We went to Cafe Des Amis on Valentine's Day 2005 in the evening.

Naturally there was a set menu and we only had two hours to allow for another sitting later on. However, it was a great evening and one of our best Valentine's Day experiences. We both had steak for our main course which was absolutely fantastic, comparable to the Gaucho Grill near Bank in London.

The dessert was slightly less impressive. Partly this was because nothing on the menu really took my fancy, but my choice (an orange-based dish) turned out to be a disappointment.

The wine list was extensive with a good price range - although the wine I selected turned out not to be in the vault on that evening. The alternative suggested by the staff was excellent. Bear in mind that we are not buyers of £100+ bottles of wine, so I can't really comment on the quality at the top of the list.

Service is not over-attentive, which we prefer, but we did feel that the quality of the serving staff was a little less than we would have expected for a restaurant of this type. However, the management were friendly and respectful.

The restaurant has, from memory, around 30 tables and can probably seat a maximum of 80 people at a time.

Overall, we found this to be a great place for a romantic dinner with some of the best steak either of us has ever had.

We dropped into theCafe Des Amis in St Albans for a warming lunch on a cold Saturday. Quickly served with drinks we were then left waiting nearly 10 minutes, in a place that was not that busy, for our main order to be taken. Battered calamari rings were utterly lifeless - soggy, tasteless and cooked in tires, possibly rancid oil. Asked if we were enjoying our meal we politely gave our views and were told that "today's delivery might have been slightly below standard". The waiter went off to check with the chef and came back to confirm this was the case and to apologise; no offer of another dish, no offer to reduce the bill. Hey you guys: - Serve good ingredients or don't serve the dish! Insist on decent quality from your suppliers and don't accept second best.

St Albans folk and us visitors deserve better.