Latest reviews in Hackney, London, United Kingdom

Fish House - Fish House by topruss

topruss — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:05:20 +0000

Review by topruss

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8533 3327

Not the cheapest around ( Â£10 for cod, chips and mushy peas ) but my god its the best . The portions are huge so dont plan to do much after here as all i could manage was the sofa .
Highly reccomend and ring to book table outside .Not the cheapest around ( Â£10 for cod, chips and mushy peas ) but my god its the best . The portions are huge so dont plan to do much after here as all i could manage was the sofa .
Highly reccomend and ring to book table outside .

Columbia Road Flower Market - Best flower market ever by topruss

topruss — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:14:46 +0000

Review by topruss

Rating: 5.00

Tags: cheap, rare finds, crowded

get here early sunday as get really busy and also serve pints from 8am so great if not slept since saturdayget here early sunday as get really busy and also serve pints from 8am so great if not slept since saturday

Buen Ayre - Finally a nice steak house by heyphilip

heyphilip — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:28:34 +0000

Review by heyphilip

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7275 9900

Website: http://www.buenayre.co.uk

Tags: good value, lively, crowded

Those who live in Hackney can tell over the past few years the quality just gets better and better. The complete tranformation of broadway market still astonishes me. That said when Buen Ayre was open, i immediately fell in love the restaurant. We are not talking about steak which is flatted out, dry and tasteless that you will in pubs these days. This was steak was huge as if it was just chopped off from a cow. Anyone tried the suagages there.. man they are huge. The food there is lovely and service is quality everytime i have been there. The dissappointed thing i can say is that it is always packed out, full of people, and it can be hard to get a reservation there.
Those who live in Hackney can tell over the past few years the quality just gets better and better. The complete tranformation of broadway market still astonishes me. That said when Buen Ayre was open, i immediately fell in love the restaurant. We are not talking about steak which is flatted out, dry and tasteless that you will in pubs these days. This was steak was huge as if it was just chopped off from a cow. Anyone tried the suagages there.. man they are huge. The food there is lovely and service is quality everytime i have been there. The dissappointed thing i can say is that it is always packed out, full of people, and it can be hard to get a reservation there.

The Dolphin - Hackney craziness by sokratis

sokratis — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:43:09 +0000

Review by sokratis

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 8985 3727

Tags: friendly, underground, trendy

How does one begin to describe the Dolphin? Is it a pub or is it a club? It looks like a pub, works like a pub and smells like a pub, but then again itâ¬"s open until 5am on Saturdays, which makes it fall under the club category. Oh well, Iâ¬"ll leave semantics aside and go for the club version.
Located in Hackney, itâ¬"s a magnet for all of East Londonâ¬"s trendies who are still yearning for some entertainment after most places in Shoreditch shut down at 2am. You will find probably the highest concentration of skinny genes per capita in the world, along with funny haircuts, moustaches, shiny shell-suits, trench coats, white shoes, golden shoes and all the other hallmarks of the â¬ÜIâ¬"m so cool and creative in my self-expressionâ¬" uniform of the East London hipsterati.
A drink will cost you Â£3 and the atmosphere is very friendly and party oriented. Apparently the Karaoke nights are legendary, but not on when I went. Instead we went through a vibrant mix of cheese, hip-hop, dance pop and occasional Gypsy Kings thrown in for good measure.
Not a place for the easily offended or swank-loving professional crowd, but an interesting night out that Iâ¬"d recommend you try once - if only for the novelty factor alone.
How does one begin to describe the Dolphin? Is it a pub or is it a club? It looks like a pub, works like a pub and smells like a pub, but then again itâ¬"s open until 5am on Saturdays, which makes it fall under the club category. Oh well, Iâ¬"ll leave semantics aside and go for the club version.
Located in Hackney, itâ¬"s a magnet for all of East Londonâ¬"s trendies who are still yearning for some entertainment after most places in Shoreditch shut down at 2am. You will find probably the highest concentration of skinny genes per capita in the world, along with funny haircuts, moustaches, shiny shell-suits, trench coats, white shoes, golden shoes and all the other hallmarks of the â¬ÜIâ¬"m so cool and creative in my self-expressionâ¬" uniform of the East London hipsterati.
A drink will cost you Â£3 and the atmosphere is very friendly and party oriented. Apparently the Karaoke nights are legendary, but not on when I went. Instead we went through a vibrant mix of cheese, hip-hop, dance pop and occasional Gypsy Kings thrown in for good measure.
Not a place for the easily offended or swank-loving professional crowd, but an interesting night out that Iâ¬"d recommend you try once - if only for the novelty factor alone.

Bardens Boudoir - Crap venue for bands by manc_ill_kid

manc_ill_kid — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:30:00 +0000

Review by manc_ill_kid

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7249 9557

Website: http://www.bardensbar.co.uk

Tags: live music, reasonably priced

Barden's Boudoir is a fucking shit venue. I've been there a couple of times, I've been to other gigs in my life, I know a shit venue.

The sound is atrocious, its unforgivable. There have been many great bands playing there, I've seen them before, I've heard them before, but at Barden's they sound shit. I've seen shows there with different sound engineers and they all sound crap.

Maybe the place is cursed and bands, who are usually great, they play there and their instruments go out of tune, they lose their voices and forget the words, its not the bands fault, they just need to avoid the venue like the plague it is.

The crowd, the audience, at Barden's, are scum. I don't mean they could do with a wash, should get jobs and stop swearing at buses, I mean purely in the context of audiences at gigs. They only stick around for the one band they want to see in a night, they talk loudly through all the bands that play. They drown out the music and not with amusing banter or heckles, just banal meaningless rhubarb.

Go there, look around when a band is playing. What do you reckon, 70%, 80% of the crowd don't give a shit? Last night there were three girls stood on a table presumably to get a better view of the stage, but not actually facing the stage, facing each other and their conversation. Sure the guy on the door gets his money, but what's the point of booking bands at all?

I like to think I'm not some small-minded, prejudiced bigot. But sometimes I have my doubts and need to reassure myself.

So maybe I've just caught bad nights at Barden's, its just fate and coincidence that the bands, the venue and the crowd don't gel.

One way to prove it would be if someone said "Hey come to this gigs, the bands sound great and the audience are fabulous, maybe even the beer will be worth what you pay for"

But if whoever says that is wrong and the gig is crap, I will respond to every single bit of gig spam they ever leave online. Is it worth it?Barden's Boudoir is a fucking shit venue. I've been there a couple of times, I've been to other gigs in my life, I know a shit venue.

The sound is atrocious, its unforgivable. There have been many great bands playing there, I've seen them before, I've heard them before, but at Barden's they sound shit. I've seen shows there with different sound engineers and they all sound crap.

Maybe the place is cursed and bands, who are usually great, they play there and their instruments go out of tune, they lose their voices and forget the words, its not the bands fault, they just need to avoid the venue like the plague it is.

The crowd, the audience, at Barden's, are scum. I don't mean they could do with a wash, should get jobs and stop swearing at buses, I mean purely in the context of audiences at gigs. They only stick around for the one band they want to see in a night, they talk loudly through all the bands that play. They drown out the music and not with amusing banter or heckles, just banal meaningless rhubarb.

Go there, look around when a band is playing. What do you reckon, 70%, 80% of the crowd don't give a shit? Last night there were three girls stood on a table presumably to get a better view of the stage, but not actually facing the stage, facing each other and their conversation. Sure the guy on the door gets his money, but what's the point of booking bands at all?

I like to think I'm not some small-minded, prejudiced bigot. But sometimes I have my doubts and need to reassure myself.

So maybe I've just caught bad nights at Barden's, its just fate and coincidence that the bands, the venue and the crowd don't gel.

One way to prove it would be if someone said "Hey come to this gigs, the bands sound great and the audience are fabulous, maybe even the beer will be worth what you pay for"

But if whoever says that is wrong and the gig is crap, I will respond to every single bit of gig spam they ever leave online. Is it worth it?

Bacchus - Creative modern global excellence by aidanbrooks

aidanbrooks — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:24:56 +0000

Review by aidanbrooks

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7739 7176

Website: http://www.bacchus-restaurant.co.uk/

Tags: friendly, cool, relaxed

The question you'll be asked as you prepare to leave Bacchus is not "How was your food?" but "How was your experience?" You don't come to this converted former pub at the unfashionable end of Hoxton to satiate your hunger with good nosh - Fred Cooke's Eel & Pie shop nearby will do that. You come to Bacchus to experience an El Bulli-trained culinary genius taking your sensory perceptions to places they don't normally go, with truly amazing combinations of aroma, flavour, colour, texture and temperature. It's an inevitable yet ironic consequence of the friendly and unsnobbish "fine dining with trainers" ethos of the place that some visitors simply don't get what it's about. But leading restaurant critics, chefs and countless foodies have already confirmed what I knew within minutes of my first visit â¬ that Nuno Mendes is one of the best and most creative chefs working in Britain today. There's only so long I can go without experiencing pleasures like parmesan bread cooked Ã la minute, nitrous rose water and mackerel cooked at such a low temperature that it melts like butter on the tongue, so I was really looking forward to paying a visit during a brief holiday break back in my home city.

Reviewers seem a bit obsessed with sous-vide cooking, but the truth is that the team at Bacchus use a panoply of equipment and techniques to arrive at their product. And if there's anything new to be tried, Nuno will be the first to experiment. Hence the tasting menu is constantly evolving, to the point where it's not unknown for a dish to change during the course of a service. On my visit last week, the White Chocolate Mousse had definitely taken on some components that were not on the menu. Amongst the evening's highlights for me were â¬SOyster and Onions Old but Newâ¬

The Old Ship - Brilliant British food by ChloeBuxton

ChloeBuxton — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:55:55 +0000

Review by ChloeBuxton

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8986 1641

Website: http://www.urbaninns.co.uk/

Tags: british

Having heard that it has been recently refurbished, I headed down to The Old Ship in Hackney to check it out. My partner and I went, not expecting too much, but it has definitely lived up to my expectations, and more.

The food, for starters, is excellent. All of it is sourced from around the Uk and it is traditional British food, done very well. I had the goat's cheese salad and mutton and my partner had the roll mop herrings and venison burger - all of which were quite generous portions.

The staff are down-to-earth and friendly and very happy to recommend what to order, without getting in the way of actually enjoying your dinner. Our waitress was just the right mix of friendly, attentive and professional which really helped as I find the problem with most restaurants is sloppy service.

All up, I will definitely be coming back here again and recommending it to my friends. Good place to go for a drink as well as its right next to Hackney Empire. Having heard that it has been recently refurbished, I headed down to The Old Ship in Hackney to check it out. My partner and I went, not expecting too much, but it has definitely lived up to my expectations, and more.

The food, for starters, is excellent. All of it is sourced from around the Uk and it is traditional British food, done very well. I had the goat's cheese salad and mutton and my partner had the roll mop herrings and venison burger - all of which were quite generous portions.

The staff are down-to-earth and friendly and very happy to recommend what to order, without getting in the way of actually enjoying your dinner. Our waitress was just the right mix of friendly, attentive and professional which really helped as I find the problem with most restaurants is sloppy service.

All up, I will definitely be coming back here again and recommending it to my friends. Good place to go for a drink as well as its right next to Hackney Empire.

Climpson & Sons - A cafe latte with just the right amount of milk! by SiReine

SiReine — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:13:44 +0000

Review by SiReine

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7812 9829

Website: http://www.climpsonandsons.com/

Tags: cosy, crowded, quick bite

If you happen to be in the area and fancy a really nice cup of java, I bet you won't be disappointed by what the baristas at Climpson and Sons will serve you...
I say "serve" but because the place is so tiny (and always packed during the w-e) you more than likely will have to grab your cup and "sling your hook"!

For sure you'll then start walking towards Columbia Rd flower market and that's because your nostrils would have been so inspired by the smell of such a great coffee they'll be screaming for more inspiration!

If you happen to be in the area and fancy a really nice cup of java, I bet you won't be disappointed by what the baristas at Climpson and Sons will serve you...
I say "serve" but because the place is so tiny (and always packed during the w-e) you more than likely will have to grab your cup and "sling your hook"!

For sure you'll then start walking towards Columbia Rd flower market and that's because your nostrils would have been so inspired by the smell of such a great coffee they'll be screaming for more inspiration!

Namo - Best Spare Ribs by sokratis

sokratis — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:09:18 +0000

Review by sokratis

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8533 0639

Website: http://www.namo.co.uk/

Tags: vietnamese, good value, lively

I'm not exaggerating. I went to Namo with friends this weekend and the spare ribs are simply the best I have had in the UK. Melt-in-mouth tenderness, full flavour without excess grease to spoil the package. The rest of the food was delicious with the soft shell crab, Vietnamese spring rolls and my chilli beef with aubergine providing a fuss-free, ideal pre-Saturday night out feast. The mango cheesecake in the end was quite refreshing as well.
Accompanied by a very modest and well-priced wine list and attentive and friendly staff, this is a genuinely good Vietnamese, with an average price of Â£20-25 per head for a three course meal and wine.
The crowd is neo-Hackney urbanites (i.e. predominantly white, Guardian readers in their late twenties, early thirties), which I guess is a good thing. Try Namo, I'm sure you'll like it.
I'm not exaggerating. I went to Namo with friends this weekend and the spare ribs are simply the best I have had in the UK. Melt-in-mouth tenderness, full flavour without excess grease to spoil the package. The rest of the food was delicious with the soft shell crab, Vietnamese spring rolls and my chilli beef with aubergine providing a fuss-free, ideal pre-Saturday night out feast. The mango cheesecake in the end was quite refreshing as well.
Accompanied by a very modest and well-priced wine list and attentive and friendly staff, this is a genuinely good Vietnamese, with an average price of Â£20-25 per head for a three course meal and wine.
The crowd is neo-Hackney urbanites (i.e. predominantly white, Guardian readers in their late twenties, early thirties), which I guess is a good thing. Try Namo, I'm sure you'll like it.

Song Que - I love this place. by neilgrayshon

neilgrayshon — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 03:03:47 +0000

Review by neilgrayshon

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7613 3222

Tags: vietnamese, cheap eat, lively

I have little else to add but that it the complete opposite of the word sombre.
Please visit and eat a small piece of sunny heart like love.
Really, words are not sufficient.
Be warned, the clumsy, ineloquent and alarming turquoise interior will stay with you and you will go back.
Luckily, it is also rather cheap. I have little else to add but that it the complete opposite of the word sombre.
Please visit and eat a small piece of sunny heart like love.
Really, words are not sufficient.
Be warned, the clumsy, ineloquent and alarming turquoise interior will stay with you and you will go back.
Luckily, it is also rather cheap.

The Grocery - Ethical? Really? by neilgrayshon

neilgrayshon — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 02:54:26 +0000

Review by neilgrayshon

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 7729 6855

Website: http://www.thegroceryshop.co.uk/home.html

Tags: mediterranean, rare finds, delicatessen

Alongside the hand harvested workers co-operative fava beans and the love spun biodegradable shopping bags, which are probably sourced from the recycled yarn of tibetian monks winter jackets lies a dirtier secret; coca cola, bacardi rum and fairy liquid don't score so highly on my ethical barometer and you might ask the same question. What are these things doing here?
A good run of earth friendly stuff is at odds with these inclusions and the dubious selection of ancient veg doesn't help to enamour one to the place.
But it is around the corner and it is trying its best. Alongside the hand harvested workers co-operative fava beans and the love spun biodegradable shopping bags, which are probably sourced from the recycled yarn of tibetian monks winter jackets lies a dirtier secret; coca cola, bacardi rum and fairy liquid don't score so highly on my ethical barometer and you might ask the same question. What are these things doing here?
A good run of earth friendly stuff is at odds with these inclusions and the dubious selection of ancient veg doesn't help to enamour one to the place.
But it is around the corner and it is trying its best.

Shanghai - Fun Night But Early by lowe

lowe — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:06:45 +0000

Review by lowe

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7254 2878

Tags: chinese, good value, cheap eat

I was invited by a friend to a birthday function held in one of the private rooms in Shanghai. Never been before I was surprised by the deceptive appearance of this rather nice little resturant.
Just behind the aisles of bench seat left from the pie & mash days is a smallish restaurant which with a steady flow of customers.
The private room was fun, with karaoke and service which was both friendly and professional. For the function I attended there was set menu's (choice of two) Â£15 a head, drinks extra obviously..The only downside (for me anyway) is that on a Saturday night it still closes at 11PM ...Much to early for me. I was invited by a friend to a birthday function held in one of the private rooms in Shanghai. Never been before I was surprised by the deceptive appearance of this rather nice little resturant.
Just behind the aisles of bench seat left from the pie & mash days is a smallish restaurant which with a steady flow of customers.
The private room was fun, with karaoke and service which was both friendly and professional. For the function I attended there was set menu's (choice of two) Â£15 a head, drinks extra obviously..The only downside (for me anyway) is that on a Saturday night it still closes at 11PM ...Much to early for me.

Gardiner's - worst and rudest service i have Ever had. by henrystrong

henrystrong — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 12:15:50 +0000

Review by henrystrong

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7729 1215

Tags: sandwiches, seating area

I have lived in London for most of my life but i have never come cross someone as rude and bad mannered as one of the female workers at Gardiners.
As this area has limited places to go for lunch. A Deli like this should do well, it seems insane to be let down by such an individual who works there!?
Today was the last straw. After being shouted at, then my Sandwich being thrown at me, i will be contacting the Manager. I suggest if you have been treated the same you should do like wise. I have lived in London for most of my life but i have never come cross someone as rude and bad mannered as one of the female workers at Gardiners.
As this area has limited places to go for lunch. A Deli like this should do well, it seems insane to be let down by such an individual who works there!?
Today was the last straw. After being shouted at, then my Sandwich being thrown at me, i will be contacting the Manager. I suggest if you have been treated the same you should do like wise.

Gardiner's - worst and rudest service i have Ever had.. by henrystrong

henrystrong — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 11:40:08 +0000

Review by henrystrong

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7613 0414

Tags: sandwiches, seating area

The Macbeth - The Macbeth by miffy

miffy — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 23:02:23 +0000

Review by miffy

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7739 5095

Tags: live music, independent pub, cool

Funny how the other two reviews are so differnt, I've never seen this pub with a sports crowd but it is certainly one of the trendier pubs of hoxton. A variety of live music from rock to electro to indie. Xerox teens host a night there "the parlour" every month I think and many bands play there regularly, past bands include: good shoes, xerox teens, cazals. Reasonable drink prices and friendly people. Only issue with it is the council estate opposite who aren't always into drunken hoxton heroes. Funny how the other two reviews are so differnt, I've never seen this pub with a sports crowd but it is certainly one of the trendier pubs of hoxton. A variety of live music from rock to electro to indie. Xerox teens host a night there "the parlour" every month I think and many bands play there regularly, past bands include: good shoes, xerox teens, cazals. Reasonable drink prices and friendly people. Only issue with it is the council estate opposite who aren't always into drunken hoxton heroes.

Elbows Cafe - My favorite one... by Vasso

Vasso — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 23:22:34 +0000

Review by Vasso

Rating: 5.00

Tags: cosy, takeaway, quick bite

Really good coffee, great 'homemade' food, excellent service (always smiley and polite). Definitely try it for breakfast or brunch. Especially on a sunny day! Victoria Park is 2mins away for an after walk.... to digest!! :)Really good coffee, great 'homemade' food, excellent service (always smiley and polite). Definitely try it for breakfast or brunch. Especially on a sunny day! Victoria Park is 2mins away for an after walk.... to digest!! :)

The Nelsons Head - Great cosy pub by savagepink

savagepink — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 13:03:59 +0000

Review by savagepink

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7739 6054

Tags: pub unique

We stumbled across the Nelson's Head by accident. A cosy corner pub on an unassuming side street (between Hackney Road and Columbia Road), the decor is charming -- all dark blues, cinema seats around the walls, big wooden tables and lots of candles, with a great nautical twist. Very friendly staff and a good selection of beers. Dog friendly too -- there were some charming Jack Russells there when we visited.

The Nelson's doesn't do food - but (this is so cool) they have all the local delivery menus, and will give you crockery and cutlery, candles and napkins -- the works. Sit down, have your meal delivered, and someone else does the washing up. Genius!!

Highly recommended.We stumbled across the Nelson's Head by accident. A cosy corner pub on an unassuming side street (between Hackney Road and Columbia Road), the decor is charming -- all dark blues, cinema seats around the walls, big wooden tables and lots of candles, with a great nautical twist. Very friendly staff and a good selection of beers. Dog friendly too -- there were some charming Jack Russells there when we visited.

The Nelson's doesn't do food - but (this is so cool) they have all the local delivery menus, and will give you crockery and cutlery, candles and napkins -- the works. Sit down, have your meal delivered, and someone else does the washing up. Genius!!

Highly recommended.

The Empress Of India - Disappointing but not disastrous by savagepink

savagepink — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 12:15:51 +0000

Review by savagepink

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 8533 5123

Website: http://www.theempressofindia.com

Tags: gastro pub, lively, bar

We made our first visit to the Empress on a Saturday afternoon. We called and booked a table for 3pm, only to be told on arrival that the kitchen closed at 3pm, and our booking shouldn't have been taken. The hostess offered to serve us one course. After asserting ourselves, she agreed to speak to the kitchen again and we were told we could order as we wished. An inauspicious start.

We kicked off with a pint of prawns each. All of the prawns were full of roe which made the job of eating them particularly messy, and I'm never comfortable eating prawns which have been harvested during spawning. Â£8 a pint was a bit steep.

As a main we both opted for the sirloin steak with hand-cut chips. The cuts were on the bone, but particularly thin (about 1/2 to 1 cm thick) and laden with fat & gristle. They were perfectly cooked (rare and medium as requested) but under seasoned. The chips were excellent, fat cut and fried twice - lovely and crispy outside and fluffy inside. Again, overpriced at Â£15.50 a plate, considering the poor cuts of meat.

The wine list was excellent - we had a glass of Chapel Down sparkling wine with our prawns and an excellent bottle of Coto Imaz Rioja.

The restaurant itself was busy and *very* noisy -- a downfall of the room's acoustics. After the faux pas on arrival, the service was generally quite good, though we had to search for someone to bring us salt & pepper.

With three bottles of water and 12.5% service, our bill came to Â£106 - a bit more than I would have expected for lunch!

Conclusion: Good service, very average food, restricted menu (not generally a problem where more imagination is employed) and certainly very overpriced considering the portion size and quality of ingredients. I won't be tempted to eat here again, but I might have a bottle of wine and some chips!
We made our first visit to the Empress on a Saturday afternoon. We called and booked a table for 3pm, only to be told on arrival that the kitchen closed at 3pm, and our booking shouldn't have been taken. The hostess offered to serve us one course. After asserting ourselves, she agreed to speak to the kitchen again and we were told we could order as we wished. An inauspicious start.

We kicked off with a pint of prawns each. All of the prawns were full of roe which made the job of eating them particularly messy, and I'm never comfortable eating prawns which have been harvested during spawning. Â£8 a pint was a bit steep.

As a main we both opted for the sirloin steak with hand-cut chips. The cuts were on the bone, but particularly thin (about 1/2 to 1 cm thick) and laden with fat & gristle. They were perfectly cooked (rare and medium as requested) but under seasoned. The chips were excellent, fat cut and fried twice - lovely and crispy outside and fluffy inside. Again, overpriced at Â£15.50 a plate, considering the poor cuts of meat.

The wine list was excellent - we had a glass of Chapel Down sparkling wine with our prawns and an excellent bottle of Coto Imaz Rioja.

The restaurant itself was busy and *very* noisy -- a downfall of the room's acoustics. After the faux pas on arrival, the service was generally quite good, though we had to search for someone to bring us salt & pepper.

With three bottles of water and 12.5% service, our bill came to Â£106 - a bit more than I would have expected for lunch!

Conclusion: Good service, very average food, restricted menu (not generally a problem where more imagination is employed) and certainly very overpriced considering the portion size and quality of ingredients. I won't be tempted to eat here again, but I might have a bottle of wine and some chips!

Tay Do Cafe - Too hot, some dishes great, some just awful by alba

alba — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:50:38 +0000

Review by alba

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 7729 7223

Tags: vietnamese, lively, vegetarian

I expected a nicer place after having reat all the reviews at Time Out and I was disappointed. The place was so hot you could barely breath (at least they opened the door so the air could circulate). The place is too kistch.

The food was ok. we were 5 people and the bill was 52Â£. The best thing was the Vietnamese rolls and the chicken satay. We also ordered duck and it was fantastic. however, the fish with mango which was recommended in alot of reviews was just awful...

The service speedy, I agree that it was too speedy in fact. I expected a nicer place after having reat all the reviews at Time Out and I was disappointed. The place was so hot you could barely breath (at least they opened the door so the air could circulate). The place is too kistch.

The food was ok. we were 5 people and the bill was 52Â£. The best thing was the Vietnamese rolls and the chicken satay. We also ordered duck and it was fantastic. however, the fish with mango which was recommended in alot of reviews was just awful...

The service speedy, I agree that it was too speedy in fact.

Broadway Market - Broadway Market - worth the journey by sue

sue — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 17:55:51 +0000

Review by sue

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 07709 311869

Website: http://www.broadwaymarket.co.uk/

Tags: market, lively, food

Love Borough Market but don't love the crowds - perhaps Broadway Market is for you! Broadway Market is a farmers market located between Bethnal Green and Hackney, just south of London Fields. It is open from 9am-5pm every Saturday.

Ok, it is tiny compared to Borough, with no where near the selection of goods, but it is growing on a weekly basis and soon they hope to have 120 stalls each week. Even so, we were pleasantly surprised with the selection of goods available, recognising some of the vendors from Borough, and discovering some new ones as well. We found it a lot easier to browse and shop here as there was room to move.

The shops lining the street are also worth a browse. Perhaps you a feeling peckish and have a hankering for a some hot jellied eel, or need to buy a gift, or want to relax in one of the small cafes and watch the market activity.

Broadway Market has a great community feel to it and I know we will venture back again soon - looking forward to seeing it grow and prosper.Love Borough Market but don't love the crowds - perhaps Broadway Market is for you! Broadway Market is a farmers market located between Bethnal Green and Hackney, just south of London Fields. It is open from 9am-5pm every Saturday.

Ok, it is tiny compared to Borough, with no where near the selection of goods, but it is growing on a weekly basis and soon they hope to have 120 stalls each week. Even so, we were pleasantly surprised with the selection of goods available, recognising some of the vendors from Borough, and discovering some new ones as well. We found it a lot easier to browse and shop here as there was room to move.

The shops lining the street are also worth a browse. Perhaps you a feeling peckish and have a hankering for a some hot jellied eel, or need to buy a gift, or want to relax in one of the small cafes and watch the market activity.

Broadway Market has a great community feel to it and I know we will venture back again soon - looking forward to seeing it grow and prosper.