Latest reviews in Holland Park, London, United Kingdom

Beach Blanket Babylon - Stuck up yet fantastic food by missynm

missynm — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:28:47 +0000

Review by missynm

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7229 2907

WE chose to have our Valentine's meal here due to the beautiful interior and the set menu on offer looked great. On arrival we entered the bar, which was beautiful, shame about a lack of seating. However the meal itself was fantastic. I had raw oysters with an onion relish to start which were beautifully fresh, and my partner had a fillet of beef for the main which was not only a lovely peice of meat but also perfectly cooked. I would definitely praise the freshness of their ingredients and delicacy of flavours. Overall it was a perfect evening however at a pretty hefty price. Also a shame that the bar is full of young 'daddy funds my lifestyle' ponce's. Otherwise a faultless evening!WE chose to have our Valentine's meal here due to the beautiful interior and the set menu on offer looked great. On arrival we entered the bar, which was beautiful, shame about a lack of seating. However the meal itself was fantastic. I had raw oysters with an onion relish to start which were beautifully fresh, and my partner had a fillet of beef for the main which was not only a lovely peice of meat but also perfectly cooked. I would definitely praise the freshness of their ingredients and delicacy of flavours. Overall it was a perfect evening however at a pretty hefty price. Also a shame that the bar is full of young 'daddy funds my lifestyle' ponce's. Otherwise a faultless evening!

Balans - Uncooked food by zoltanszipola

zoltanszipola — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:46:21 +0000

Review by zoltanszipola

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 7376 0115

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

Tags: expensive, crowded, american

I have been a regular at Balans for many years. Have always been content with the food and service. However, last time I visited, things were very different.
I ordered the steak (medium) and my wife went for roasted cod. Sunday, lunchtime, understandably slower service, nothing unusual, no complaints at all.
Mains arrived, no suspicions, food have always been good. It took a couple of minutes to realise that my steak was drowning in blood and completely raw at some parts and my wife's cod was uncooked and again, unedible.
Being a fool, I opted to finish the side dishes and ask for the bill and leave. I could not help myself not to mention my discomfort to the waiter who brought me the bill. He asked if I had complained to the waitress. No, I did not, 'they there is not much we can do' - he replied and charged my card Â£54. At that moment I felt humiliated and thought I should have behaved like an idiot and make a scene.
I am just not a kind of person who enjoys to complain about bad food or service, rather keep it to myself and widthdraw the conclusions. I have always been the kind of guy who does not mind giving any place with a slight glitch a second chance, but this will not be the case with Balans.I have been a regular at Balans for many years. Have always been content with the food and service. However, last time I visited, things were very different.
I ordered the steak (medium) and my wife went for roasted cod. Sunday, lunchtime, understandably slower service, nothing unusual, no complaints at all.
Mains arrived, no suspicions, food have always been good. It took a couple of minutes to realise that my steak was drowning in blood and completely raw at some parts and my wife's cod was uncooked and again, unedible.
Being a fool, I opted to finish the side dishes and ask for the bill and leave. I could not help myself not to mention my discomfort to the waiter who brought me the bill. He asked if I had complained to the waitress. No, I did not, 'they there is not much we can do' - he replied and charged my card Â£54. At that moment I felt humiliated and thought I should have behaved like an idiot and make a scene.
I am just not a kind of person who enjoys to complain about bad food or service, rather keep it to myself and widthdraw the conclusions. I have always been the kind of guy who does not mind giving any place with a slight glitch a second chance, but this will not be the case with Balans.

E J Barnes Cycles - by chaz_mcgaz

chaz_mcgaz — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:58:18 +0000

Review by chaz_mcgaz

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7727 5147

Just got some parts replaced at Barnes. They 'informally' quoted a ballpark Â£46 and said come back in half hour.
Like a schmuck i hadn't carefully checked what theyre quoting for.... like did the quote include labour and vat etc....
I went to pick the bike up and the cost had jumped to Â£75. I complained but theres not much i could do to save on the hassle.....
The place seems to be run by a bunch of kids. If you have to use them make sure you get a proper quote. Never again for me.Just got some parts replaced at Barnes. They 'informally' quoted a ballpark Â£46 and said come back in half hour.
Like a schmuck i hadn't carefully checked what theyre quoting for.... like did the quote include labour and vat etc....
I went to pick the bike up and the cost had jumped to Â£75. I complained but theres not much i could do to save on the hassle.....
The place seems to be run by a bunch of kids. If you have to use them make sure you get a proper quote. Never again for me.

Taqueria - by sillytash

sillytash — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:36:32 +0000

Review by sillytash

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7229 4734

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

Tags: mexican, good value, lively

Very easy going place. Drop in for a great taco with prawns and cabbage! Love this place for an early evening snack or dinner before a movie. Best time to go is at 6pm before the whole of notting hill arrives.
Great beers, great service, good times spent at this mexican delight.
Very easy going place. Drop in for a great taco with prawns and cabbage! Love this place for an early evening snack or dinner before a movie. Best time to go is at 6pm before the whole of notting hill arrives.
Great beers, great service, good times spent at this mexican delight.

Ruby & Sequoia - Stylish and good quality. by GuyLondon1975

GuyLondon1975 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:30:23 +0000

Review by GuyLondon1975

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7243 6363

Website: http://www.ruby.uk.com

Tags: cool, friendly, cocktails

The more I head out on my my Friday nights the more i find a re-occuring pattern taking place. The fun, quirky restaurants and bars that offer fashionable decor and an extensive cocktail menu will suffer from poorer service, and whether this is because there are too few staff to do all the jobs or the staff lack enthusiasm for their social roles, the experience for the customer is ruined. What I enjoyed so much about going to Ruby & Sequoia was how welcome I was.The staff were friendly and happy to help whilst being efficient and having good knowledge of the menu and services. I am a firm believer that the service is just as important as the menu and reccomend the restaurant to anyone looking for a fantastic meal and friendly faces.The more I head out on my my Friday nights the more i find a re-occuring pattern taking place. The fun, quirky restaurants and bars that offer fashionable decor and an extensive cocktail menu will suffer from poorer service, and whether this is because there are too few staff to do all the jobs or the staff lack enthusiasm for their social roles, the experience for the customer is ruined. What I enjoyed so much about going to Ruby & Sequoia was how welcome I was.The staff were friendly and happy to help whilst being efficient and having good knowledge of the menu and services. I am a firm believer that the service is just as important as the menu and reccomend the restaurant to anyone looking for a fantastic meal and friendly faces.

Caffe Concerto - Italian Wannabe by tojulius

tojulius — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:49:38 +0000

Review by tojulius

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 7938 1547

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

Tags: italian, lively, expensive

As an Italian Coffee Lover, I find myself a bit distant from the positive reviews of this place. Although I agree on the the looks of the cakes (I haven't tasted it), I must say it's the stereotypical representation of what an Italian bar should be.

It is also true that you have these kind of rip off spots in Milan, Venice or Florence but Italians tend to stay away from them.

Main problem is the ridiculously over priced coffee and horrible quality of the brew. I got arguably the most cola-looking Espresso I ever had in London (and I had it few times).

It is a definitely nice location, but that is quite it. It is run by non Italians and it sits into those fake Italians illusions such as Caffe Nero (owned and started by International groups). It is not discriminatory but I expect Italians running an Italian place as much as I expect Thai running Thai restaurants or British people running pubs.As an Italian Coffee Lover, I find myself a bit distant from the positive reviews of this place. Although I agree on the the looks of the cakes (I haven't tasted it), I must say it's the stereotypical representation of what an Italian bar should be.

It is also true that you have these kind of rip off spots in Milan, Venice or Florence but Italians tend to stay away from them.

Main problem is the ridiculously over priced coffee and horrible quality of the brew. I got arguably the most cola-looking Espresso I ever had in London (and I had it few times).

It is a definitely nice location, but that is quite it. It is run by non Italians and it sits into those fake Italians illusions such as Caffe Nero (owned and started by International groups). It is not discriminatory but I expect Italians running an Italian place as much as I expect Thai running Thai restaurants or British people running pubs.

Cyrano - Beg to differ further, I like it. by lancelot

lancelot — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 19:29:47 +0000

Review by lancelot

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7221 3598

Tags: french, friendly staff, brasserie

Dont believe the last grumpy reviewer, it's a good friendly little local brasserie and cafe with simple but good food and nice pavement tables. As for 'never was refused my Amex card elsewhere' - nonsense, neither do half the restaurants in London. I think 'asenglish' is used to eating in flashy places with flashy people, it's great that he won't be there trying to impress his girlfriend next time I go there - which will be tonight in fact!Dont believe the last grumpy reviewer, it's a good friendly little local brasserie and cafe with simple but good food and nice pavement tables. As for 'never was refused my Amex card elsewhere' - nonsense, neither do half the restaurants in London. I think 'asenglish' is used to eating in flashy places with flashy people, it's great that he won't be there trying to impress his girlfriend next time I go there - which will be tonight in fact!

Luna Rossa - COCKROACH PROBLEM by notthillres

notthillres — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:18:56 +0000

Review by notthillres

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7229 0482

Tags: italian, lively, comfortable

Do not eat here - Luna Rossa has a serious cockroach problem. This place should be closed down.Do not eat here - Luna Rossa has a serious cockroach problem. This place should be closed down.

202 Cafe - Wow! by nottingbill

nottingbill — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:58:56 +0000

Review by nottingbill

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7792 6888

Tags: expensive, friendly staff, brunch

Wow, this place rocks!
Picture it: Sunny Saturday in Notting hill, the queue is nearly out of the door- miserable staff right?- Wrong! OK so it took 15 minutes instead of the 10 we were told for our table, but what a bunch of great staff, friendly, attentive and energetic.
The food was great- Goats cheese & proscuitto salad, and an amazing Lobster & prawn pasta, then crumble- the portions are massive so share a dessert if you can fit one in.
Wow, this place rocks!
Picture it: Sunny Saturday in Notting hill, the queue is nearly out of the door- miserable staff right?- Wrong! OK so it took 15 minutes instead of the 10 we were told for our table, but what a bunch of great staff, friendly, attentive and energetic.
The food was great- Goats cheese & proscuitto salad, and an amazing Lobster & prawn pasta, then crumble- the portions are massive so share a dessert if you can fit one in.

Belvedere Restaurant - Amazing location makes this a perfect place for 2 by Micheke1977

Micheke1977 — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:16:24 +0000

Review by Micheke1977

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7602 1238

Website: http://www.whitestarline.org.uk

Tags: romantic, french, expensive

I was looking for somewhere a little unique for a romantic dinner and i decided to give this place a go.

The grounds in Holland Park are exquisit and perfect for a pre-dinner stroll with the Japanese Kyoto Garden a stunning addition to the park. This will be a review of the restaurant eventually! but the location of the place really does add a sort of mystique to the experience.

The food was really good, but not amazing. This might have something to do with the relatively consertive choices i made from the menu which contained an array of familiar dishes with a splattering of things for the more adventurous (roast pigeon anyone?!) so it was anything but daunting. I had the asparagus with hollandaise (nice but nothing amazing) and the fillet of aberdeen (great tasting and tender) whilst my partner had the black pudding with poached egg and the posh fish and chips! Both of which she thoroughly enjoyed. The Wine list was extensive with bottles starting from about Â£25 to a pip above Â£500. The service was excellent and not intrusive which is what i was led to believe from some of the reviews i'd seen online. It might have been because it was a Tuesday night but we were never made to feel like we couldn't stay as long as we wanted. The restaurant was not busy with only about 10-12 people in there at any one time so it never felt rushed or hectic.

The bill came to around Â£110 which although not on the cheap side was not altogether bad considering the experience of going there. This is definately a place to take someone you might want to impress be it business of loved one and if you like this sort of thing will surely become one of your favourite restaurants in London.I was looking for somewhere a little unique for a romantic dinner and i decided to give this place a go.

The grounds in Holland Park are exquisit and perfect for a pre-dinner stroll with the Japanese Kyoto Garden a stunning addition to the park. This will be a review of the restaurant eventually! but the location of the place really does add a sort of mystique to the experience.

The food was really good, but not amazing. This might have something to do with the relatively consertive choices i made from the menu which contained an array of familiar dishes with a splattering of things for the more adventurous (roast pigeon anyone?!) so it was anything but daunting. I had the asparagus with hollandaise (nice but nothing amazing) and the fillet of aberdeen (great tasting and tender) whilst my partner had the black pudding with poached egg and the posh fish and chips! Both of which she thoroughly enjoyed. The Wine list was extensive with bottles starting from about Â£25 to a pip above Â£500. The service was excellent and not intrusive which is what i was led to believe from some of the reviews i'd seen online. It might have been because it was a Tuesday night but we were never made to feel like we couldn't stay as long as we wanted. The restaurant was not busy with only about 10-12 people in there at any one time so it never felt rushed or hectic.

The bill came to around Â£110 which although not on the cheap side was not altogether bad considering the experience of going there. This is definately a place to take someone you might want to impress be it business of loved one and if you like this sort of thing will surely become one of your favourite restaurants in London.

Julie's - Bad food, poor service, not good value by juanjoborras

juanjoborras — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 13:46:19 +0000

Review by juanjoborras

Rating: 1.00

Tags: romantic, french, expensive

We went yesterday to Julie's. I have to stress I went with a positive attitude, hoping to have a great dinner and be able to rate the venue very highly. I wish I hadn't.

We were greeted by a wait girl, sitting in a booth at the entrance. I found very weird she would not escort us to the table. I found it a waste of staff to have someone just sitting down just checking reservations and doing nothing else. Not my problem anyways. We were directed upstairs as requested in the reservation. The place was mostly empty. Now the issues started. One of the most unfriendly and arrogant managers, arguing the place was fully booked, just offered two seating options. Now, I don't give a damn if your place is fully booked (we found later that it was obviously not!), we arrived first, we should be offered the best table or at the very least let us choose the one we want. He was arrogant and impolite, which already put me off. I chose the table with the table cloth (this was another bizarre thing, to have some table with table clothes and others without - someone explain me the rationale of that.). The chairs, which seemed antique, were anyways extremely uncomfortable (could not sit back without stubbing some protruding edges in my spine). We requested to be seated on the "other" table (without table cloth). Eventually, it was not much better (also very uncomfortable) but at least we had more space.

I went to the toilet to wash my hands as usual. Now, the cleaness and overall appearance of the loo is a sign to me of what the particular place is about. For such a big restaurant the toilets are ridiculously small and cramped, and although they were not dirty, they were very very tired and outdated. Not good.

The food:

On the table they had a small plate of olives, 4 slices of bread and a dish with olive oil and vinegar. First, I would assume that to be complementary (if I have not requested for it, I dont see why I should pay for it), plus I dont like the fact of putting those on the table before anybody sits down. Purely out of hygiene and service. Well, we later found out they charged 1.5 GBP per person for that. The funny thing is that no matter if the table was for 2, 4 or 6 there was the same amount of olives and bread, which I find it a robbery. This is what this place is about: your money, not their food (as you'll see right now)

Starters: I ordered the "Brown butter and garlic potted shrimps", she had the "Smoked mackerel, halibut and salmon terrine with caper mayonnaise". Two of the worst starters I've ever had. Here's why. The shrimps plate was a dish with 5-6 slices of plain bread and a small bowl (5 cm across) filled with butter (which looked more like solidified duck fat -really!) in which you could find a few shrimps. Now, to call those shrimps is like to call an anchovies a blue whale. No kidding those are the cheapest crappies shrimps one can "buy". barely 0.5 cm in length chewy, etc, etc etc. It was sent back straight away. Btw, Julie's robs 10.50 GBP for that!!!!! Remember, 5-6 slices of brown bread and a tiny bowl with butter!!!! wtf! In replacement I asked for the gazpacho (the 2nd cheapest starter). Now, I am Spanish and I make my own gazpacho at home. But it doesn't matter. Even someone who would have never tasted tomatoes could tell that gazpacho was just a can of tomatoes, crushed. 6.50 GBP for canned tomatoes????!!! Patient reader, believe me those were just canned tomatoes. No olive oil, no peppers no nothing. Plain crashed canned tomatoes. Bad, bad. Her terrine of smoked fish was a tasteless slice of smoked fish pate served with the same 5-6 slices of brown bread. No capper mayonnaise (as advertised) was to be found on the plate either. Enough to start prosecution.

The mains were better (it would have been difficult to get it worse anyways). I had the entrecote. It lacked flavour and the best part were the chips that came with it. Overall an ok dish, but when you factor the 25 GBP for that, you again feel the people at Julie's got the value for money equation completely wrong. She had the rack of lamb. 3 lamb chops, 2 bites per chop (50% was fat). Nice taste, but again, unimaginative and not good value for money.

Anyways, the mains were passable when you put them in the perspective of the starters and the desserts.

Desserts: Eaton mess for her, brownie for me. The Eaton mess I saw in "come dine with me" looked and probably was immensely better than the one we got at Julie's. It came in a small glass. Basically it was berry yogurt (Tesco brand grade) with a few berries. 8 GBP. My brownie, being aware that making a good brownie is not an easy task was no surprise: disappointing (taste, portion, presentation). It was dry, hard on the edges (could not cut it with my knife) and again, 8 GBP. Bad, bad, bad Julie's.

Other stuff: we only got our bottle of wine after having finished our starter. The waiter insisted in refilling the glass even though being far from empty (he did the same thing with other tables). Service was overall neither friendly nor efficient.

I refused to pay the service charge. Surprisingly the manager did not bother to come asking the reason. That proves my theory that he doesn't give a damn about his customers.

Summary: VERY low food quality. Poor execution of dishes. VERY LOW value for money. No surprise when you consider an arrogant manager, who is closer to a pimp than a professional of the food industry, who does not deserve any of your hard earned pennies.
This was no bad luck. Those were not small unfortunate details. There something or someone fundamentally wrong in Julie's. I will not come back, and Iâ¬"d urge you to consider some other place.
We went yesterday to Julie's. I have to stress I went with a positive attitude, hoping to have a great dinner and be able to rate the venue very highly. I wish I hadn't.

We were greeted by a wait girl, sitting in a booth at the entrance. I found very weird she would not escort us to the table. I found it a waste of staff to have someone just sitting down just checking reservations and doing nothing else. Not my problem anyways. We were directed upstairs as requested in the reservation. The place was mostly empty. Now the issues started. One of the most unfriendly and arrogant managers, arguing the place was fully booked, just offered two seating options. Now, I don't give a damn if your place is fully booked (we found later that it was obviously not!), we arrived first, we should be offered the best table or at the very least let us choose the one we want. He was arrogant and impolite, which already put me off. I chose the table with the table cloth (this was another bizarre thing, to have some table with table clothes and others without - someone explain me the rationale of that.). The chairs, which seemed antique, were anyways extremely uncomfortable (could not sit back without stubbing some protruding edges in my spine). We requested to be seated on the "other" table (without table cloth). Eventually, it was not much better (also very uncomfortable) but at least we had more space.

I went to the toilet to wash my hands as usual. Now, the cleaness and overall appearance of the loo is a sign to me of what the particular place is about. For such a big restaurant the toilets are ridiculously small and cramped, and although they were not dirty, they were very very tired and outdated. Not good.

The food:

On the table they had a small plate of olives, 4 slices of bread and a dish with olive oil and vinegar. First, I would assume that to be complementary (if I have not requested for it, I dont see why I should pay for it), plus I dont like the fact of putting those on the table before anybody sits down. Purely out of hygiene and service. Well, we later found out they charged 1.5 GBP per person for that. The funny thing is that no matter if the table was for 2, 4 or 6 there was the same amount of olives and bread, which I find it a robbery. This is what this place is about: your money, not their food (as you'll see right now)

Starters: I ordered the "Brown butter and garlic potted shrimps", she had the "Smoked mackerel, halibut and salmon terrine with caper mayonnaise". Two of the worst starters I've ever had. Here's why. The shrimps plate was a dish with 5-6 slices of plain bread and a small bowl (5 cm across) filled with butter (which looked more like solidified duck fat -really!) in which you could find a few shrimps. Now, to call those shrimps is like to call an anchovies a blue whale. No kidding those are the cheapest crappies shrimps one can "buy". barely 0.5 cm in length chewy, etc, etc etc. It was sent back straight away. Btw, Julie's robs 10.50 GBP for that!!!!! Remember, 5-6 slices of brown bread and a tiny bowl with butter!!!! wtf! In replacement I asked for the gazpacho (the 2nd cheapest starter). Now, I am Spanish and I make my own gazpacho at home. But it doesn't matter. Even someone who would have never tasted tomatoes could tell that gazpacho was just a can of tomatoes, crushed. 6.50 GBP for canned tomatoes????!!! Patient reader, believe me those were just canned tomatoes. No olive oil, no peppers no nothing. Plain crashed canned tomatoes. Bad, bad. Her terrine of smoked fish was a tasteless slice of smoked fish pate served with the same 5-6 slices of brown bread. No capper mayonnaise (as advertised) was to be found on the plate either. Enough to start prosecution.

The mains were better (it would have been difficult to get it worse anyways). I had the entrecote. It lacked flavour and the best part were the chips that came with it. Overall an ok dish, but when you factor the 25 GBP for that, you again feel the people at Julie's got the value for money equation completely wrong. She had the rack of lamb. 3 lamb chops, 2 bites per chop (50% was fat). Nice taste, but again, unimaginative and not good value for money.

Anyways, the mains were passable when you put them in the perspective of the starters and the desserts.

Desserts: Eaton mess for her, brownie for me. The Eaton mess I saw in "come dine with me" looked and probably was immensely better than the one we got at Julie's. It came in a small glass. Basically it was berry yogurt (Tesco brand grade) with a few berries. 8 GBP. My brownie, being aware that making a good brownie is not an easy task was no surprise: disappointing (taste, portion, presentation). It was dry, hard on the edges (could not cut it with my knife) and again, 8 GBP. Bad, bad, bad Julie's.

Other stuff: we only got our bottle of wine after having finished our starter. The waiter insisted in refilling the glass even though being far from empty (he did the same thing with other tables). Service was overall neither friendly nor efficient.

I refused to pay the service charge. Surprisingly the manager did not bother to come asking the reason. That proves my theory that he doesn't give a damn about his customers.

Summary: VERY low food quality. Poor execution of dishes. VERY LOW value for money. No surprise when you consider an arrogant manager, who is closer to a pimp than a professional of the food industry, who does not deserve any of your hard earned pennies.
This was no bad luck. Those were not small unfortunate details. There something or someone fundamentally wrong in Julie's. I will not come back, and Iâ¬"d urge you to consider some other place.

The Duke Of Wellington - Nice pub in a nice area! by ams22

ams22 — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:50:09 +0000

Review by ams22

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7727 6727

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

Tags: live music, relaxed, food

The newly refurbished Duke of Wellington has so much to offer, great service, tasty food, very good beer selection and even seating outside, itâ¬"s my new favorite local!The newly refurbished Duke of Wellington has so much to offer, great service, tasty food, very good beer selection and even seating outside, itâ¬"s my new favorite local!

Trailer Happiness - by dervish

dervish — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:46:23 +0000

Review by dervish

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7727 2700

Website: http://www.trailerhappiness.com

Tags: food, southwest american, west london bars

If you love strong cocktails you'll love this place. Walking down into this cool little bar is about all you'll remember. The Tiki coktails are mind blowing so don't have too many. Music is cool, crowd is lively, drinks are well made, and the waitress is stunning. A perfect mix for a perfect night...If you love strong cocktails you'll love this place. Walking down into this cool little bar is about all you'll remember. The Tiki coktails are mind blowing so don't have too many. Music is cool, crowd is lively, drinks are well made, and the waitress is stunning. A perfect mix for a perfect night...

E & O - love love love it... by dervish

dervish — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:41:48 +0000

Review by dervish

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7229 5454

Website: http://www.rickerrestaurants.com

Tags: cool, lively, trendy

Perefct in every way... Never had a bad evening, always buzzy and yet if you wait you can usually find somewhere to sit fairly quickly. A great date place with delicious cocktails...Perefct in every way... Never had a bad evening, always buzzy and yet if you wait you can usually find somewhere to sit fairly quickly. A great date place with delicious cocktails...

Windsor Castle - WARNING: This Pub Could Kill You by Charlemagne

Charlemagne — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:48:38 +0000

Review by Charlemagne

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7243 9551

Tags: posh, traditional pub, relaxed

I come to this pub pretty regularly, and although it doesn't have the infrastructure in terms of bar size to cope with the floods of customers, its a nice spot. However, I ordered bangers and mash there last night. It was, bar none, the worst I have ever tried. The mash was not mash, it was potato with a fork stuck through it a couple of times. The gravy had the consistency of water, and tasted as such, plus you got about a spoonful. Then that brings me on to the sausage. It reminded me of that TV advert in the 1990's where they say undercooked BBQs can kill. I took one bite of it and realised that it was completely raw. Luckily I managed to spit it out before I was poisoned. I left the whole plate after this, but when the girl came to collect it, she did not question it, nor did anyone else - the chefs clearly don't give a toss. Overall, its quite a nice pub if you like queing for 15 minutes for a drink, but if you value your life, you will steer clear of the food.I come to this pub pretty regularly, and although it doesn't have the infrastructure in terms of bar size to cope with the floods of customers, its a nice spot. However, I ordered bangers and mash there last night. It was, bar none, the worst I have ever tried. The mash was not mash, it was potato with a fork stuck through it a couple of times. The gravy had the consistency of water, and tasted as such, plus you got about a spoonful. Then that brings me on to the sausage. It reminded me of that TV advert in the 1990's where they say undercooked BBQs can kill. I took one bite of it and realised that it was completely raw. Luckily I managed to spit it out before I was poisoned. I left the whole plate after this, but when the girl came to collect it, she did not question it, nor did anyone else - the chefs clearly don't give a toss. Overall, its quite a nice pub if you like queing for 15 minutes for a drink, but if you value your life, you will steer clear of the food.

Scarsdale - Tucked away nicely by snowbadger

snowbadger — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:49:40 +0000

Review by snowbadger

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7937 1811

Tags: posh, relaxed, friendly

If you are ever in Kensington High Street, want lunch but want to sample some tucked away, back street goodness go to the Scarsdale.

Sat on the picturesque Edwardes Square there is a nice small front facing garden and the pub feels like a pub inside. Nicely kept, original features - all good stuff.

Largely Fullers on tap, and a decent menu.

We were served quickly, the food was really nice (Scampi and Wedges) and generally all good.If you are ever in Kensington High Street, want lunch but want to sample some tucked away, back street goodness go to the Scarsdale.

Sat on the picturesque Edwardes Square there is a nice small front facing garden and the pub feels like a pub inside. Nicely kept, original features - all good stuff.

Largely Fullers on tap, and a decent menu.

We were served quickly, the food was really nice (Scampi and Wedges) and generally all good.

Mimino - Genuine and delicious by Dot01

Dot01 — Mon, 25 May 2009 12:00:27 +0000

Review by Dot01

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7937 1551

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

Tags: georgian

I love Georgian food and this place is top notch. The Khachapuri is to die for. Its the best cheesy bread in the world. We ordered a Meze plate at 11pm for £15 and it was was just the job - spinach and nut pates, aubergine, lobio (red beans in sauce), tomatoes. The food is packed with interesting subtle flavours and has a melt-in-your-mouth consistency. I savoured every mouthful and washed it down with typical Georgian semi-dry red wine.

They had a keyboard player singing expectadely tacky Russian songs and we were the only non-Russians in there. Which is a good thing as Georgian food to them is like Indian food to the British.

If you don't know Georgian food this is a great place to start.I love Georgian food and this place is top notch. The Khachapuri is to die for. Its the best cheesy bread in the world. We ordered a Meze plate at 11pm for £15 and it was was just the job - spinach and nut pates, aubergine, lobio (red beans in sauce), tomatoes. The food is packed with interesting subtle flavours and has a melt-in-your-mouth consistency. I savoured every mouthful and washed it down with typical Georgian semi-dry red wine.

They had a keyboard player singing expectadely tacky Russian songs and we were the only non-Russians in there. Which is a good thing as Georgian food to them is like Indian food to the British.

If you don't know Georgian food this is a great place to start.

Bombay Bicycle Club - Conglomerated cooking by vobin

vobin — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:52:31 +0000

Review by vobin

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 7727 7335

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

Tags: indian, toptable

An interesting restaurant name which is now dishing up exceedingly ordinary curries. Everything tastes the same. The only discernible variable is the extra chilli sauce in a Madras or Vindaloo. All the curries are swimming in gravy, including ones which are supposed to be dry-ish, eg Lobster Patia, Aloo Ghobbi. The chicken tikka resembled succulent paper mache. I learned that they import their chicken from Holland. Once you read about the chicken-factory methods used in Holland you would never want to eat chicken again. The Bombay Bicycle Club is a triumph of cost-accounting. I suppose it is the recession which causes this downward spiral of quality to try and maintain profit margins. These kind of places simply can't get their head around the notion that guaranteed mediocrity is only a winning formula for national fast-food chains.An interesting restaurant name which is now dishing up exceedingly ordinary curries. Everything tastes the same. The only discernible variable is the extra chilli sauce in a Madras or Vindaloo. All the curries are swimming in gravy, including ones which are supposed to be dry-ish, eg Lobster Patia, Aloo Ghobbi. The chicken tikka resembled succulent paper mache. I learned that they import their chicken from Holland. Once you read about the chicken-factory methods used in Holland you would never want to eat chicken again. The Bombay Bicycle Club is a triumph of cost-accounting. I suppose it is the recession which causes this downward spiral of quality to try and maintain profit margins. These kind of places simply can't get their head around the notion that guaranteed mediocrity is only a winning formula for national fast-food chains.

The Spice Shop - Very rude staff by Routey

Routey — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:28:37 +0000

Review by Routey

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7221 4448

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

Tags: rare finds

I've been going to the spice shop on and off for years, but the shop assistant was very rude to me today, so won't be going back there in future. Shame, as they have an amazing range of spices. Their loss though.I've been going to the spice shop on and off for years, but the shop assistant was very rude to me today, so won't be going back there in future. Shame, as they have an amazing range of spices. Their loss though.

The Electric Beach - Nice by BorisJohnson

BorisJohnson — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:08:38 +0000

Review by BorisJohnson

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7937 1492

very goodvery good