‘La Fiaba’ restaurant in Caterham Valley has moved to the High Street in Caterham-on-the-Hill and been renamed ‘La Fiaba del Mediterranio’. Front of house you will find Paul Falkner who has teamed up with Costa and Francesco to help make the transition to the new location a resounding success. My friend Jill and I went along there recently and immediately felt at home in its friendly, relaxed atmosphere. As we
browsed the menu we were given a complimentary bowl of olives to enjoy with our pre-dinner drinks, a lovely touch.

The restaurant was already busy with a large party out celebrating and people were also seated outside the restaurant enjoying the warm summer evening. Jill chose ‘Bianchetti Fritti’ (whitebait) from the selection of ‘Starters and Tapas’ and I chose one of the day’s specials, the ‘Funghi al Aglio’ (garlic mushrooms) which came in a lovely sauce made with cream, garlic, white wine, a touch of Parmesan and herbs. Jill said her generous portion of whitebait had a ‘real sea flavour’ and I could see exactly what she meant when I tasted some myself.

The food is very reasonably priced with a good choice of freshly prepared pasta, pizza, fish and meat dishes. I chose the ‘Risotto Di Mare’ (Italian rice cooked with seafood) and Jill had one of the specials, the ‘Sirloin Steak’ with peppercorn sauce and fresh vegetables.

Both our meals were gorgeous. Jill’s steak was beautifully tender and my risotto was full of tasty mussels, prawns and squid.

The finishing touch was literally la crème de la crème with Paul recommending we have a ‘San Pedro’. He discovered this wicked drink/dessert in South Africa which he said was too good not to bring back! It is his speciality, made from whipped vanilla ice cream and double cream, vanilla liqueur, 16- 18 year-old single malt whisky and Galliano drunk through a straw from a large wine glass. Sumptuous! You will not find it on the menu - just ask Paul. Don’t miss their September special offer - see their advert for details.