Comments: This is definitely my favourite restaurant at the moment, the food is great especially the desert, the service is welcoming and super friendly, I love the laid back vibe.
Highly recommended!!

Comments: As whimsical as the song after which it was named. Octopus' Garden Restaurant, Wine and Coffee Bar, at the St James railway station is the home of colourful dining on the Peninsula.
Walking through the door the first impression is one of busy, bright primary colours and lots of things happening. The decor is an eclectic mix of sea-shells, suspended stuffed fish, bold paintings, colourful light-shades and dark wooden furniture which, incredibly, all hang together in an inviting friendly and endearing whole that is as refreshing as it is unique.
Created and run by owner Kitty... the restaurant and its decor says much about the warm and vivacious personality of the owner.
So much effort has gone into the decor and the attention to detail is as obvious as it is entertaining. It is no surprise then to find the food is excellent and the attention to detail extends to the menu, and the preparation and presentation of the food.
For dessert we tried the Baci de Ricotti which are about to become famous! The noises coming from those who had it (I must confess I did
not) conjured up pictures of Meg Ryan in When Harry met Sally. Just about everyone had to try one of the Baci and soon the whole table was (how can I say it politely?)... swooning? As one lady succinctly put it, Who needs men when you can have Baci de Ricotti!
We finished off with the usual suspects of coffees, (complete with
marshmallows) and Irishes.
Mention must be made of the superb choice of background music that played the whole evening without a single repeat. Early on were some fine swing and jazz numbers interspersed with some mandolin driven Italian folk (I think!) which gradually made way for more recognizable erstwhile musical gems such as the Beatle's Come Together, Santana's Samba Pa Ti, Johnny Clegg's Asimbonanga, and many others that had everybody saying DO you remember this? The nostalgic soundtrack wrapped the evening in a very comfortable blanket of familiarity, rather like visiting relatives or friends you'd not seen in ages.
On the whole Octopus' Garden is the coolest restaurant in St James (as they point out they are the only one) and one of the coolest in the Beautiful South. It will definitely appeal to baby-boomers and maybe a more discerning, younger crowd too.
Give them a try. You can't miss the bright green wall!