Latest reviews for Food & Drink in Spitalfields, London, United Kingdom

Bedales - Fine for a quick drink by curlynewf

curlynewf — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:43:11 +0000

Review by curlynewf

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7375 1926

Website: http://www.bedalestreet.com

Bedales is a French wine shop/wine bar hybrid, a sister shop to the one in Borough Market. You can buy any bottle of wine off the shelf and drink-in for a flat Â£8 corkage fee, or choose from a small selection of wines by the glass.

There's also a cold food counter offering the usual wine-accompaniments - breads, cheeses, olives and various dips and salads.

I suspect the time of day has a bearing on your definition of the place â¬ during the day a wine shop, at night a wine bar. We arrived on a cold winters evening, a Thursday to be precise, and it felt very much wine bar-ish - mood-lit and busy with an after-work kinda crowd. There is some perimeter seating at the front and a long communal counter down the middle, and the walls are shelved with an impressive collection of wines from all over.

Noted oddities were a) the music and b) the bathroom. The music was disco, and bathroom was outside. Not only is it outside, but thereâ¬"s only one â¬ so, should you need to â¬Ügoâ¬" you need to wait for whomever is currently gone to come back with the key. This system also requires the bartender to keep track of whoâ¬"s asked for the key when so that an orderly, invisible queue is maintained. (There was a near confrontation when my friend was about to get the coveted key ahead of the woman next to us whoâ¬"d been â¬Üwaiting agesâ¬".) Combine this petrol station-style operation with wine-logged brains and bladders and it all begins to break down fairly quickly.

All in all, a nice atmosphere, though. The staff were very laid back, smiley and friendly. Iâ¬"d go back and sample some more of the wines or maybe sign up for one of their tasting events, but itâ¬"s more of a quick stop-in place than somewhere to spend the whole evening in.
Bedales is a French wine shop/wine bar hybrid, a sister shop to the one in Borough Market. You can buy any bottle of wine off the shelf and drink-in for a flat Â£8 corkage fee, or choose from a small selection of wines by the glass.

There's also a cold food counter offering the usual wine-accompaniments - breads, cheeses, olives and various dips and salads.

I suspect the time of day has a bearing on your definition of the place â¬ during the day a wine shop, at night a wine bar. We arrived on a cold winters evening, a Thursday to be precise, and it felt very much wine bar-ish - mood-lit and busy with an after-work kinda crowd. There is some perimeter seating at the front and a long communal counter down the middle, and the walls are shelved with an impressive collection of wines from all over.

Noted oddities were a) the music and b) the bathroom. The music was disco, and bathroom was outside. Not only is it outside, but thereâ¬"s only one â¬ so, should you need to â¬Ügoâ¬" you need to wait for whomever is currently gone to come back with the key. This system also requires the bartender to keep track of whoâ¬"s asked for the key when so that an orderly, invisible queue is maintained. (There was a near confrontation when my friend was about to get the coveted key ahead of the woman next to us whoâ¬"d been â¬Üwaiting agesâ¬".) Combine this petrol station-style operation with wine-logged brains and bladders and it all begins to break down fairly quickly.

All in all, a nice atmosphere, though. The staff were very laid back, smiley and friendly. Iâ¬"d go back and sample some more of the wines or maybe sign up for one of their tasting events, but itâ¬"s more of a quick stop-in place than somewhere to spend the whole evening in.

Cambridge Food & Wine - Refused refund for gone off wine by lb001

lb001 — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:04:56 +0000

Review by lb001

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 7790 1578

Bought a Â£7.99 bottle of wine here, found it was gone off when I got it home, but the staff refused a refund when I returned it with a receipt. I wouldn't spend money here again.Bought a Â£7.99 bottle of wine here, found it was gone off when I got it home, but the staff refused a refund when I returned it with a receipt. I wouldn't spend money here again.

TeaSmith - For all you tea lovers... by CristinaA

CristinaA — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:13:31 +0000

Review by CristinaA

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7247 1333

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

Tags: amazing brew, cultured, quiet & relaxed

This place is so specialised, they serve nothing but tea and anything that will go with tea.

The friendly staff and chinese style interior will make you feel like you can truely relax, and the selction of teas from around the world is quite impressive.This place is so specialised, they serve nothing but tea and anything that will go with tea.

The friendly staff and chinese style interior will make you feel like you can truely relax, and the selction of teas from around the world is quite impressive.

Verde & Company - Great tastes by pindulgence

pindulgence — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:25:06 +0000

Review by pindulgence

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7247 1924

Website: http://www.verde-and-company-ltd.co.uk/

Tags: delicatessen, healthy food, cosy

This is a fabulous little independently run shop. They have so many different things for sale here, i really don't think my review will adequately be able to describe how fantastic it is stepping into this shop! The smells of all the different types of food hit you are one and the aromas are delicious. The cakes from here are some of my favourite - so light and fluffy, or chocolately and scrummy! Prices are more expensive that those you would be from the supermarket but you are getting a better quality product with a service that is fantastic! It definately is service with a smile (and a very sexy one at that!)This is a fabulous little independently run shop. They have so many different things for sale here, i really don't think my review will adequately be able to describe how fantastic it is stepping into this shop! The smells of all the different types of food hit you are one and the aromas are delicious. The cakes from here are some of my favourite - so light and fluffy, or chocolately and scrummy! Prices are more expensive that those you would be from the supermarket but you are getting a better quality product with a service that is fantastic! It definately is service with a smile (and a very sexy one at that!)

Brick Lane Beigel Bake - Bagels Oy gevalt! by foodbymark

foodbymark — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:30:02 +0000

Review by foodbymark

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 7729 0826

Tags: cheap eat, jewish, bargain

Little remains of Brick Lane's Jewish past except for the famous two remaining bagel shops that neighbour each other at the end of the street. 24 hours a day you can satisfy your hunger with bagels filled with of mounds of soft delicious salt beef or smoked salmon and cream cheese, and again, 24 hours a day!

Late night drinking at Shoreditch house can often lead to a stumble to the busy bakery and waking up at home with 20 bagels and a shirt covered in English mustard (Have you ever tried to pay a cabbie in bagels... I am told I have more than once). The salt beef here is good, but certainly not the best in London. The Brass Rail Salt Beef Bar at Selfridges ranks highly as does B&K in Edgware. Harry Morgans chain not nearly as good as either but still quality. The staff are typically East London and I love it.

As far as a comparison between the two bakeries, I am a Beigel Bake man.Little remains of Brick Lane's Jewish past except for the famous two remaining bagel shops that neighbour each other at the end of the street. 24 hours a day you can satisfy your hunger with bagels filled with of mounds of soft delicious salt beef or smoked salmon and cream cheese, and again, 24 hours a day!

Late night drinking at Shoreditch house can often lead to a stumble to the busy bakery and waking up at home with 20 bagels and a shirt covered in English mustard (Have you ever tried to pay a cabbie in bagels... I am told I have more than once). The salt beef here is good, but certainly not the best in London. The Brass Rail Salt Beef Bar at Selfridges ranks highly as does B&K in Edgware. Harry Morgans chain not nearly as good as either but still quality. The staff are typically East London and I love it.

As far as a comparison between the two bakeries, I am a Beigel Bake man.

Iceland.co.uk - Frozen food of course by Rhydster

Rhydster — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:48:14 +0000

Review by Rhydster

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 7702 7872

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

Tags: delivery service, deli counter, frozen foods

The good: Iceland is the supermarket that specialises in frozen food. They have many varieties of frozen chips, chops, vegetables, all at reasonable prices. They stock non frozen foods as well, but it's the stuff with a long shelf life that you'll want to go here for. Of course they have a large range of readymade meals, with new varieties frequently stocked, many for as low as Â£2. They have a great range of ice cream, too.

The bad: other than frozen food, the options and quality are not great and it loses its value to go here. The staff do not smile very much and tend to rush you through.
The good: Iceland is the supermarket that specialises in frozen food. They have many varieties of frozen chips, chops, vegetables, all at reasonable prices. They stock non frozen foods as well, but it's the stuff with a long shelf life that you'll want to go here for. Of course they have a large range of readymade meals, with new varieties frequently stocked, many for as low as Â£2. They have a great range of ice cream, too.

The bad: other than frozen food, the options and quality are not great and it loses its value to go here. The staff do not smile very much and tend to rush you through.

Shadwell Grocers - Grocers by Amin

Amin — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 23:27:44 +0000

Review by Amin

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 7790 1923

Tags: rare finds, bargain, healthy food

Best Asain Grocers in East LondonBest Asain Grocers in East London