Mina (left) and Teddy with our desserts.

La Fiaba del Mediterraneo in the High Street, Caterham-on-the- Hill has established itself as one of the most popular nightspots on the Hill. Its regular music nights featuring singers such as John Lazenby are firm favourites, offering a fixed price three course menu and superb live music. My son John and I went there on a week night recently, which had a quieter atmosphere than the lively music nights. The terracotta floor, the plants and general ambience have certainly created a languorous, Mediterranean feel. We were seated at a table by the window and looked after superbly all evening by our waitresses, Mina and Teddy. The menu has a great choice of starters, tapas dishes and mains and also had some ‘Specials of the Day’ on a separate blackboard to choose from. John chose a tapas dish from the menu for his starter, Patatas Bravas with Chorizo, a tasty potato dish with slices of spicy Chorizo sausage. John said it was ‘awesome’. I chose the Funghi all Aglio - sautéed cup mushrooms in a garlic, white wine and cream sauce with salad, which was dreamy - definitely something I will choose again. There was also the option to choose a starter-size portion of a pasta dish for £5.25 (apart from the Linquine di Mare which is £7.95). The main course choices consisted of meat, fish, pasta, pizza and risotto dishes with some salads to have either as a main course or side. The prices are reasonable with the pizzas, for example, ranging from £7.50-£13.50. Having recently switched to a vegetarian diet I chose the Crespoline di Ricotta for my main course - a pancake generously filled with Ricotta cheese and spinach served with cheese sauce and tomato - wonderful! It was just the right temperature and was very filling. John chose the Vitello Napolitana - pan-fried veal escalope cooked with a garlic, oregano, capers, olives and white wine sauce, finished with tomato and a touch of cream and a separate serving of vegetables. John said the veal was just right and was a real treat. We ended our meal with some gorgeous desserts. John chose the Tiramisu, a dessert consisting of savoriardi biscuits soaked in coffee and amaretto liqueur and filled with mascarpone cream. I had a ‘special’, Limoncello Sorbet, which was very refreshing and palette-cleansing. The restaurant offers excellent lunchtime pizza and pasta deals. For more information call the restaurant on 01883 337719 or visit www.lafiaba.co.uk

Funghi all aglio.