Vallorini - Clean and green by Angella

Angella — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:31:19 +0000

Review by Angella

Rating: 4.00After several hours perched on a backless bar stool in the Apple store, hunched over my laptop, I needed reviving before driving home. I suggested to the shop manager that as he keeps people tied up for an hour on their 'one to one' lessons, then on the genius bar, then customers might want to make a purchase, it was in his interest to keep them on the premises rather than let them rush out to get a drink.

If he can't become an internet cafe, and doesn't want food and drink spilt on my electronics, at least he might provide a chocolate bar machine. (Or even free water).

I went off to look for a drink. But en route I diverted into two shops, Marks & Spencers and the Car Phone Warehouse. After that delay, I have a mobile phone to keep me safe on the way home. I smell delicious from the lavender and rose testers at Marks- and enough bath stuff to make going home a delight, but not yet.

Only two shops. On my last visit to the shopping centre I had left no sale item uninspected in John Lewis, Fenwicks, a clothes shop, two shoe shops, La Senza which sold me sexy and sensual glamorous underwear, and tie rack for silk scarves. But on this visit, no sales signs, and no sales to me. All the same, it was past high tea time and the shopping centre still had me in its thrall. I was ready for a drink and something to eat.

Vallorini had been suggested to me by the information desk when I said I wanted a salad. I went up the escalator to the food court and walked into Vallorini, and sussed out their salads - and the price.

But before making a decision I went back around the other choices in the food court to compare. I'm that type. ENFP on Myers Briggs personality typing.

The P is for Perceiver, I call it Procrastinator, the opposite of judger. I'm the sort who likes to gather all the facts before reaching a decision.

First there's Bagel Street. I ate there last time. (See my review after you've read this one.)

Or a pizza place. No thanks. As a mother I've eaten enough pizzas to last a lifetime. As an empty nester I can now go back to being civilized and eating with a knife and fork.

Two other places don't seem to have proper chairs. Oddly enough, the more popular place next door (Wagawama) has backless bench seating, like schools or monks or sitting in a park. Not for me. Not today.

Vallorini scores on seating. And tables. The tables are white. So clean. Round tables or square tables. The bright open plan front area has individual seats.

The darker back area has a corridor between secluded semi-circular tables with semicircular high back green banquettes. So private you could almost - well, I won't say what you could do, but you almost could, have a private conversation.

The gleaming white is relieved by the green seating at the back and bright fuschia pink trays. The trays have a non-slip surface. Modern, practical, trendy. And clean.

What's so special about a clean tray? I've eaten in supermarket cafeterias and university refectories where every tray was discoloured wood, often with cracks, sometimes wet and mostly dirty, where you reject two trays and accept a third with a frown and a grimace. After you've seen other places get it wrong, you give praise to people who get it right. Here the trays are not just clean, but a lovely warm pink, and a clever non-slip design as well.

Cleanliness
I've been served by a man wearing a plastic glove. Good. He's smiling and jolly.

The tables are spotless. It's late and after I've sat there a while somebody starts cleaning the floor. I could complain about this and say they should not clear up until after the last customer has left. But I don't. I give them credit for everything they do. Because they have already won my goodwill.

Main Courses
The food is displayed behind glass in what I presume are chiller cabinets. I opted for a 'main course + two salads' at Â£7.45. My double espresso was Â£1.85. Total Â£9.40.

I considered having a baked potato in its jacket which came with assorted fillings or two salads. But what I chose has the most protein and is the best value.

I opted for salmon, couscous, and new potatoes with green beans and sliced boiled egg. The salmon portion is large enough for me to take half of it home.

Price
I do buy on budget. I feel there's a limit to what I should spend.

I'd like to have a complete meal, main course and dessert and a drink for an all in price, like fast food hamburger joints which offer a meal deal, and as all French restaurants are required to offer by law. It's silly to have a huge portion of vegetables when you could be eating a healthier mixture of fruit and vegetables.

Desserts
The cheesecake looked good. I liked the visual appeal of the colourful fruit salad containing bright red strawberries contrasting with green kiwi fruit. I considered having a fruit juice or a smoothie. But I knew I would not have room for more.

Service
The girl who serves the coffee and manages the till called me darling. The bill tells me her name is Marcia. If that's true, and I remember, I could even address her by name next time. (Maybe that's so the absent manager knows who gets praise and blame or whatever.) If they gave her a badge with her name I could even address her by name on my next visit. She might reciprocate and call me by my name, even better than darling.

I asked the server why the restaurant is called Vallorini. He said, 'It's a name. A family name.'

A surname, presumably? The owner's name?

Yes, apparently Vallorini is the owner's name. And he has another restaurant in south London. I think it was Bromley. Something beginning with B.

The coffee was Italian. I saw the packets on the shelf. And the name on the cups.

I said, 'The name sounds Italian. What does it mean?'

'I don't know,' answered the server. 'I'm Portuguese.'

I wandered over to look at the seats at the back. I'm glad I did. I discovered neat shelves discreetly hiding three of the day's newspapers.

So I had entertainment as well as clean surroundings, comfortable seating and healthy food. A good choice. What's more, I came home with unaccountable goodwill to the entire shopping centre because a member of staff in one of the outlets had called me darling.

After several hours perched on a backless bar stool in the Apple store, hunched over my laptop, I needed reviving before driving home. I suggested to the shop manager that as he keeps people tied up for an hour on their 'one to one' lessons, then on the genius bar, then customers might want to make a purchase, it was in his interest to keep them on the premises rather than let them rush out to get a drink.

If he can't become an internet cafe, and doesn't want food and drink spilt on my electronics, at least he might provide a chocolate bar machine. (Or even free water).

I went off to look for a drink. But en route I diverted into two shops, Marks & Spencers and the Car Phone Warehouse. After that delay, I have a mobile phone to keep me safe on the way home. I smell delicious from the lavender and rose testers at Marks- and enough bath stuff to make going home a delight, but not yet.

Only two shops. On my last visit to the shopping centre I had left no sale item uninspected in John Lewis, Fenwicks, a clothes shop, two shoe shops, La Senza which sold me sexy and sensual glamorous underwear, and tie rack for silk scarves. But on this visit, no sales signs, and no sales to me. All the same, it was past high tea time and the shopping centre still had me in its thrall. I was ready for a drink and something to eat.

Vallorini had been suggested to me by the information desk when I said I wanted a salad. I went up the escalator to the food court and walked into Vallorini, and sussed out their salads - and the price.

But before making a decision I went back around the other choices in the food court to compare. I'm that type. ENFP on Myers Briggs personality typing.

The P is for Perceiver, I call it Procrastinator, the opposite of judger. I'm the sort who likes to gather all the facts before reaching a decision.

First there's Bagel Street. I ate there last time. (See my review after you've read this one.)

Or a pizza place. No thanks. As a mother I've eaten enough pizzas to last a lifetime. As an empty nester I can now go back to being civilized and eating with a knife and fork.

Two other places don't seem to have proper chairs. Oddly enough, the more popular place next door (Wagawama) has backless bench seating, like schools or monks or sitting in a park. Not for me. Not today.

Vallorini scores on seating. And tables. The tables are white. So clean. Round tables or square tables. The bright open plan front area has individual seats.

The darker back area has a corridor between secluded semi-circular tables with semicircular high back green banquettes. So private you could almost - well, I won't say what you could do, but you almost could, have a private conversation.

The gleaming white is relieved by the green seating at the back and bright fuschia pink trays. The trays have a non-slip surface. Modern, practical, trendy. And clean.

What's so special about a clean tray? I've eaten in supermarket cafeterias and university refectories where every tray was discoloured wood, often with cracks, sometimes wet and mostly dirty, where you reject two trays and accept a third with a frown and a grimace. After you've seen other places get it wrong, you give praise to people who get it right. Here the trays are not just clean, but a lovely warm pink, and a clever non-slip design as well.

Cleanliness
I've been served by a man wearing a plastic glove. Good. He's smiling and jolly.

The tables are spotless. It's late and after I've sat there a while somebody starts cleaning the floor. I could complain about this and say they should not clear up until after the last customer has left. But I don't. I give them credit for everything they do. Because they have already won my goodwill.

Main Courses
The food is displayed behind glass in what I presume are chiller cabinets. I opted for a 'main course + two salads' at Â£7.45. My double espresso was Â£1.85. Total Â£9.40.

I considered having a baked potato in its jacket which came with assorted fillings or two salads. But what I chose has the most protein and is the best value.

I opted for salmon, couscous, and new potatoes with green beans and sliced boiled egg. The salmon portion is large enough for me to take half of it home.

Price
I do buy on budget. I feel there's a limit to what I should spend.

I'd like to have a complete meal, main course and dessert and a drink for an all in price, like fast food hamburger joints which offer a meal deal, and as all French restaurants are required to offer by law. It's silly to have a huge portion of vegetables when you could be eating a healthier mixture of fruit and vegetables.

Desserts
The cheesecake looked good. I liked the visual appeal of the colourful fruit salad containing bright red strawberries contrasting with green kiwi fruit. I considered having a fruit juice or a smoothie. But I knew I would not have room for more.

Service
The girl who serves the coffee and manages the till called me darling. The bill tells me her name is Marcia. If that's true, and I remember, I could even address her by name next time. (Maybe that's so the absent manager knows who gets praise and blame or whatever.) If they gave her a badge with her name I could even address her by name on my next visit. She might reciprocate and call me by my name, even better than darling.

I asked the server why the restaurant is called Vallorini. He said, 'It's a name. A family name.'

A surname, presumably? The owner's name?

Yes, apparently Vallorini is the owner's name. And he has another restaurant in south London. I think it was Bromley. Something beginning with B.

The coffee was Italian. I saw the packets on the shelf. And the name on the cups.

I said, 'The name sounds Italian. What does it mean?'

'I don't know,' answered the server. 'I'm Portuguese.'

I wandered over to look at the seats at the back. I'm glad I did. I discovered neat shelves discreetly hiding three of the day's newspapers.

So I had entertainment as well as clean surroundings, comfortable seating and healthy food. A good choice. What's more, I came home with unaccountable goodwill to the entire shopping centre because a member of staff in one of the outlets had called me darling.

Wagamama - A Consistent Favourite! by smileylaura0

smileylaura0 — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:46:05 +0000

Review by smileylaura0

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8202 2666

Website: http://www.wagamama.com

Tags: japanese, lively, cheap eat

I absolutely adore this place. It's fast, friendly, serves great food, and it's cheap! I often visit and order my favourite dish, number 71 (Chicken Katsu Curry - well recommended) with a nice glass of fresh fruit juice. If I've still got room for more, I'll round the meal off with a slice of chocolate cake. Delicious!

The service has always been good in the Brent Cross branch, although it is very busy, they seem to cope quite well with the numbers. However, I have noticed that in very large groups, they do not always serve the food at the same time - and sometimes members of a large party can end up receiving their food either earlier or later than the rest of the party. For this reason, I would advise visiting Wagamamas in smaller groups of no more than 5.

A good tip for anyone looking to save money; register on the Wagamama website (it's free to register: www.wagamama.com) and print out the 2 for 1 deals that are often added to the area exclusive to members.I absolutely adore this place. It's fast, friendly, serves great food, and it's cheap! I often visit and order my favourite dish, number 71 (Chicken Katsu Curry - well recommended) with a nice glass of fresh fruit juice. If I've still got room for more, I'll round the meal off with a slice of chocolate cake. Delicious!

The service has always been good in the Brent Cross branch, although it is very busy, they seem to cope quite well with the numbers. However, I have noticed that in very large groups, they do not always serve the food at the same time - and sometimes members of a large party can end up receiving their food either earlier or later than the rest of the party. For this reason, I would advise visiting Wagamamas in smaller groups of no more than 5.

A good tip for anyone looking to save money; register on the Wagamama website (it's free to register: www.wagamama.com) and print out the 2 for 1 deals that are often added to the area exclusive to members.

Gourmet Garden - Barry by BarryinPinner

BarryinPinner — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 17:33:16 +0000

Review by BarryinPinner

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8202 9639

Website: www.gourmetgarden.co.uk

Tags: malaysian, chinese

Very good food, pleasant staff and excellent value for money I go there oftenVery good food, pleasant staff and excellent value for money I go there often

Kaifeng - kosher Chinese by Angella

Angella — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:08:54 +0000

Review by Angella

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 8203 7888

Website: http://www.kaifeng.co.uk/index.html

Tags: expensive

I've eaten here twice. Both times reached the same conclusion. Food nothing special. Very pricey. Fascinating menu about the history of Kaifeng.I've eaten here twice. Both times reached the same conclusion. Food nothing special. Very pricey. Fascinating menu about the history of Kaifeng.

Wazobia Restaurant - The real deal by Soji4Davis

Soji4Davis — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:53:17 +0000

Review by Soji4Davis

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8202 1363

Tags: african & caribbean, lively, good value

I go to the above restaurant quite regularly and I have to say that in terms of the quality of the food being served, I have yet to see other than is as original. Kudos to the cooks.I go to the above restaurant quite regularly and I have to say that in terms of the quality of the food being served, I have yet to see other than is as original. Kudos to the cooks.

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