WHEN you visit a greyhound track for race night it is expected that you won't win all of your carefully placed bets.

Some dogs look like they can't lose and then they do.

The same could be said for Limoncello restaurant in Sidcup.

The Italian eatery in Main Road looks great inside after a recent refurb and a fairly extensive menu promises much.

It even holds an authentic Italian food market outside every Saturday and Sunday between 10am and 2pm.

However, dishes which should have been odds on to impress seemed to fall short of the winner's enclosure.

On arrival, my guest and I were greeted with a smile from the owner, quickly seated and offered a zesty apéritif while we browsed the menu.

I decided on thinly sliced beef with rocket salad and parmesan shavings (£7.25).

It was good. It was what I expected. The beef was tasty, the salad was crisp and fresh, and the dish was well seasoned.

However, my guest's wild mushrooms and spinach on toasted foccacia bread (£6.50) was swimming in olive oil and a taste of garlic overpowered any taste of the mushrooms, which should have been the star of the plate.

You win some, you lose some but onward to the next course.

I couldn't fault the service on a fairly busy Friday night - except when I was left with half a plate of food.

The menu promised me medallions of pork in a tomato stew (£14.95) but in my haste ordering I missed the fact there was no accompanying vegetables, except a scattering of Cannellini beans.

I only noticed the error of my ways when my pork was placed in front of me and I was disappointed the usually attentive waiter had not recommended a side dish of potatoes when I first ordered.

However, the pork rolled in herbs and chilli was tasty and well seasoned, if not a little swamped in the tomato ragu.

News Shopper: thinly sliced beef with rocket salad and parmesan shavings

Undeterred, I borrowed a tasty spud from my guest's plate of pan fried fillets of sea bass on roasted cherry tomatoes, French beans and mini roast potatoes (£16.75) which looked beautiful and tasted even better.

The fish's skin was crisp and the flesh moist. The chef had almost gone too far with the olive oil again but seemed to think better of it at the last moment.

The vegetables were a colourful and flavoursome accompaniment to a stylishly presented dish.

So, like the starters, a mixed bag.

The real disappointment came in the shape of a dessert calling itself a tiramisu.

I have never seen a tiramisu quite like the one that was put before me in Limoncello and it tasted almost as bad as it looked.

Any hint of coffee beans was lost in a strange, sickly custard cream topping.

The other pud delivered to our table, two huge profiteroles, seemed the better bet and they were sweet and sticky just like a good-bad dessert should be.

The whole meal was washed down with a decent, if unremarkable, house red.

I suppose, when it comes to the crunch, this restaurant is really quite good.

But it is also really quite average.

Like that evening down the greyhound stadium, worth a visit as long as you're lucky enough to pick those winners.