Tipped

Its true the place is hilarious!.

July 13, 2008

Ok well basically a friend of mine wanted to go and check out the store to buy a pair of jeans!, firstly from the outside you would have no idea it was the abercrombie & fitch store, but we could smell the place from a half mile away, and crowds gathered around the place like it was a mecca!, once inside, as stated in the very accurate comment below, I too could not wait to get out, at one point we were nearly stampeded by groups of french school children franticly racing to grab handfulls of abercrombie items like there lives depended on it. the whole place was in the dark with lighting only on the shelves containing clothes, I can only presume this is to stop the staff gazing at themselves in the mirrors instead of serving any customers, also some of the staff were positioned on balconys just to dance, it was all very shallow and sad, but there are plenty of sad and shallow people so im sure the place will do well, personally id rather die than have to enter the place ever again.

Tags: sucked, shallow, vain

awesome but south of the river

July 16, 2008

I don't get to south London very often, in fact I'm one of those annoying people that makes the lame joke about packing your passport anytime someone mentions going to Brixton or Kennington. Ugh! Anyway I came down to visit some friends the other day and we headed to the Fentiman and it was really nice. There were loads of tables out front and the road its on is pretty quiet. Inside was roomy and a mix of super loungy sofas and normal pub tables. I didn't eat but my friends said that the food was great.

The best thing about this place was that it had a split level garden - the higher level deck was really nice and had a massive sail type thing to protect you from the rain - then down some steps and there was a gravel garden with trees and what not and some tables with umbrellas but you didn't need them as this is a proper sun trap (when the sun is shining' - yup this place is awesome.

Tags: garden, food

Keep it simple, keep it meaty

July 31, 2008

The Hawksmoor, named after Christopher Wren's prodigy and principal architect of most of the great spired churches of East London, is like its namesake in more ways than one. Nicholas Hawksmoor was rumoured to be a closet pagan, and many of his churches have pentacles and occult symbols woven into the clean classical shapes and traditional Christian values which influenced his peers. That's why his name is reknowned today when many of his contemporaries have vanished into the history books.

The Hawksmoor has its own brand of devilry mixed in with the genius... the starters a bit demonic, the wine list will cause an apocalypse in your bank account and it's rowdy with a lot of drunken city types. But redemption lies in the knockout organic beef and the to-die-for desserts.

My asparagus was weedy and overpriced. The starters took an age to come, and although the gravadlax and scallops went down well, they weren't worth the £8.50 they were charging. Don't get me started on the wine, suffice it to say the hand-picked reserve reds from specialist vineyards have been marked-up at least 100 - 150%. For example, would you pay £95 for a bottle Baron de Pichon Longueville (Oddbins £30!!!) or like most people go for the £30 - £40 Chiantis or Malbecs which were OK but probably cost £7 in Waitrose and I reckon £20 would have been fairer corkage.

But all is not lost, in fact, they win it all back with the knockout slabs of tender Yorkshire beef which are excellent. Seasoned to perfection, cooked perfectly as you ask, with simple sides all fresh and organic. So this is my advice...

1) Skip the starters, go for the 600g sirloin
2) Order the Il Bastoni Chianti
3) Get the chocolate fudge sunday
4) Feel warm and fuzzy all over
5) Fall alseep happy

The atmosphere is a bit rowdy, but if you get pissed and join in it's a great place to let rip and go meat crazy. It's a lot of fun and everyone really enjoyed it, we all raved about the steaks and the puddings. Just ignore the underwhelming starter menu and please don't be fooled into parting with £150 for a bottle of Californian Merlot, because that really will turn heaven into purgatory...

Tags: steak, meat, organic, excellent quality meat, great puddings, chocolate, overpriced wine list

A respite from the madness

October 27, 2008

Wow - I'd forgotten how busy the whole Spittalfields/Brick Lane/Truman Brewery area has become these days. On any given Sunday afternoon it seems to be the place where Generation X and Y (and a gazilian tourists) rub shoulders with each other, eating stirfry out of foil takeaway containers and warming themselves up on organic coffee before all decending on Vibe Bar - or so it seemed.
So, if all this starts to overwhelm you like it did me, then Nude is a welcome haven from all this madness. We ordered tea and brownies to go but the music was good and the atmosphere calm, so we decided to stay put for a while and enjoy the moment. A group of asian tourists came in but turned on their heels when advised there was no more cake. Hey, I love the cake too, but this place has so much more to offer than just cake.

Tags: coffee, cake, calm, tea,

Sorry Itsu

November 26, 2008

Dear manager of Itsu Picadilly

I'm Charles and I write reviews on a site called Tipped but I'm sure you never knew that. I'm sure you didn't know that I take my dad to Itsu every time he comes to London and whenever I get paid I splurge and get sashimi from Itsu and sometimes when I haven't been paid but just have a hangover.

I'm sure you didn't know how excited I was when I walked into your Picadilly branch and noticed the racks of books about food and nutrition that you had kindly left there for solitary lunchers to read whilst slurping on the noodle soup. I'm pretty sure that you didn't realise that I was taking a photo of these magazines and books to compliment my glowing review of your company and about how caring you guys must be.

But you didn't seem to care! You didn't even ask my why I was taking a photo. You just rolled straight up on me and told me to not take photos in here because it's private property! You then mumbled something about 'brand' when I asked you why you didn't let people take photos.

Its a real shame because I really was going to write a nice review and probably start going to my local Itsu more but you know what over-the-top rude manager I'm not - this is my review. And now whenever I'm hungover or my Dad is in town we're going somewhere else, somewhere where the staff aren't rude and I can take pictures and write and tell everyone about how much I love eating there.

You probably think I'm overreacting, you probably don't care, you probably don't know that I exist.

Fare thee well Itsu

It was nice knowing you

Tags: rude, carrrot juice

Pretty Terrible Pizza

January 02, 2009

We ordered takeaway from Basilico last night and man was it shit. I had the Americana: spicy pepperoni, green peppers, onion, chopped tomatoes, jalapeno peppers and mozzarella. Let’s see, the dough was like rubber, literally had to yank with my mouth to take a bite. The sauce was bland, bland, bland. There were hardly any toppings, which not only sucks for tasting good, but sucks for value. Speaking of value it cost £12.25 for a 13”, crazy money.

Nude Is The New (long) Black

October 23, 2008

This place is awesome, really awesome. Its run by an / some Australians so the coffees are all called flat white or long black which is cool, in fact its pretty standard nowadays. The staff were super friendly.

After a little chat we found out that the owners were super knowledgeable about coffee and had opted to use Monmouth Coffee which suits me perfectly - in fact I prefer it to Union (which Taylor St uses). The coffee was awesome, best coffee I've had in a long while.

Oh and the best thing for me is that they have 2 really nice benches outside for smokers to sit on - thanks guys, it means a lot to me that you care, you will be rewarded with my custom.

Tags: coffee, flat white, monmouth coffee

Good Times Good Vibes Good Coffee

November 12, 2008

Lantana is officially my favourite new place to hang out west of Tottenham Court Rd. I've been a couple of times now and Shelagh who runs the place is super friendly. Her blog is awesome too and documents things like when they recently started serving soup http://scramblingeggs.blogspot.com/

Anyway what can I say, they serve Monmouth Coffee which is good and the coffee was really well made - they have nice cakes and sandwiches which look super tasty plus today they were serving apple and celeriac soup which sounds awesome.

The best thing however, was whilst sitting outside smoking a fag wondering what I was going to do having been stood up by the person I was meant to be meeting, I started chatting to one of the Barristas (does it have a capital B?) and she was completely awesome - we chatted about good coffee in London and what makes a great place to drink coffee (good vibes) and what colour bedrooms should be painted - all in all I haven't met a friendlier bunch of people in ages, plus their coffee is awesome AND they have a table outside for smokers - awesome - i heart lantana.

Tags: monmouth coffee, cake, sandwich, soup, awesome, good for smokers

Things must've changed...

March 29, 2009

We decided to come here for Dad's birthday. When we got there, we were greeted by a busy and buzzy atmosphere. I was somewhat dismayed to find we were sat near a table of 6 suits, but they stayed relatively well behaved, with only a roar here or there. Immediately we were greeted with a loaf of warm bread with butter. I had to stop myself from wolfing it all down.

It took us a long time to decide what to order. The menu was very interesting; duck hearts, ox cheeks, rabbit, and laverbread all featured, as well as steaks as you might imagine. We decided to go for a dozen Hereford no.3s to share as a pre-starter, as is only right when you go to a place with 'Oyster' in it's name. The oysters were gorgeous - meaty and minerally and were a delight to slurp down. They didn't really need the shallot vinegar or the tabasco - just a light squeeze of lemon brought the flavour out beautifully.
For the mains, Dad and I shared the 1kg Aberdeen Angus Porterhouse steak, aged for 28 days - not a cheap dish, coming in at £63, but very impressive. This beast was brought to the table and deftly carved by our waiter. Ordered medium rare, the fillet side was meltingly tender and beautifully pink, with a great charring on the outside. The sirloin side had a fantastic flavour and was enrobed with extremely tasty fat. It is served au naturel, so we ordered chips and purple sprouting broccoli. I was a touch disappointed that the broccoli was merely lukewarm, but the chips more than made up for it - piping hot, with a beautifully crisp exterior and fluffy innards. It was commented on, however, that they were a touch over-salted.Throughout the dinner, the waiting staff were inobtrusive, but also slightly apologetic. I think our waiter was a bit scared of us. Nevertheless, service was sweet and efficient. We were suitably stuffed after this meat binge, but seeing the blood orange and gin jelly with ice cream, I couldn't resist ordering it myself.

All in all, a fantastic meal. We all loved the atmosphere of the restaurant which was loud, busy and bustling. The bill was an absolute shocker though - it's rather expensive. Still, excellent food and quality ingredients don't come cheaply, and Hix covered all those areas.

Tags: British food

Art space, bar space - dark space

September 04, 2008

I love dark spaces, in fact I am rather obsessed with the lighting in bars. This either stems from a problem with my retina or from a love of the illicit, the daring and downwright secretive. When I heard of Shunt I was told "games room, bar, art space". So I expected exactly that. What I got was "dark dark dark games room, bar, art space". Pockets of interesting and fun art and games that made me want to run around with my hair in pigtails playing hide and seek.

Shunt is under the arches of London Bridge and apparently takes up one third of the overall space underneath the station. If that is true then the station vaults must be massive. Shunt is pretty big and stretches from Joiner Street to Tooley Street under the station. There is a cover charge of £5 weekdays and £10 at weekends, plus it's only open certain days so check the website to be sure.

You don't know what art will be on. When I went last as you walk along the main tunnel there were coat-hangers dangling in archways with bits of clothing and lighting to make you weep; wispy, minimal and mysterious. In another room there were images and audio inside 1 foot-wide holes in the wall, 3 levels high. Meaning you had to get a battery pack, climb a ladder and stick your head in this pitch black hole. Feel for the cables, plug in, headphones on and you're off - this one: a commentary on being a parent; different in each room, with visuals and audio lit via the battery - just lovely.

There's also a bar, a games room with a sit-down table version of space invaders and frog! Plus pool, table football and pinball. There's an MC/commentator on the nights events informing you that the band will be in x room shortly and more.

Overall I just loved the amount of space and lighting, lots of room to yourself, little groups of chairs and a table, lit by a candles with ten feet until the next table. Ah, I can breath...

Oh and did I mention that it is really dark?

Tags: dark, bar, art, lighting, games, bands, ambient, eclectic, independent

The Golden Fleeced Flock

January 09, 2009

RUMOUR HAS it that ‘The Wolseley’ turns over £10million a year. A few days ago I swapped £20 for breakfast. It takes that every minute. On the matter of money, this site spent 70 years as a Barclays, although it is better known for how it started - as a showroom for Wolseley cars. The upmarket British marque was founded, fin de siècle, by Herbert Austin, then manager of the Wolseley sheep shearing company. Where there’s wool, there’s a way (and here, a golden fleeced flock too).

The sharp design details of the original 1920’s commission still make a grand impression: chandeliers, chinoiserie and symmetrical brass staircases. Propped by dark, doric columns, the vaulted ceiling rises 30ft. The floor is a bold stracciatella marble web. This is a temple with tables: Venetian, Florentine and Viennese all at once, nipped, tucked and preened by the same designers who redefined nearby ‘Fortnum & Mason’. One of the first things I saw (or smelt) was the altar of homemade pastries, a celebration of saucy sounding ‘Viennoisserie’.

The minds behind are Jeremy Corbin and Chris King, the restaurateur double-act best known for rejuvenating ‘Le Caprice’ and ‘The Ivy’, amongst other hot spots designated safe for celebrities. When The Wolseley opened in ‘03, The Ivy’s imported doorman was the face greeting the glitterati…

The open plan seating encourages that curious sport of ‘see and be seen’. Our almost miniature, irritatingly low table was unfortunately sited, however. Being opposite the busy bar dispense, I was forced to follow the staff’s albeit intriguing complaints about a bad tempered customer. They are a diverse looking bunch, by the way, but broadly happy. Waitresses, from svelte to bulging at the belt, wear air hostess style cravats; supervisors are shoehorned into tight (and very tight) suits. Whilst most zigzag like pinballs, service can be sloppy: you, like I, may need to prompt for forgotten orders.

I doubt many make the pilgrimage for the plates. Despite the location’s link with tyres, The Wolseley will never turn the head of the homme Michelin. It seems that the stars shun stars, preferring comforting food rather then culinary couture. The sartorial equivalent of the menu (Salt Beef Sandwich, Leeks Vinaigrette) could be a tastefully worn, Saville suit (patched at the elbows). It might be worth pointing out that I once cancelled a booking at another Corbin and King venture, ‘St. Alban’ (Regent St.). I didn’t know the pedigree of the proprietors, and dare I say it, the menu looked dull at face value.

I cannot resent pastries. My tall, beeswax flavoured Cannelé Bordelaise looked like it had been jauntily shaped in a jelly mould. It came straight from the oven with a chewy, chocolate like crust and a centre which suggested dense panettone. Having made no masochistic New Year’s resolutions, I greedily rinsed this with ‘The Wolseley Imperial’ (bitter mandarin peel liqueur, cognac, double espresso, hot milk, chocolate powder layered with whipped cream). It tasted like a luxurious, liquidised Chocolate Orange. I chased this with a shot of fresh, bright, bitty orange juice.

To really set me up for the day I shunned the sordid sounding, lavishly priced Caviar Omelette (£52.50) in favour of a snug dish: Fried Haggis with conjoined Duck Eggs on fried toast. When burst, the large, molten, mustard coloured yokes stickily combined with the haggis. Moistly fatty, peppery, with notes of sweet spice in the finish, the pluck was minced into an earthy softness. A battered, highly burnished silver pot of lean Darjeeling cleansed with its gentle aromas of Muscat grapes. Feminine without that overwhelming aroma of, for example, Earl Grey, which for me is like drinking perfume.

My companion met ‘Arnold Bennett’ for the first time. An opulently creamy, Gruyère softened, smoked haddock studded eggy creation, named in honour of a long-term writer in residence at ‘The Savoy’. How ironic that his eponymous omelette outshines his novels. A transparent pot of what looked like a whole mint plant, including stalks, smelt brisk and brought colour to our table.

I rarely bother with a big breakfast. And half an hour after the fork hit the plate for the final time, I remembered why. Call it another type of morning sickness. As blood hurtled to my stomach to break down the early bombardment of artery addlingly rich food, a kind of fry-provoked nausea begun.

As the large station like clock passed 11:30, I spied the first frosty martini triangle take to a tray. Brightening linen landed on bare tables. Breakfast would become lunch, then tea and dinner until midnight. In excess of 1,000 famous, infamous and anonymous faces fed and watered.

Not content with having crafted several restaurants which are as much household names as their clientele, Corbin and King harbour seriously lofty ambitions. In October it was announced that they would be installing eateries over 13,000 square feet of the city’s unimaginatively titled, 288m tall ‘Pinnacle’ tower (under construction in the city). I prefer its nickname, the ‘Helter Skelter’. There is also speculation about a co-venture in New York with ‘Vanity Fair’ editor, Graydon Carter.

The original autos failed to sell. The Barclays bank transferred its funds elsewhere. But even amidst economic uncertainties, it becomes ever harder to book a space in Corbin and King’s Mayfair embassy of carefully cultivated café society.

SUCKS

July 22, 2008

Ugh this place sucks, like a lot - in my opinion Kingsland Rd Vietnamese is much of a muchness - everyone has their favorite place but pretty much its all about the same so what makes each place preferable is the atmosphere, the service and the staff.

This Tay Do is opposite the road from Tay Do Cafe, on the same side as Viet Hoa - anyway it was about 11 on a monday and pretty much these guys were the only people still serving. They said they stopped serving at 11.30 but as soon as we sat down the waiter told us to order NOW! Ugh, alright, ok ok, cool ya boots - we ordered as quickly as possible with the guy getting all huffy. Pretty quickly he brings the food out but just leaves them on the end of the table with us having to guess what each dish is. Not only did he just leave all the dishes at the end of the table but there was one too many and we realised that when one of us changed our order he hadn't written it down or been listening - because he'd been so shitty we thought we'd leave it, we were tired and hungy and couldn't be arsed to fight.

The meal ends and the food was ok, not amazing but ok passable. Anyway we asked if we could take the spare dish home and he brings over a tin tray and a plastic bag and just hands them to my friend! Like we're meant to put it in there - I was shocked - anyway then comes the best bit - he brings the bill over and he's written down how much things cost but not added up the total - he then walked off and we couldn't find him again - I was all for walking out but my friends did the right thing and paid with no tip - but seriously I know we arrived late but it was 11 and they're open until 11.30, if they're going to treat people like that who arrive at 11 just close at 11. Ugh I hate them, I'm never ever going back there and next time I'm hungry and everywhere else is closed I'm getting a pot noodle and going home.

Tags: sucks, noodles, bad service

Cheap and Chinesey

July 25, 2008

I just went for lunch here but before hand I had several concerns....
1. that the prices would have gone up and that the £3.50 deal was a limited time offer
2. that the queues would make getting in and out within an hour impossible
3. that I hate canteen style eating.
Well I'm pleased to say I was wrong on all counts, we queued while we chose what to eat, and by the time we had decided we were seated. I had a seafood noodle thing - which was delicious, my companion had the crispy duck - which I also tried and was also delicious. We also ordered two sides, crispy dumplings and pak choi in oyster sauce. Both were lovely, but we would have been satisfied just with our mains.
And while I hate going to Wagamamas the canteen style eating at Cha Cha Moons doesn't detract from the experience. The acoustics are good so you can hear what your lunch buddy is saying, the bench seating is comfy. Even if you are sat with couples either side of you there is enough space that you're not constantly poking each other with chopsticks.
I'm definitely going back, probably a lot. There was so much choice on the menu, and everything sounded so good that I'm going to want to try everything!
Alan Yau has done us proud.

Tags: chinese, cheap, quick, choice

Intrepid Grot

August 13, 2008

Intrepid Fox,
No one likes to be the guy who says, ‘I only the early albums’ or ‘they don’t make them like they used to’. But this is often a fact, and needs to be said by angry people who were there first, and know that it’s not as good as it was.
The Intrepid Fox used to be a cool non-touristy goth/metal pub in Soho. On relocating to under centre point it has become a horrible junkie/poser freakshow - the equivalent of somewhere trendy in Shoreditch with fashion-concerned Vice mag wannabes. Only in black.
It’s always packed, very loud, very hot and has a level of dirt that is not endearing in the rock way that some places get away with.
That said, you may read this and salivate at the prospect of reasonably priced snakebite in a dark and ominous sweatbox with people looking you up and down like Marilyn Manson does Ugly Betty and queuing for ten million years to wee round needles and vomit. I’d rather Wetherspooons it. Ace.
Also, because Time Out deigned to call it ‘well cool’ in an attempt to be all alternative n’that, it is now packed with German business men who own ‘Orll Ze Metallica albumz’ and want to get cunted on a work trip.

Tags: rock pubs

Ginger and fig bread? Yes please.

September 23, 2008

You've got to be quick on your feet at the Stoke Newington Farmers' Market lest you end up under the wheel of a designer baby buggy or crushed under the sole of a media luvvie's Camper. But jut your elbows out a little and venture in if you dare; all sorts of delicious foodie treats await. My personal favourites are the array of home-made sweet breads just by the entrance (the ginger and fig, and coconut varieties are especially divine), and the crazy mushroom stall. For anything you can't find, you can always duck across the road to Fresh'n'Wild... But if the idea of spending twenty quid on a tin of organic chick peas and a packet of Linda McCartney sausos makes your string bag stand on end, nick down Kingsland Road to Ridley Road Market instead. Ah, marketey goodness!

Tags: farmers' market, fresh bread, organic, mushrooms

Finely crafted coffee...

September 10, 2008

for serious coffee drinkers. That’s what is says on their shop and it’s true, this places makes awesome coffee. I’ve been going on my way to work and mostly drinking Flat Whites. If you’ve never had a Flat White suggest you try one next chance you get. I think the Antipodeans coined the term so should really ask them what it is, but I’d describe it as a short strong coffee with milk steamed smooth and creamy, how I imagine a latte should be, but never actually is. I’ve also tried my usual 4 shot, 12 ounce Americano and it was perfect, though annoyingly called a Long Black here (again because the guys are Australian) so you’ll just have to get over it or switch to a Flat White like I did. They use independent roaster Union Coffee Roasters - http://www.unionroasted.com/ for their espresso which I like, they have good coffee and good ethos.

There are a couple things that bother me though (besides the Long Black). The girls on the website aren’t the actual baristas, have to say I think lame marketing to use cute, indie, girl models, better if it was the actual people making my drink. Finally there is pretty much nowhere to sit (3 stools to be exact). To be fair seating is a lot to ask in this part of town, and they’r doing us a great service by making great coffee, it just leaves a void in coffee culture in London. But these are nits, the coffee is what matters, and the guys seem cool so go there today!

Tags: coffee, flat white

Suprising little gem in Mayfair

September 14, 2008

Friday and I am trying to find a fine dining restaurant for the next day, to celebrate some good news (new job)! Called loads of places - Maze, Murano, L'Atelier, Hibiscus - all full or strangely closed (Hibiscus?).

Trawling around reviews I found Patteron's in Mayfair which has fantastic diner reviews on another (won't mention) review site. No problems getting a table for 7.30pm on Saturday night. After booking I noticed that the other review site also offered 40% off at Patterson's if you booked through them. Normally at this stage alarm bells would ring (are they that desperate for customers?) but the recent reviews were good so I thought 'let's give it a go'.

And we were very pleasantly suprised. Hidden on a little lane off Conduit St, you would never stumble across Patteron's. Inside it's subdued tones with cosy table arrangements, but not cramped. By 8pm the restaurant was full and people were waiting in the reception lounge for tables.

Service was excellent - up to par with Michelin star restaurants without being snooty or over formal. Based on our menu choices we wanted a light red wine but I am hopeless with french wines. Our waiter suggested a red Sancerre which took me by surprise, but it was an excellent choice - light but peppery, similar to pinor noir with less fruit.

Now for the food - the specials sounded great. We both opted for their special starter, scallops with pork belly and carmelised onion. The sweetness of the scallops and onion, was balanced by some saltiness in the pork belly. Main courses we also chose the specials. For my husband, the fish of the day, a cassoulet of cod, monkfish and lobster. For him a clean plate and thumbs up. For me wild grouse with some other stuff on the plate which I can't remember because the grouse was amazing. The first time I've eaten grouse and it was absolutely delicious. Being Scottish I'm assuming Chef Patterson knows a thing or two about grouse!

Desserts were so-so. My husband had a strawberry infused creme brulee, I had a roasted peach dessert. Both were cold so must have been prepared well in advance. This didn't take away from the flavour of the brulee but the roasted peach was a disappointment. Not bad, just not good either. Despite that I would say the food is great and must be close to Michelin star.

And when you factor in the price, its an absolute steal. £30 for 2 courses, £40 for 3 courses and this is before the 40% discount if you book that way. I can't understand how they keep the prices at that level for the quality of the food and service, but I guess they must keep the place busy!

The only other negative was the lobster - not on our plate but in the fish tank that we were sat beside. 4 poor fellows were cramped into a small tank with their pincers bound. One was very fiesty and pushing and shoving the other lobsters. At first I'll admit we found it entertaining but after a few minutes it was just sad. Put them out of their misery and onto my plate!!!

So... despite poor larry lobster and his mates, and one disappointing dessert - I recommend you definitely give Patterson's a try. Excellent food and excellent value.

Tags: fine dining, french

Craft for the 21st Century

September 18, 2008

The Make Lounge is a fantastic place to help you learn new skills, and meet some cool people. I took the course on making an eco tote bag and had a great time. I was very impressed by the quality of the teaching, the materials and the environment. It might seem a little on the pricey side but I really think I got what I paid for (and it's only comparable to a night out with dinner anyway!). Would definetly go and do another course and will possibly have my hen do there.

Lots of fun, thoroughly recommended.

Tags: arts & crafts

Happy heart-attack

October 03, 2008

I'm not a big fan of Burger King/McDonalds; in fact I haven't eaten fast food since 1995. However that doesn't mean I don't love a good burger and Great burgers is what Hamburger Union do. I find it much more reasonably priced than some of the other gourmet burger places (Fine Burger Co, etc) and much, much tastier.

It is total heart-attack food and you couldn't eat here often but every now and then it is great to just pig out. The milkshakes are absolutely amazing.

My advice: it's sometimes better to share chips if there are two of you and then you might not feel like a bloated whale when you leave.

Tags: american diner

So So Food

October 20, 2008

Dropped by here last Friday lunch time with a couple of friends. We were a party of four, but they made us wait in the queue until ALL of us had arrived which was a little annoying (despite us telling them the last person was literally around the corner). Sure, design wise this place looks very slick and the atmosphere was buzzing. It was also reassuring to see the noodles being freshly made in the open kitchen. Less impressive was the service. As soon as we had sat down a waitress loomed over us ready to take our order, and probably less than 5 minutes after she had taken our order the food started to arrive! Great if you are in a major hurry and like to inhale your food, but a bit unsettling if you were looking forward to a nice chatty lunch with friends. Now on to the food: Highlights included jasmine tea smoked chicken and crispy duck. Disappointingly the prawn dumplings were deep fried and most of the noodle dishes were extremely greasy and overloaded with very similar looking brown sauce. Overall the food felt very heavy and not at all healthy. Plates and glasses disappeared the second we had finished them, and whilst the last plate was being cleared away, we got handed the bill. You just got the feeling they wanted you in and out as quickly as possible. Yes all the dishes are £3.50 so you can eat here on a budget, but I'm not a fan of such greasy heavy food: I would rather pay a bit extra for something made with a bit more love in the kitchen. I'm afraid it's style over substance here.

Tags: chinese, Noodles