Latest reviews for Restaurants in Golders Green, London, United Kingdom

Cafe Japan - by desktopdan

desktopdan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:16:53 +0000

Review by desktopdan

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8455 6854

My favourite Japanese restaurant. Yes it is a bit pricey, but great for a special occasion. Book ahead, because it is smallMy favourite Japanese restaurant. Yes it is a bit pricey, but great for a special occasion. Book ahead, because it is small

Charlies Pizza - A gem of a restaurant by giovanna

giovanna — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:01:06 +0000

Review by giovanna

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 84586344

Tags: italian, lively, good value

As we walk through the door of Charlies Pizza, we are greeted by a lovely Italian Man called Angelo, who has a smile and treats us like old friends. Looking around, there are many tributes to Charlie Chaplin and i soon discover that Angelo the Restaurant owner was once a Chaplin Lookalike with Rula Lenska. The more i look at Angelo the more i find myself smiling, for he appears to act eactly like Chaplin and i cannot stop laughing.
The food arrives, and we all finish without leaving a scrap of food. Being Italian myself i always find myself disappointed when eating at Italian restaurants. For the first time in a very, very long time, i have walked out of a restaurant and felt excited at the propect of finding good real Italian cuisine, but also somewhere that is a real dining experience. A place that is fun, not merely a place you eat and quickly leave. Charlies has personality! After dessert, Angelo, appears with a mic in hand and bursts into song and begins to encourage everybody to join in. It soon turns into Karaoke, but Karaoke with class.
The night is over and we all leave with a smile. We can't wait to go to Charlies Pizza again. So if you want to dine on real Italian Cuisine by a proper Neopolitan chef and be entertained, then you must try Charlies Pizza!As we walk through the door of Charlies Pizza, we are greeted by a lovely Italian Man called Angelo, who has a smile and treats us like old friends. Looking around, there are many tributes to Charlie Chaplin and i soon discover that Angelo the Restaurant owner was once a Chaplin Lookalike with Rula Lenska. The more i look at Angelo the more i find myself smiling, for he appears to act eactly like Chaplin and i cannot stop laughing.
The food arrives, and we all finish without leaving a scrap of food. Being Italian myself i always find myself disappointed when eating at Italian restaurants. For the first time in a very, very long time, i have walked out of a restaurant and felt excited at the propect of finding good real Italian cuisine, but also somewhere that is a real dining experience. A place that is fun, not merely a place you eat and quickly leave. Charlies has personality! After dessert, Angelo, appears with a mic in hand and bursts into song and begins to encourage everybody to join in. It soon turns into Karaoke, but Karaoke with class.
The night is over and we all leave with a smile. We can't wait to go to Charlies Pizza again. So if you want to dine on real Italian Cuisine by a proper Neopolitan chef and be entertained, then you must try Charlies Pizza!

Kimchee - by chuichi

chuichi — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:02:41 +0000

Review by chuichi

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8455 1035

Tags: korean, takeaway

This is one of my favourite Korean restaurants to go to. Love their spicy soup with silky tofu especially. Highly recommended!This is one of my favourite Korean restaurants to go to. Love their spicy soup with silky tofu especially. Highly recommended!

Capriccio - Perfect food, decor and service by Angella

Angella — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 12:09:06 +0000

Review by Angella

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8455 4432

Tags: italian

Best Italian restaurant I've been to in years. Run by a chef you don't see - you just see his food, and front of house partner Gianni ('You can call me Johnny') who greets and goodbyes regular customers with smiles, handshakes or hugs.

The clean, cosy restaurant has a mural at the back showing the rock pillars in front of the Blue Grotto of Capri (made famous in a film) and this scene is echoed on the front of the menu.

At first sight it is unnervingly expensive in times of credit crunch. But a range of prices.

The kir was modestly priced. Dover sole is at the high end, over Â£20 for a main course. The chicken and veal are at the lower end, about Â£14.

Dress Code
Price clearly does not deter the subtly well dressed clientele. Every man wore a shirt and tie. Nobody flashy. But smart.

Noise and Conviviality
Everybody was smiling and jolly. On the night of our first visit (it won't be the last) we got talking to agreeable eighty year olds who'd been coming here for years.

Although I saw loudspeakers high on the ceiling I heard no music and at the end when most people had left I overheard one diner talking about the blocks of flats his company managed.

Delightful Decor
Completely clean. Totally Italian. Almost.

We could identify Venice with the gondolas. The trompe l'oeil mural as you face the front is Italian. I asked Gianni. The paintings on my left were of islands near Taormina, Sicily and Ischia island near the island of Capri.

The two landscape pictures are of London. One shows Hampstead nearby in North London. The other is of Kew Gardens in South London.

Seating
Chairs look pretty and elegant. The first restaurant I've been to out of about five in the past month where I didn't notice the shortcomings of the chair size, shape or softness as I sat down. I just felt comfortable. That's how it should be.

Drinks
I ordered kir. Very nice. I was asked if I wanted kir royale. I began to suspect I was being upsold but I was wrong. The service was brilliant. They checked at every stage to be sure you got exactly what you wanted and expected.

My dining companion ordered Orvieto. Gianni warned him that it was a slightly sweet wine and checked that was what he wanted. It wasn't. So the order was changed to something else. Which was perfect.

Starters
I ordered pumpkin soup. It happened to be one of the cheaper choices. It's also my all time favourite. The colour is great. I love the flavour.

My companion chose the stracciatelle, Italian egg drop soup. Chicken soup would catch the eye of the clientele in Golders Green. (Delisserie across the road serving Jewish style but not kosher food would be remembered by local diners for the chicken soup.) So here we have chicken soup reputed to cure a cold and any other ailment. An authentic Italian dish. Chicken soup with strands of beaten egg in two colours, white and cream.

Main courses
My main dish was veal.

As he finishes the top layer of the Dover sole and needs somewhere to put the bones, a long plate appears and is placed on the right.

Desserts
My dessert was fruit salad with mango sorbet. Good and fresh, no surplus syrup.
It contained mango, melon and pineapple. Sorbet always seems to me fresher and less fattening than ice cream.

My companion chose creme brulee with berries. Perfect. Crispy top. Creamy inside.

Coffee
We had espresso with the 'crema', dark froth, which you can only make with the more expensive espresso machines. In small cups bearing the restaurant name.

Two types of brown sugar appeared. The small grain easy to mix type. And the little funny shape crunchy rocks which I adore.

The waiter took a lot of trouble to swivel and straighten and generally arrange the plate bearing the sugar at an angle to look good on the table.

Toilets
Perfect. Absolutely clean. Looked brand new. Everything there. Toilet paper. Hook to hang up your handbag.

Clean gleaming basins with not a touch of limescale in sight. Two dispensers of soap gel and moisturiser.

In the Ladies' a vase with plant display.

Farewell
Somebody at the door to say goodbye.

Parking
On the street outside late at night.

Memories
What do you remember? My fellow diner remembers the service.

I remember the petit fours. As you see in the picture. Chocolates and chocolate covered biscuits and a liqueur chocolate. And a turkish delight. Only thing missing is marzipan and nuts. But more than nine chocolates and biscuits for two people is hardly a hardship, is it.

'Save up for your birthday,' I was advised when we arrived and looked at the menu. I thought that was a joke. I would be saving up for the Michelin starred Fat Duck at Bray. But I think many people would find this restaurant the right price and perfect for a birthday celebration.

How do you remember the restaurant name? Capriccio translates as caprice in English. It is the name of a Strauss opera.Best Italian restaurant I've been to in years. Run by a chef you don't see - you just see his food, and front of house partner Gianni ('You can call me Johnny') who greets and goodbyes regular customers with smiles, handshakes or hugs.

The clean, cosy restaurant has a mural at the back showing the rock pillars in front of the Blue Grotto of Capri (made famous in a film) and this scene is echoed on the front of the menu.

At first sight it is unnervingly expensive in times of credit crunch. But a range of prices.

The kir was modestly priced. Dover sole is at the high end, over Â£20 for a main course. The chicken and veal are at the lower end, about Â£14.

Dress Code
Price clearly does not deter the subtly well dressed clientele. Every man wore a shirt and tie. Nobody flashy. But smart.

Noise and Conviviality
Everybody was smiling and jolly. On the night of our first visit (it won't be the last) we got talking to agreeable eighty year olds who'd been coming here for years.

Although I saw loudspeakers high on the ceiling I heard no music and at the end when most people had left I overheard one diner talking about the blocks of flats his company managed.

Delightful Decor
Completely clean. Totally Italian. Almost.

We could identify Venice with the gondolas. The trompe l'oeil mural as you face the front is Italian. I asked Gianni. The paintings on my left were of islands near Taormina, Sicily and Ischia island near the island of Capri.

The two landscape pictures are of London. One shows Hampstead nearby in North London. The other is of Kew Gardens in South London.

Seating
Chairs look pretty and elegant. The first restaurant I've been to out of about five in the past month where I didn't notice the shortcomings of the chair size, shape or softness as I sat down. I just felt comfortable. That's how it should be.

Drinks
I ordered kir. Very nice. I was asked if I wanted kir royale. I began to suspect I was being upsold but I was wrong. The service was brilliant. They checked at every stage to be sure you got exactly what you wanted and expected.

My dining companion ordered Orvieto. Gianni warned him that it was a slightly sweet wine and checked that was what he wanted. It wasn't. So the order was changed to something else. Which was perfect.

Starters
I ordered pumpkin soup. It happened to be one of the cheaper choices. It's also my all time favourite. The colour is great. I love the flavour.

My companion chose the stracciatelle, Italian egg drop soup. Chicken soup would catch the eye of the clientele in Golders Green. (Delisserie across the road serving Jewish style but not kosher food would be remembered by local diners for the chicken soup.) So here we have chicken soup reputed to cure a cold and any other ailment. An authentic Italian dish. Chicken soup with strands of beaten egg in two colours, white and cream.

Main courses
My main dish was veal.

As he finishes the top layer of the Dover sole and needs somewhere to put the bones, a long plate appears and is placed on the right.

Desserts
My dessert was fruit salad with mango sorbet. Good and fresh, no surplus syrup.
It contained mango, melon and pineapple. Sorbet always seems to me fresher and less fattening than ice cream.

My companion chose creme brulee with berries. Perfect. Crispy top. Creamy inside.

Coffee
We had espresso with the 'crema', dark froth, which you can only make with the more expensive espresso machines. In small cups bearing the restaurant name.

Two types of brown sugar appeared. The small grain easy to mix type. And the little funny shape crunchy rocks which I adore.

The waiter took a lot of trouble to swivel and straighten and generally arrange the plate bearing the sugar at an angle to look good on the table.

Toilets
Perfect. Absolutely clean. Looked brand new. Everything there. Toilet paper. Hook to hang up your handbag.

Clean gleaming basins with not a touch of limescale in sight. Two dispensers of soap gel and moisturiser.

In the Ladies' a vase with plant display.

Farewell
Somebody at the door to say goodbye.

Parking
On the street outside late at night.

Memories
What do you remember? My fellow diner remembers the service.

I remember the petit fours. As you see in the picture. Chocolates and chocolate covered biscuits and a liqueur chocolate. And a turkish delight. Only thing missing is marzipan and nuts. But more than nine chocolates and biscuits for two people is hardly a hardship, is it.

'Save up for your birthday,' I was advised when we arrived and looked at the menu. I thought that was a joke. I would be saving up for the Michelin starred Fat Duck at Bray. But I think many people would find this restaurant the right price and perfect for a birthday celebration.

How do you remember the restaurant name? Capriccio translates as caprice in English. It is the name of a Strauss opera.

Locale - Comfy Italian by Angella

Angella — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:56:35 +0000

Review by Angella

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8209 1199

Tags: italian

Location
Golders Green is always humming since the Boots chemist is open until 8 every night and there are several cafes and take aways and fast food places. On this occasion we did not want to eat Indian (had it yesterday) nor Chinese nor kosher. The two ladies sat in the car whilst the two gentlemen did a chase up and down the road to find a place that suited all four of us - Italian.

Osteria Italia means Italian hostelry, or inn, or bistrot. Locale means local.

Jolly Atmosphere
Friendly welcome so we went in. Even when half empty it's quite jolly with some great music, romantic and pop but constantly changing styles.

The walls are a warm red with silver letting, a huge mirror, and a separate back area where you can be private, for a twosome or a foursome. Tables are quite widely spaced. Never heard anybody else's conversation and never thought they could hear ours, with people far away, a quiet neatly dressed crowd, and background music.
At first seats seemed a bit small, didn't support my knees, but I soon got used to them.

The bar area at the front creates a secluded area behind it. A barrier creates a third area. At the back you can see where they mix up the pizza topping and the long poles presumably shove the pizzas in and out of the oven.

Good Tables
Pleasant pale wooden tables with rounded edges. Reasonably large. Pushed together they seat four or more. Very flexible. So twosomes will always find a place.

If you jolt the tables or move dishes towards the middle, watch out for small items tipping over where the tables join. We nearly lost a glass of red wine. Then the salt started leaning unnervingly like a miniature tower of Pisa.

Drinks
The chianti (red) pleased the red wine drinkers.

Starters
Others had vegetable soup. Usually it's called minestrone. The usual Italian menu but no melon to start. No canneloni. I could not eat the shellfish starters (allergy), so the avocado with crab sticks was out. I considered asking if they could do avocado without the crab sticks but decided it was not worth risking getting traces of something which would cause me problems.

I asked for the dessert menu and ordered a double espresso to keep me busy whilst others had starters.

From the dessert menu I considered lemon sorbet as a starter - I like something fruity, then changed to mango sorbet. If I'd realised I would get three balls of the sorbet I'd have asked for a mixture. Strangely the mango sorbet didn't taste of mango until half way through my savoury main course I went back to the last mouthful when the sweet and fruity flavour was intense. I've heard that wine changes its flavour according to what you've just been eating, hence the saying, 'buy on apple, sell on a cheese,' but I'm beginning to wonder how reliable my judgements of desserts and wines are, if they depend so much on what you had previously or alongside.

Smiling Service
The chief waiter brought me a long sundae spoon with a beaming triumphant smile, like a man who's ever to proud to have surprised you with your favourite Christmas present. I don't know if he's just the Sunday man, but his good humour brightened up the whole evening. That's what I like about Italian restaurants. As well as always getting veal. And potatoes.

Main Courses
My main course was veal with mushrooms. I'd expected the cream sauce I get most places. Never mind, it was okay. Potatoes okay.

The other diners with me were happy. One had fish. Another chose steak.

The risotto al mare (rice with shellfish) was pronounced 'Delicious! Soft squid - so unusual - I've only had that one time in ten. And a good giant prawn. And the rice just right, with saffron, not separated like basmati rice in an Indian restaurant, not dried out like in Spanish restaurants, but moist - the Italians do it the way I like it.'

Desserts
Tiramisu was a bit disappointing, solid cream and not much sponge, not as moist and alcoholic as the one we buy from the supermarket. But the lemon cheesecake was very lemony, if a bit too sweet. The Bramley apple pie, more refreshing but still sweet, came with vanilla ice cream.

No rose or sweet wine by the glass so I had to go without.

Happy Ending
The dessert list included limoncello, a lemon flavour liqueur, and all four of us were given a glass of this on the house. I asked if this was just 'for Christmas' but the waiter said, 'It's an Italian custom.' I imagine you get this after dinner drink if you have a three course meal and order wine.

Finally, toilets. Good blue mosaic mirror. Clean and correct. Price under Â£100 for four and the host deliberately chose a bottle of one of the better, ie dearer, red wines because he wanted quality. I always thought chianti was a nasty cheap wine but he was very happy and said you can't get a meal for four much cheaper anywhere nowadays. So, he who paid was happy and I was happy. I think you can eat cheap or dear at this place. Lingering over a three course meal, or ordering a quick pizza, or they have a board outside offering express lunch from Â£3.50.Location
Golders Green is always humming since the Boots chemist is open until 8 every night and there are several cafes and take aways and fast food places. On this occasion we did not want to eat Indian (had it yesterday) nor Chinese nor kosher. The two ladies sat in the car whilst the two gentlemen did a chase up and down the road to find a place that suited all four of us - Italian.

Osteria Italia means Italian hostelry, or inn, or bistrot. Locale means local.

Jolly Atmosphere
Friendly welcome so we went in. Even when half empty it's quite jolly with some great music, romantic and pop but constantly changing styles.

The walls are a warm red with silver letting, a huge mirror, and a separate back area where you can be private, for a twosome or a foursome. Tables are quite widely spaced. Never heard anybody else's conversation and never thought they could hear ours, with people far away, a quiet neatly dressed crowd, and background music.
At first seats seemed a bit small, didn't support my knees, but I soon got used to them.

The bar area at the front creates a secluded area behind it. A barrier creates a third area. At the back you can see where they mix up the pizza topping and the long poles presumably shove the pizzas in and out of the oven.

Good Tables
Pleasant pale wooden tables with rounded edges. Reasonably large. Pushed together they seat four or more. Very flexible. So twosomes will always find a place.

If you jolt the tables or move dishes towards the middle, watch out for small items tipping over where the tables join. We nearly lost a glass of red wine. Then the salt started leaning unnervingly like a miniature tower of Pisa.

Drinks
The chianti (red) pleased the red wine drinkers.

Starters
Others had vegetable soup. Usually it's called minestrone. The usual Italian menu but no melon to start. No canneloni. I could not eat the shellfish starters (allergy), so the avocado with crab sticks was out. I considered asking if they could do avocado without the crab sticks but decided it was not worth risking getting traces of something which would cause me problems.

I asked for the dessert menu and ordered a double espresso to keep me busy whilst others had starters.

From the dessert menu I considered lemon sorbet as a starter - I like something fruity, then changed to mango sorbet. If I'd realised I would get three balls of the sorbet I'd have asked for a mixture. Strangely the mango sorbet didn't taste of mango until half way through my savoury main course I went back to the last mouthful when the sweet and fruity flavour was intense. I've heard that wine changes its flavour according to what you've just been eating, hence the saying, 'buy on apple, sell on a cheese,' but I'm beginning to wonder how reliable my judgements of desserts and wines are, if they depend so much on what you had previously or alongside.

Smiling Service
The chief waiter brought me a long sundae spoon with a beaming triumphant smile, like a man who's ever to proud to have surprised you with your favourite Christmas present. I don't know if he's just the Sunday man, but his good humour brightened up the whole evening. That's what I like about Italian restaurants. As well as always getting veal. And potatoes.

Main Courses
My main course was veal with mushrooms. I'd expected the cream sauce I get most places. Never mind, it was okay. Potatoes okay.

The other diners with me were happy. One had fish. Another chose steak.

The risotto al mare (rice with shellfish) was pronounced 'Delicious! Soft squid - so unusual - I've only had that one time in ten. And a good giant prawn. And the rice just right, with saffron, not separated like basmati rice in an Indian restaurant, not dried out like in Spanish restaurants, but moist - the Italians do it the way I like it.'

Desserts
Tiramisu was a bit disappointing, solid cream and not much sponge, not as moist and alcoholic as the one we buy from the supermarket. But the lemon cheesecake was very lemony, if a bit too sweet. The Bramley apple pie, more refreshing but still sweet, came with vanilla ice cream.

No rose or sweet wine by the glass so I had to go without.

Happy Ending
The dessert list included limoncello, a lemon flavour liqueur, and all four of us were given a glass of this on the house. I asked if this was just 'for Christmas' but the waiter said, 'It's an Italian custom.' I imagine you get this after dinner drink if you have a three course meal and order wine.

Finally, toilets. Good blue mosaic mirror. Clean and correct. Price under Â£100 for four and the host deliberately chose a bottle of one of the better, ie dearer, red wines because he wanted quality. I always thought chianti was a nasty cheap wine but he was very happy and said you can't get a meal for four much cheaper anywhere nowadays. So, he who paid was happy and I was happy. I think you can eat cheap or dear at this place. Lingering over a three course meal, or ordering a quick pizza, or they have a board outside offering express lunch from Â£3.50.

Armando - Waste of MONEY by igorjian

igorjian — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:04:04 +0000

Review by igorjian

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 8455 8159

Tags: japanese, jewish, italian

This was the worst kosher restaurant we have ever been to & we never got to eat anything as we walked out minutes after the owner starting insulting us. All fish options & most of the regular meat options where not available all but the well presented EXPENSIVE beef alternatives had been offered to us & when we questioned the limited menu we were made to feel like we are being cheap. The owner accused us of being arrogant & was rude enough to comment we should go elsewhere, my pregnant wife was disgusted by the owners attitude considering our party of four where the only customers in the restaurant. A restaurant that chooses for their customers what they can eat & charges them inflated prices without any shame should not be in business.
From one kosher eater to another - STAY AWAY, there are many places to enjoy the atmosphere & menu.
This was the worst kosher restaurant we have ever been to & we never got to eat anything as we walked out minutes after the owner starting insulting us. All fish options & most of the regular meat options where not available all but the well presented EXPENSIVE beef alternatives had been offered to us & when we questioned the limited menu we were made to feel like we are being cheap. The owner accused us of being arrogant & was rude enough to comment we should go elsewhere, my pregnant wife was disgusted by the owners attitude considering our party of four where the only customers in the restaurant. A restaurant that chooses for their customers what they can eat & charges them inflated prices without any shame should not be in business.
From one kosher eater to another - STAY AWAY, there are many places to enjoy the atmosphere & menu.

Water Margin - Top Chinese by flashydavid

flashydavid — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:14:23 +0000

Review by flashydavid

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8458 5815

Tags: chinese, good value, cheap eat

Water Margin is the best Chinese in Golders Green and for that matter the surrounding area by a long measure. I have eaten here several times, so far only for lunch. For Â£5.50 you get an entree and a main. I have had both the chicken and sweetcorn soup (excellent, not at all gluggy) and the fresh and crispy Spring roles are divine.

After a short interval the main arrived. Crispy noodles with beef and vegetables. The noodles were superb, the crispy kind that are almost impossible to make at home. Service was fast and non intrusive. I strongly recommend this place.Water Margin is the best Chinese in Golders Green and for that matter the surrounding area by a long measure. I have eaten here several times, so far only for lunch. For Â£5.50 you get an entree and a main. I have had both the chicken and sweetcorn soup (excellent, not at all gluggy) and the fresh and crispy Spring roles are divine.

After a short interval the main arrived. Crispy noodles with beef and vegetables. The noodles were superb, the crispy kind that are almost impossible to make at home. Service was fast and non intrusive. I strongly recommend this place.

Eat Tokyo - by chuichi

chuichi — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:32:46 +0000

Review by chuichi

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8209 0079

Tags: japanese, lively, good value

My favourite japanese restaurant in Golders Green after Akasaka's demise (how sad when that happened).

This place serves big portion of good quality japanese food, with the chance to collect points in exchange for some goodies!My favourite japanese restaurant in Golders Green after Akasaka's demise (how sad when that happened).

This place serves big portion of good quality japanese food, with the chance to collect points in exchange for some goodies!

L'artista - Ciao Bella by Joodle

Joodle — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:55:12 +0000

Review by Joodle

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8731 7501

Tags: italian, lively, pizzeria

Fantastic Italian restaurant where the waiters and waitresses really go out of their way to make your dining experience enjoyable. The pizzas are cooked in a proper pizza oven and have a wide option of toppings. The portion sizes are very generous and they have a large range of pasta and meat or fish dishes.
It does get quite loud when its someones birthday, but it all adds to the lively atmosphere!
Definitely somewhere to visit for a quick bite to eat or a long meal with friends.
They do take away too.Fantastic Italian restaurant where the waiters and waitresses really go out of their way to make your dining experience enjoyable. The pizzas are cooked in a proper pizza oven and have a wide option of toppings. The portion sizes are very generous and they have a large range of pasta and meat or fish dishes.
It does get quite loud when its someones birthday, but it all adds to the lively atmosphere!
Definitely somewhere to visit for a quick bite to eat or a long meal with friends.
They do take away too.

Akasaka Restaurant - Cheaper alternative by LupusEvolve

LupusEvolve — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:04:20 +0000

Review by LupusEvolve

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 8455 0676

Tags: japanese, good value, family & home feel

This place is about a 30 second walk from the Golders Green bus/tube station, so it's very convenient.

However, the food doesn't quite measure up to that of Cafe Japan, just nearby. But all the same, it's noticeably cheaper, so it's not all bad.

The food isn't actually bad in itself, it just seems that way in comparison to Cafe Japan food. And with the cheaper prices, it's very good value.

Service is good, and the waiters/waitresses are very... Japanese... or at least oriental. That gives it an authentic feel I suppose. That feel is strengthened by the fact that it actually says "akasaka" in Japanese (but that won't make a difference to the general non-Japanese-reading public)

All in all, it's a good place, but is a little worse off considering its close proximity to Cafe Japan, so all it sums up to is a cheaper alternative.This place is about a 30 second walk from the Golders Green bus/tube station, so it's very convenient.

However, the food doesn't quite measure up to that of Cafe Japan, just nearby. But all the same, it's noticeably cheaper, so it's not all bad.

The food isn't actually bad in itself, it just seems that way in comparison to Cafe Japan food. And with the cheaper prices, it's very good value.

Service is good, and the waiters/waitresses are very... Japanese... or at least oriental. That gives it an authentic feel I suppose. That feel is strengthened by the fact that it actually says "akasaka" in Japanese (but that won't make a difference to the general non-Japanese-reading public)

All in all, it's a good place, but is a little worse off considering its close proximity to Cafe Japan, so all it sums up to is a cheaper alternative.

Milk N Honey - Disgusting by madhorse

madhorse — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:34:28 +0000

Review by madhorse

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 8455 0664

Tags: kosher, non-smoking area

This is one of the worst restaraunts I have ever been to in my life. I went with a Jewish friend and I heard they had lots of vegetarian food.

They served a spring roll which was cold inside, a pizza which made me want to vomit, and very worst of all the dessert, a sorbet, had a huge lump of plastic in it and blobs of white liquid and mould. I would not recommend this even to one of my most hated enemies. A horrible, disgusting abomination of a 'restaraunt' with sneering staff that have no manners and have never apparently been trained in cooking foodThis is one of the worst restaraunts I have ever been to in my life. I went with a Jewish friend and I heard they had lots of vegetarian food.

They served a spring roll which was cold inside, a pizza which made me want to vomit, and very worst of all the dessert, a sorbet, had a huge lump of plastic in it and blobs of white liquid and mould. I would not recommend this even to one of my most hated enemies. A horrible, disgusting abomination of a 'restaraunt' with sneering staff that have no manners and have never apparently been trained in cooking food

Dizengoff Restaurant - Best kosher restaurant in London? by silverbrow

silverbrow — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:37:20 +0000

Review by silverbrow

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8458 7003

Tags: crowded, good value, middle eastern

Ok, that might not be saying much, but the food here is very good. Simple grilled meats with great salads. Ok, that might not be saying much, but the food here is very good. Simple grilled meats with great salads.

Philpott's Mezzaluna - Foie Gras & Truffles For Me Please by Angella

Angella — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:00:22 +0000

Review by Angella

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7794 0455

Website: http://www.philpotts-mezzaluna.com

Tags: italian, modern italian

THE NAME
Mezzaluna is Italian for half moon or middle moon if you prefer to remember it that way. You know how the month starts with the full moon, later the half moon - ah! I learned that at reception in their restaurant.

Another diner tells me that a mezzaluna is also the half-moon or boat-shape chopper. A chef might use it in the kitchen, so there's another way of remembering the name.

Decor
Great. In the entrance hall lots of amusing masks and half moon sculptures with faces hanging on the wall. Table displaying food guides. Large colourful portraits of well known film personalities such as Sophia Loren and Madonna.

Table setting: Cutlery, crockery, napkins, flowers
Table elegant though not wonderful. Tablecloth and white cloth napkins. Sad looking real flowers. Excellent and unusual crockery was the soup plate with a small round centre and huge lip. Swanky salt and pepper cellars. Huge brandy glasses for wine. Wine cooler on the table for the white wine bottle.

Chef
The proprietors are David Philpott and Alex Ross, according to the address card I picked up when I was there. I keep their card pinned on a board in the hall alongside a lot of other restaurant cards, in alphbatical order.

Address Card
Their card is both grandest and most useful when you are trying to persuade somebody else that this is where you should go to eat. On the front of the card is a picture of the restaurant with the name address phone and fax numbers.

It's a double card, like a small book cover. The middle double page spread has testimonials from Time Out, the Ham & High (short for Hampstead and Highgate - the local newspaper) and from Fay Maschler of the Evening Standard.

On the right are the opening times, the webpage www.philpotts-mezzaluna.com and a handy map.

On the back are pictures of two dishes and of David Philpott.

FOOD
Before meal food
The bread was plain or with olives. And oil to dip it in. (I prefer hot brown bread and melting yellow butter, sigh, but it was okay.)

Seriously good food. I go there to eat foie gras at affordable prices. And sometimes they serve truffles - the savoury sort.

Soup
I sipped pumpkin soup. De-lish! What made it really good were the croutons which contained herbs.

Main Courses
One of my companions had fish, and another selected salmon. I chose chicken in breadcrumbs with pistachio. I was attracted by the idea of pistachios. I don't normally like meat dried out, nor diet-breaking breadcrumbs. I prefer succulent chicken in a sauce. But it made a change.

The creamed potato was good. Not super-good, but good.

Desserts
Desserts on Visit Three: Desserts are wonderful. I like to choose a chocolate concoction. We once left a friend's husband at home babysitting and we took him back a dessert as consolation.

We are always satisfied, despite the occasional mistake on their part or ours. I chose a grilled pineapple dessert and left half of the fruit and pud because part of it was cooked black. That seems to be a modern fashion, black stripes on everything. I've cut black off my food since friends of mine who work at a hospital sent back a blackened pizza. They said over-cooked food which has gone black can give you cancer. I thought that the servers should have asked if everything was all right and when I asked them to take away part of my dessert they should have changed it. (My family, however, were quite happy with the restaurant. I was the only one having a two minute grump.) Anyway, next month the desserts will probably be different. I've sent back or cut off bits of chicken in grill restaurants and rejected blackened roast potatoes which other diners ate happily in other restaurants.)

Desserts on Visit Four:
Excellent warm chocolate pudding with delightful ice cream containing crunchy chocolate bits.
Pleasant cooked pear.
Apple tart tastes wonderful and almondy.

The menu changes every Sunday. A sample menu is on the website and they say you can phone them to ask for the current menu.

Coffee and chocolates
Full marks to any restaurant such as this one which serves a real chocolate or small chocolate biscuit with the coffee. This place does both. The black and white sandwich design chocolate was chilled so maybe don't grab it straight away. Be sure it's the right temperature. Not cold but not melting alongside the coffee.

The biscuit is dry with a nut. My friend said it's the sort of biscuit designed for dunking in your coffee.

Coffee is Illy. Made is some horrendously expensive machine which cost them a three figure sum to repair. We are not surprised. We just checked on line to find the prices of an Italian espresso coffee machine to replace ours which broke. Machines can cost up to nearly a thousand pounds.

BOOKING
You must book busy weekends. It's not that big. But Friday in January 2009 no trouble getting a table. Apart from the credit crunch, January is when the Xmas season bills arrive from the credit company and you are recovering from too much food and eating out over Xmas and New Year.

Servers and Service
Some are cheerier than others. One of the servers when asked who was shown in the paintings kidded us that one of the paintings was him. The paintings seem to show Madonna, Marlon Brando and other film stars - or your server. A fun guessing game.

We were able to share two starters. They divided our soup into two small bowls.

Take away food was put in foil containers with lids. No bag was provided but I had a plastic bag with me.

SERVICE CHARGE & PRICES
Service charge is 12 and a half per cent. No comment. On second thoughts I will comment. For our money we did get lots of staff loitering within hailing distance early and late evening and rushing past during busy mid-evening.

A glass of champagne or kir royale cost Â£7. You can have a two course, three course or four course set meal.

OFFERS
If you are a regular they list your name in a book and after half a dozen meals you get an offer which I think is a free meal or free wine.

Toilets
The gents has two fetching pictures of Sophia Loren, properly clothed but one has knees apart and the other shows decollete. How would I know? One entrance door and then two more doors, ladies ahead, men to the left. Separate cubicles for men and women but anyone can make a mistake. (While I was there a man did so and apologized. If the men are using the Ladies then ...)

OPENING TIMES
Lunch noon to 2.30. Sunday noon until 3 pm.
Closed Saturday lunch and Monday. Dinner 7 pm until 11 pm.

MUSIC
Background music. New music this month. Pleasantly jolly tunes sounded like the Beach Boys followed by mournful slow music which sounded like a cross between a lovelorn Italian pop singer and a dying swan.

SEATING
Chairs have round seats which don't support all the way to your knees and a horizontal bar. However, they provided us with two fabric supports which solved this problem - though then raising me so that my feet no longer touched the ground.

TEMPERATURE
Despite having the hot soup - in a plate so hot I burned my fingertip - I still had cold hands and my friend retrieved her scarf which she'd removed on arrival. Wear not just a blouse but a jumper or fancy cashmere top in winter. I could have done with starting with mulled wine, if they'd had it, or failing that a long hot coffee.

CONCLUSION
Restaurant can be relied upon to provide a surprising menu prepared by a real chef.THE NAME
Mezzaluna is Italian for half moon or middle moon if you prefer to remember it that way. You know how the month starts with the full moon, later the half moon - ah! I learned that at reception in their restaurant.

Another diner tells me that a mezzaluna is also the half-moon or boat-shape chopper. A chef might use it in the kitchen, so there's another way of remembering the name.

Decor
Great. In the entrance hall lots of amusing masks and half moon sculptures with faces hanging on the wall. Table displaying food guides. Large colourful portraits of well known film personalities such as Sophia Loren and Madonna.

Table setting: Cutlery, crockery, napkins, flowers
Table elegant though not wonderful. Tablecloth and white cloth napkins. Sad looking real flowers. Excellent and unusual crockery was the soup plate with a small round centre and huge lip. Swanky salt and pepper cellars. Huge brandy glasses for wine. Wine cooler on the table for the white wine bottle.

Chef
The proprietors are David Philpott and Alex Ross, according to the address card I picked up when I was there. I keep their card pinned on a board in the hall alongside a lot of other restaurant cards, in alphbatical order.

Address Card
Their card is both grandest and most useful when you are trying to persuade somebody else that this is where you should go to eat. On the front of the card is a picture of the restaurant with the name address phone and fax numbers.

It's a double card, like a small book cover. The middle double page spread has testimonials from Time Out, the Ham & High (short for Hampstead and Highgate - the local newspaper) and from Fay Maschler of the Evening Standard.

On the right are the opening times, the webpage www.philpotts-mezzaluna.com and a handy map.

On the back are pictures of two dishes and of David Philpott.

FOOD
Before meal food
The bread was plain or with olives. And oil to dip it in. (I prefer hot brown bread and melting yellow butter, sigh, but it was okay.)

Seriously good food. I go there to eat foie gras at affordable prices. And sometimes they serve truffles - the savoury sort.

Soup
I sipped pumpkin soup. De-lish! What made it really good were the croutons which contained herbs.

Main Courses
One of my companions had fish, and another selected salmon. I chose chicken in breadcrumbs with pistachio. I was attracted by the idea of pistachios. I don't normally like meat dried out, nor diet-breaking breadcrumbs. I prefer succulent chicken in a sauce. But it made a change.

The creamed potato was good. Not super-good, but good.

Desserts
Desserts on Visit Three: Desserts are wonderful. I like to choose a chocolate concoction. We once left a friend's husband at home babysitting and we took him back a dessert as consolation.

We are always satisfied, despite the occasional mistake on their part or ours. I chose a grilled pineapple dessert and left half of the fruit and pud because part of it was cooked black. That seems to be a modern fashion, black stripes on everything. I've cut black off my food since friends of mine who work at a hospital sent back a blackened pizza. They said over-cooked food which has gone black can give you cancer. I thought that the servers should have asked if everything was all right and when I asked them to take away part of my dessert they should have changed it. (My family, however, were quite happy with the restaurant. I was the only one having a two minute grump.) Anyway, next month the desserts will probably be different. I've sent back or cut off bits of chicken in grill restaurants and rejected blackened roast potatoes which other diners ate happily in other restaurants.)

Desserts on Visit Four:
Excellent warm chocolate pudding with delightful ice cream containing crunchy chocolate bits.
Pleasant cooked pear.
Apple tart tastes wonderful and almondy.

The menu changes every Sunday. A sample menu is on the website and they say you can phone them to ask for the current menu.

Coffee and chocolates
Full marks to any restaurant such as this one which serves a real chocolate or small chocolate biscuit with the coffee. This place does both. The black and white sandwich design chocolate was chilled so maybe don't grab it straight away. Be sure it's the right temperature. Not cold but not melting alongside the coffee.

The biscuit is dry with a nut. My friend said it's the sort of biscuit designed for dunking in your coffee.

Coffee is Illy. Made is some horrendously expensive machine which cost them a three figure sum to repair. We are not surprised. We just checked on line to find the prices of an Italian espresso coffee machine to replace ours which broke. Machines can cost up to nearly a thousand pounds.

BOOKING
You must book busy weekends. It's not that big. But Friday in January 2009 no trouble getting a table. Apart from the credit crunch, January is when the Xmas season bills arrive from the credit company and you are recovering from too much food and eating out over Xmas and New Year.

Servers and Service
Some are cheerier than others. One of the servers when asked who was shown in the paintings kidded us that one of the paintings was him. The paintings seem to show Madonna, Marlon Brando and other film stars - or your server. A fun guessing game.

We were able to share two starters. They divided our soup into two small bowls.

Take away food was put in foil containers with lids. No bag was provided but I had a plastic bag with me.

SERVICE CHARGE & PRICES
Service charge is 12 and a half per cent. No comment. On second thoughts I will comment. For our money we did get lots of staff loitering within hailing distance early and late evening and rushing past during busy mid-evening.

A glass of champagne or kir royale cost Â£7. You can have a two course, three course or four course set meal.

OFFERS
If you are a regular they list your name in a book and after half a dozen meals you get an offer which I think is a free meal or free wine.

Toilets
The gents has two fetching pictures of Sophia Loren, properly clothed but one has knees apart and the other shows decollete. How would I know? One entrance door and then two more doors, ladies ahead, men to the left. Separate cubicles for men and women but anyone can make a mistake. (While I was there a man did so and apologized. If the men are using the Ladies then ...)

OPENING TIMES
Lunch noon to 2.30. Sunday noon until 3 pm.
Closed Saturday lunch and Monday. Dinner 7 pm until 11 pm.

MUSIC
Background music. New music this month. Pleasantly jolly tunes sounded like the Beach Boys followed by mournful slow music which sounded like a cross between a lovelorn Italian pop singer and a dying swan.

SEATING
Chairs have round seats which don't support all the way to your knees and a horizontal bar. However, they provided us with two fabric supports which solved this problem - though then raising me so that my feet no longer touched the ground.

TEMPERATURE
Despite having the hot soup - in a plate so hot I burned my fingertip - I still had cold hands and my friend retrieved her scarf which she'd removed on arrival. Wear not just a blouse but a jumper or fancy cashmere top in winter. I could have done with starting with mulled wine, if they'd had it, or failing that a long hot coffee.

CONCLUSION
Restaurant can be relied upon to provide a surprising menu prepared by a real chef.

Solly's Exclusive - Authentic Ethnic Experience by Angella

Angella — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 21:12:06 +0000

Review by Angella

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 8455 0004

Tags: expensive, takeaway, jewish

We used to eat upstairs where the clientele of contented and well-fed customers showed that the heavy filling food like bubba* used to make is the most important thing here.

At Jewish restaurants the portions are huge and everybody eats as if they're about to catch a plane. Upstairs, when we stopped playing Jewish ping-pong (swapping food and finishing other people's leftovers), we loved the amusing mural.

Alas the mural and the upstairs have gone. The downstairs restaurant has pleasing decor of arches and is clean.

They don't take credit cards and the menu discouragingly says you cannot order only the hors d'oevres.

I had chicken soup. Then salt beef on rye which came up with the traditional pickled cucumber, coleslaw and sauerkraut - must check the spelling. I'd have preferred salad and latkes. My favourite Jewish style place is still B & K in Edgware because you can all order different things and swap about and eat well at very reasonable prices.

Followed by strudel - flat like a tart, very pleasant, with orange sorbet. Then Turkish coffee. No milk of course because it was all kosher and you can't eat milk with meat. When asked for milk substitute they produced a milk powder. I'd have preferred soy milk or imitation creamer but I suppose some people would prefer it not to look as if you are serving or using milk in a meat restaurant.

The bill came to more than £50 for two people for lunch. I used to love Solly's and left feeling a bit sad. I feel that though the waitress tried hard and wished me 'enjoy' there must be something they can do to attract more custom. The owner's wife stopped me from taking photos so you can't see any.

*Bubba - Jewish grannyWe used to eat upstairs where the clientele of contented and well-fed customers showed that the heavy filling food like bubba* used to make is the most important thing here.

At Jewish restaurants the portions are huge and everybody eats as if they're about to catch a plane. Upstairs, when we stopped playing Jewish ping-pong (swapping food and finishing other people's leftovers), we loved the amusing mural.

Alas the mural and the upstairs have gone. The downstairs restaurant has pleasing decor of arches and is clean.

They don't take credit cards and the menu discouragingly says you cannot order only the hors d'oevres.

I had chicken soup. Then salt beef on rye which came up with the traditional pickled cucumber, coleslaw and sauerkraut - must check the spelling. I'd have preferred salad and latkes. My favourite Jewish style place is still B & K in Edgware because you can all order different things and swap about and eat well at very reasonable prices.

Followed by strudel - flat like a tart, very pleasant, with orange sorbet. Then Turkish coffee. No milk of course because it was all kosher and you can't eat milk with meat. When asked for milk substitute they produced a milk powder. I'd have preferred soy milk or imitation creamer but I suppose some people would prefer it not to look as if you are serving or using milk in a meat restaurant.

The bill came to more than £50 for two people for lunch. I used to love Solly's and left feeling a bit sad. I feel that though the waitress tried hard and wished me 'enjoy' there must be something they can do to attract more custom. The owner's wife stopped me from taking photos so you can't see any.

*Bubba - Jewish granny

Hi Sushi - Sushi Indulgence by ergoron

ergoron — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:05:25 +0000

Review by ergoron

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8201 8585

Website: http://www.hisushi.net/

Tags: lively, japanese, takeaway

I have to go here. Shirley from the office cannot stop speaking about it. All you can eat Sushi for about Â£15, with no compromise on the quality, quantity or variety.

Sign me up for a visit - in fact we have just organised an office assault.I have to go here. Shirley from the office cannot stop speaking about it. All you can eat Sushi for about Â£15, with no compromise on the quality, quantity or variety.

Sign me up for a visit - in fact we have just organised an office assault.

Atari-Ya - by johnspier

johnspier — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 16:36:45 +0000

Review by johnspier

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8458 7626

Tags: japanese

The sushi at the small sushi bar is very good, but be warned that the sushi bar / counter is very small so you may have to wait. But waiting is no problem because you can browse the Japanese food store. The sushi is (as should be) made fresh infront of you, and the staff are always very friendly.The sushi at the small sushi bar is very good, but be warned that the sushi bar / counter is very small so you may have to wait. But waiting is no problem because you can browse the Japanese food store. The sushi is (as should be) made fresh infront of you, and the staff are always very friendly.