it (on ebay, funnily enough, not as bad as one might think) the guy who owned it said to me ‘it drives like a go-kart’ and the man was spot on. Over the course of my year of ownership, as I had anticipated the car’s roadworthyness deteriorated at a rapid pace and I eventually passed it on to someone more inclined to bring it back up to scratch than me. This car though, was and may well remain, my favourite car. It drove amazingly, got me to where I wanted to go and never broke down. It had leather seats, air-con, and working electrics throughout and put a huge smile on my face. I hope to see her around again soon.

Now drive a Mazda MX-5.

I didn’t test drive this car before I ordered it either, despite the fact it was to be my first ever brand new car. ‘What’s the point’ I thought, my mum is on her third, she loves them so much and it’s an absolute bargain. Well, it isn’t really, because rather than buying a 1.8l rag-top, I managed to end up choosing the 2l folding hard-top version with metallic paint, air-con and all the other little initialisms you get for spending more than you need to. (LSD and ASP to name a couple).

So, where’s the catch? I looked it up, in terms of fuel economy, top speed and 0-60mph it was exactly the same as my Alfa. Excellent! Every review is amazing and it seems the folding hard-top version really is markedly better, with less road noise and a roof which is able to open or shut in a market leading 13 seconds.

Well, the reviews aren’t totally right. It’s a fantastic car, it goes like sh1t off a shovel and it’s quite fun to drive. But. I’ve now owned (well leased) mine for about a year, so I can give you my own views on it, from an owner’s perspective.

Handling

It’s rear wheel drive. Most car enthusiasts think this is a good thing and maybe I’m just not ‘doing it’ right. In my old car, as I went around a roundabout a smidge too quickly and put my foot down on the exit, it would grip the road and take off. If I do (when I did) this in the Mazda, the rear end slides out and if you aren’t used to this your bowels prepare to evacuate themselves before you slam into that tree in front of you whilst gracefully spinning over a piece of tarmac, then grass. Luckily that hasn’t happened yet, but it could and probably will. However, the car is well balanced, with even weight distribution, meaning that if the back of the car does step out, it’s not too hard to get it to play-ball again. Don’t ever drive this car in the ice though.

So in terms of the handling it’s Alfa 1, Mazda 0, although it’s still not bad.

4/5

Ride

The ride is firm and sporty, but not overly-so. The suspension is just right and the car is well balanced, as I mentioned. It’s probably the best feature of this car and means that around a track, on a drive to work or a long journey to Wales, it is more than up to the challenge.

5/5

Looks

It’s a great looking car. My Alfa was starting to look a little  dated although it too was lovely. I don’t think you can fault the mazda on this front, particularly for the money.

4.5/5

Interior

It’s a decent place to sit, which was one of the main criteria for my car choice. I haven’t got leather seats of anything like that, but it’s none-the-worse for it. The console is a touch dated now, and it’s largely unchanged from that used in the previous iteration of the current model, so has been going for over 5 years now. The controls are functional though. One downer is that there is a large gearbox-related bulge on the driver’s side of UK cars. I am sure this is because the majority of the cars they build are Left Hand Drive, but it does notice sometimes when you change the position of your feet. The roof controls are also ‘the wrong way around’ for the same reason. They are minor gripes though and apart from a slight reduction in storage over the soft top version, it ticks all the boxes.

4.5/5

Boot Space

I generally only need to put my shopping in the boot and even when I bring Alex along and have to fit his in to, the car is well up to the task. Unfortunately there is no spare tyre in there, with just a puncture-repair kit provided. It’s not for golfers or serial house movers though.

3/5

Economy

It’s a good value car to buy, but with the bigger engine it does drink petrol and I typically find it sits at 26.2 mpg. My run to work is not dual carriageways and A roads, it’s a country drive which averages around 40-50mph, so I am sure it can do better, particularly if you are less lead footed, but it’s not a car for the frugal driver.

3/5

Safety

Many thanks for the comment mentioning safety, which is indeed an important issue, worthy of prompting me to edit this review. I have to admit, I had only considered the car from the point of view of an end user, on a day-to-day basis and as I’ve yet to have a crash, the safety of the car was not one of my primary concerns. Of course you don’t want to crash any car (my experince is that it’s not much fun) but of course you do want to know if you do you’ve got a fighting chance. Anyway, given that I don’t have firsthand experience I will point you to Euro NCAP, who’s business is testing and rating cars’ safety in the event of an accident. They’ve given the MX-5 a 4 star rating, which is pretty good (it’s out of 5) although for passengers the car receives just 1 star from a maximum of 4. The full details are here: Euro NCAP.

4/5

Overall

I was told once, third hand, that a Mazda sales-man once said that his was the easiest job in the business, because once you buy a Mazda, you never buy another car again. He’s probably right, but then I can only imagine none of his customers had ever owned an Alfa Romeo.

4.5/5

1,565 words about a Mazda, I didn’t think I had it in me!