THE ROCK GARDEN ON THE PIAZZA

And again    (no player needed)

I used to go to the Rock Garden to hear bands. It has history. In the '70s bands played there who are now famous (too many names to mention although some are mentioned in the menu - U2, Dire Straits, and Talking heads). For years I thought of it as a great venue where they did some good nosh. Then I decided to dine there and took a table outside ('al fresco').

As I settled at a table- literally on the Piazza - I was remembering the days when I helped lug the stuff in for Billy Bragg (in the days of Wiggy) to play to an appreciative audience. I was thinking what a great venue it was. What's that got to do with the food? Maybe something to do with their standards. Sure they are high - they are after all in the prime spot in the UK. (even a cold rainy November) But there's something more to it than that. The owner Phillip Matthews has stuck to his guns over the decades. He has had more daring and imagination than most. He used to project messages on to the Opera House building site. More importantly, he has laboured thoughout the years to do it his way. He's pretty insistent that the Rock Garden gives value. The place is alive.

I felt this again this when I had a great dinner. I started with butternut soup which they have replaced with Sweetcorn Soup. They change the menu every few months so if you go back again and again (which you do if you have dined there) you have new good stuff to eat.

A decent busker provided the ambient music and I watched how the other people were enjoying their dinner. ...and they were. The atmosphere was great. Waiters were attentive but they never interrupted the conversations or intruded on the peoples' evenings. There were men discussing business and happy parties from overseas apparently delighted to have got the 'best seat' for a good Covent Garden outing. When you wanted a waiter - there they were. Wine? I tried all the house reds. I was impressed - not by the fact that they are just good for 'house' but by the fact that there is a variety to choose from. I still have the napkin i scribbled notes on - but I can't read them except that for me the 'Malbec' did not rock and roll as much as the others.

It's clear they took a pride at 'kitchen' level in the food they served.

It's amazing you can just go and sit down and eat a good meal without booking. I think it's because so much else is going on the tables are vacated by people who want to hear some good music or wander around the Piazza - to soak up the history, the atmosphere and all the rest.