Latest reviews in Upper Norwood, London, United Kingdom

The Exhibition Rooms - A nightmare for Crystal Palace by Lordpercy

Lordpercy — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 01:12:41 +0000

Review by Lordpercy

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 8761 1175

Website: www.theexhibitionrooms.com

Tags: romantic, good value, expensive

I used this site many times, but this is the first time i've felt the need to add a review and sadly its a very negative one

Where to start...

We booked a table at the Exhibition Rooms for Sunday lunch to celebrate my bithday with a small group of friends - 3 couples and a baby and were told over the phone that they had the perfect large table for us

On arrival the 6 and a half of us were herded around a table for 4 - considering the place was roughly half full and there were two larger tables free
(which were never filled in the near 3 hours we were there), this should have been our first indication of what was to follow

The main courses took almost 90 minutes to arrive from ordering and were a complete shambles

To list each problem individually would leave this review the length of War and Peace, so the main points were that items were missing from 3 of the dishes, 1 main was completely wrong, potatoes on the sunday roasts were cold and the beef was largely raw

The kicker was the Â£16 rib eye steak that was roughly the size of a 50p piece and with the 8 or so 'frites' (actually more like warmish stake chips) and none of the mushrooms that were promised on the menu it was a pretty embarressing plate of food

We complained to the floor manager who just looked bewildered at our issues but "took our feedback on board"

The final bill came to around Â£150 and when queried were told that they had knocked the price of 3 deserts (3 x Â£5) off of the bill, but never came to discuss this with us beforehand or offer any apology

Considering the wealth of good restraunts within walking distance, I wouldn't find any reason to go back to the Exhibition Room again and currently wouldn't recommend it to anyone

Final Verdict:

Good Points - Ambience, decor and excellent deserts

Bad Points - Pretty much everything else - expensive, badly written vague menu, small portions and painfully slow inatentive service and customer focus
I used this site many times, but this is the first time i've felt the need to add a review and sadly its a very negative one

Where to start...

We booked a table at the Exhibition Rooms for Sunday lunch to celebrate my bithday with a small group of friends - 3 couples and a baby and were told over the phone that they had the perfect large table for us

On arrival the 6 and a half of us were herded around a table for 4 - considering the place was roughly half full and there were two larger tables free
(which were never filled in the near 3 hours we were there), this should have been our first indication of what was to follow

The main courses took almost 90 minutes to arrive from ordering and were a complete shambles

To list each problem individually would leave this review the length of War and Peace, so the main points were that items were missing from 3 of the dishes, 1 main was completely wrong, potatoes on the sunday roasts were cold and the beef was largely raw

The kicker was the Â£16 rib eye steak that was roughly the size of a 50p piece and with the 8 or so 'frites' (actually more like warmish stake chips) and none of the mushrooms that were promised on the menu it was a pretty embarressing plate of food

We complained to the floor manager who just looked bewildered at our issues but "took our feedback on board"

The final bill came to around Â£150 and when queried were told that they had knocked the price of 3 deserts (3 x Â£5) off of the bill, but never came to discuss this with us beforehand or offer any apology

Considering the wealth of good restraunts within walking distance, I wouldn't find any reason to go back to the Exhibition Room again and currently wouldn't recommend it to anyone

Final Verdict:

Good Points - Ambience, decor and excellent deserts

Bad Points - Pretty much everything else - expensive, badly written vague menu, small portions and painfully slow inatentive service and customer focus

Lorenzo - Lorenzo by Snowy

Snowy — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:29:22 +0000

Review by Snowy

Rating: 4.00

Tags: italian, good value, friendly

We went here for lunch and it was recommended by a friend as they do a cheap lunch which is great value for a fiver. The lunch includes one dish and either garlic bread or salad. We hoped to take my mum and dad there as well but went another time on a Sunday and the lunch special oddly isn't offered then. The staff were friendly and helpful and we enjoyed watching a waiter taking a pint of lager to a table and jokingly placing it down in front of the a boy before moving it to his dad. The boys face was a complete picture! Would go back a lot.We went here for lunch and it was recommended by a friend as they do a cheap lunch which is great value for a fiver. The lunch includes one dish and either garlic bread or salad. We hoped to take my mum and dad there as well but went another time on a Sunday and the lunch special oddly isn't offered then. The staff were friendly and helpful and we enjoyed watching a waiter taking a pint of lager to a table and jokingly placing it down in front of the a boy before moving it to his dad. The boys face was a complete picture! Would go back a lot.

Il Ponte - Not it's finest hour by mental42

mental42 — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:02:37 +0000

Review by mental42

Rating: 2.00

Phone: 020 8761 3371

Website: http://www.sinclairnet.co.uk/ilponte

Visited this restaurant for the 4th time with my wife, two kids and another couple. The meal was to celebrate my son's confirmation and having been to the restaurant 3 times previously we felt confident of a good meal. Well we were disappointed!!

The service was poor all the way through our 2 hour stay is the first thing to state. There appeared to be a large family gathering to mark the first birthday of a young boy I believe.

The effect of this on not just us but also the other clientele, of which there were surprisingly many for a Sunday evening (RECESSION!!) was that we were made to wait for our orders to be taken, our drinks to be brought out in good time and at one stage my son being told quite sternly to hold on while the understaffed waiting staff served the larger gathering.

The food we received was fair but certainly not worthy of the high price attached to it and the pressure put on us to buy even more starters than we felt we needed was unnecessary and set a poor tone. Had the standard of the food been better it may have justified the insistence of what I assume was the manager.

As I said, we were with friends but if they were not present we would have refused to pay the extortionate 12.5% service charge because if anything we deserved a 12.5% reduction to what was a disappointing meal overall.

We won't go back and I won't recommend this restaurant to anybody who asks in future which is a shame.

It is a nice venue and you do feel comfortable but ultimately you have to enjoy your meal and within reason feel you are getting decent value for money.

On this last on what will be our last occasion at this restaurant that was certainly not the case.

For the money you are likely to spend it needs to be a lot better for it's future customers. Visited this restaurant for the 4th time with my wife, two kids and another couple. The meal was to celebrate my son's confirmation and having been to the restaurant 3 times previously we felt confident of a good meal. Well we were disappointed!!

The service was poor all the way through our 2 hour stay is the first thing to state. There appeared to be a large family gathering to mark the first birthday of a young boy I believe.

The effect of this on not just us but also the other clientele, of which there were surprisingly many for a Sunday evening (RECESSION!!) was that we were made to wait for our orders to be taken, our drinks to be brought out in good time and at one stage my son being told quite sternly to hold on while the understaffed waiting staff served the larger gathering.

The food we received was fair but certainly not worthy of the high price attached to it and the pressure put on us to buy even more starters than we felt we needed was unnecessary and set a poor tone. Had the standard of the food been better it may have justified the insistence of what I assume was the manager.

As I said, we were with friends but if they were not present we would have refused to pay the extortionate 12.5% service charge because if anything we deserved a 12.5% reduction to what was a disappointing meal overall.

We won't go back and I won't recommend this restaurant to anybody who asks in future which is a shame.

It is a nice venue and you do feel comfortable but ultimately you have to enjoy your meal and within reason feel you are getting decent value for money.

On this last on what will be our last occasion at this restaurant that was certainly not the case.

For the money you are likely to spend it needs to be a lot better for it's future customers.

Los Toreros - wrong name by Ferran

Ferran — Wed, 21 May 2008 01:45:56 +0000

Review by Ferran

Rating: 1.00

Phone: 020 8771 0087

Tags: live music, friendly, tapas

Observing their logo of a picture with a bull and matador the name of this place looks wrong ,as a matador in spanish is spelled "torero" with one R and not double, unless the owner consumed too much Rioja at the moment of ordering the name to be printed or either he or she is not a genuine spaniard. In this case is written in plural so the bullfighters should be "Los toreros". I better have a double amontillado now before I get gored. Adios. Observing their logo of a picture with a bull and matador the name of this place looks wrong ,as a matador in spanish is spelled "torero" with one R and not double, unless the owner consumed too much Rioja at the moment of ordering the name to be printed or either he or she is not a genuine spaniard. In this case is written in plural so the bullfighters should be "Los toreros". I better have a double amontillado now before I get gored. Adios.

Royal Albert - Good old fashioned pub by calamitycaz

calamitycaz — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:31:58 +0000

Review by calamitycaz

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 8655 7900

Tags: traditional pub, standard pub food, beer garden

Traditional pub, with a reasonably priced Sunday roast (rare in CP). Very friendly helpful family run place. Nice to sit outside, but a bit dark inside. Traditional pub, with a reasonably priced Sunday roast (rare in CP). Very friendly helpful family run place. Nice to sit outside, but a bit dark inside.

Black Sheep - Trendy chill out bar by calamitycaz

calamitycaz — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:28:40 +0000

Review by calamitycaz

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8670 9990

Website: http://www.barbarblacksheep.com/

Lovely trendy chill-out kind of bar. Second only to my fave White Hart, this is definitely high on the Palace pub-crawl list! Friendly service, good tunes, and comfy lounging...Lovely trendy chill-out kind of bar. Second only to my fave White Hart, this is definitely high on the Palace pub-crawl list! Friendly service, good tunes, and comfy lounging...

White Hart - Best pub in the Palace! by calamitycaz

calamitycaz — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:24:53 +0000

Review by calamitycaz

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8768 1000

Tags: beer garden, excellent pub food

I think this is the best pub in the Palace... it's got a great feel to it, up-market and well decked out but not too trendy. A range of board games to play and a gorgeous funky beer garden outside which rocks in Summer. Great range of beers and wines. Friendly service (usually!) Good food too (sometimes a bit small "gastro" portions though but last time they'd got better). They also often have a BBQ going in the Summer... marvellous!
I think this is the best pub in the Palace... it's got a great feel to it, up-market and well decked out but not too trendy. A range of board games to play and a gorgeous funky beer garden outside which rocks in Summer. Great range of beers and wines. Friendly service (usually!) Good food too (sometimes a bit small "gastro" portions though but last time they'd got better). They also often have a BBQ going in the Summer... marvellous!

Gurkha Cottage - Go Gurkha go! by calamitycaz

calamitycaz — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:20:41 +0000

Review by calamitycaz

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8771 7372

This is without a doubt the best curry in Crystal Palace. Lovely, polite, friendly staff, excellent service, free welcome sherry shots, very reasonable... And they do a take-away too. . Go try it! :o)This is without a doubt the best curry in Crystal Palace. Lovely, polite, friendly staff, excellent service, free welcome sherry shots, very reasonable... And they do a take-away too. . Go try it! :o)

Domali Cafe - Best white hot chocolate anywhere ever! by calamitycaz

calamitycaz — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:51:41 +0000

Review by calamitycaz

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8768 0096

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

Tags: quick bite, cultured, crowded

Domali is a little gem of a place - a charming arty rustic veggie restaurant/cafe. It has a great atmosphere - very relaxing and chilled without being too "quiet". Best coffee/choc ever, good beer & wine, good food = mainly veggie chunky chips, salads, fish. It also has yummy desserts and cakes - you have to try the rich chocolate torte.
Most importantly of all, is it serves lovely coffee, and HOT WHITE CHOCOLATE which is DIVINE!! So go there immediately and order one!
There's a lovely sunny garden at the back which is great in summer.
The service is a bit "hit and miss" so don't go there if you're in a hurry!!Domali is a little gem of a place - a charming arty rustic veggie restaurant/cafe. It has a great atmosphere - very relaxing and chilled without being too "quiet". Best coffee/choc ever, good beer & wine, good food = mainly veggie chunky chips, salads, fish. It also has yummy desserts and cakes - you have to try the rich chocolate torte.
Most importantly of all, is it serves lovely coffee, and HOT WHITE CHOCOLATE which is DIVINE!! So go there immediately and order one!
There's a lovely sunny garden at the back which is great in summer.
The service is a bit "hit and miss" so don't go there if you're in a hurry!!

Westow House - Lovely place, food should be better by ONscotland

ONscotland — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:58:14 +0000

Review by ONscotland

Rating: 3.00

Phone: 020 8670 0654

Website: http://www.antic-ltd.com/westow.htm

Tags: relaxed, young and fun, friendly

The Westow House is a recent addition to Crystal Palace / Upper Norwood (formerly the pub was called The Bluebottle), and after a recent refurb is a delightful place to spend some time. If you like chandaliers and drapes. Which I do!

Just don't eat the food - it's not great. Chips tasted like I made them (and I don't mean home-made, just badly made) and service can be a bit hit, miss and apologetic.

But if it's a drink or few you're after, I can think of worse places to go...The Westow House is a recent addition to Crystal Palace / Upper Norwood (formerly the pub was called The Bluebottle), and after a recent refurb is a delightful place to spend some time. If you like chandaliers and drapes. Which I do!

Just don't eat the food - it's not great. Chips tasted like I made them (and I don't mean home-made, just badly made) and service can be a bit hit, miss and apologetic.

But if it's a drink or few you're after, I can think of worse places to go...

Tamnag Thai - A hidden gem by Dragonfly

Dragonfly — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:01:58 +0000

Review by Dragonfly

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8761 5959

Website: http://www.tamnagthai.com/

Tags: thai, crowded, good value

I went to Tamnag Thai last night and ate one of the best Thai meals I have ever had. It can even rival the best Thai restaurants in Thailand. The food was served quickly and presented beautifully (many dishes are decorated with carved vegetables). The staff were very attentive. Six of us shared a platter of mixed starters and giant grilled king prawns, both of which were delicious. For the main course I had the Chilli Crispy Duck with noodles and lemon grass with rice. WOW! It was delicious and perfectly cooked! I can't think of a bad word to say about it. It was a perfect evening! I couldn't believe how busy it was, even on a monday night. It was one of our friends birthdays so I went to the bar and spoke to Sam (one of the waiters) and he organised a surprise desert for us. It was very touching and it really completed an already perfect evening. Just before we left, the waitress presented a hand painted silk parasol as a birthday present to our friend.

We had a wonderful night and will definitely come back.

Thank you Tamnag Thai!I went to Tamnag Thai last night and ate one of the best Thai meals I have ever had. It can even rival the best Thai restaurants in Thailand. The food was served quickly and presented beautifully (many dishes are decorated with carved vegetables). The staff were very attentive. Six of us shared a platter of mixed starters and giant grilled king prawns, both of which were delicious. For the main course I had the Chilli Crispy Duck with noodles and lemon grass with rice. WOW! It was delicious and perfectly cooked! I can't think of a bad word to say about it. It was a perfect evening! I couldn't believe how busy it was, even on a monday night. It was one of our friends birthdays so I went to the bar and spoke to Sam (one of the waiters) and he organised a surprise desert for us. It was very touching and it really completed an already perfect evening. Just before we left, the waitress presented a hand painted silk parasol as a birthday present to our friend.

We had a wonderful night and will definitely come back.

Thank you Tamnag Thai!

Numidie - Gorgeous little venue by helenlauralewis

helenlauralewis — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 12:48:20 +0000

Review by helenlauralewis

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 020 8766 6166

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

Tags: friendly, mediterranean, intimate

I almost feel like I shouldn't be writing a review of Numidie because I want to keep it for myself and my pals in Crystal Palace but I feel like doing a good deed today so here we go...

The wine bar downstairs at Numidie provides a welcome break from the pubs and restaurants in the area which can get very busy particularly at the weekend. However, Numidie is never empty and is always a favourite with a regular bunch of friendly people and those who have just stumbled upon the place much to their delight.

The wine menu is great, the staff are friendly and upstairs in the restaurant the food is particularly delicious. We went for New Year's Eve. Our group of 10 had a table in the corner in between the tiny outdoor courtyard which is perfect for the smokers in the group and the bar which got pretty packed up in the run-up to midnight.

I would definitely recommend a glass of wine here before dining upstairs or anywhere else in the triangle. I love the place.I almost feel like I shouldn't be writing a review of Numidie because I want to keep it for myself and my pals in Crystal Palace but I feel like doing a good deed today so here we go...

The wine bar downstairs at Numidie provides a welcome break from the pubs and restaurants in the area which can get very busy particularly at the weekend. However, Numidie is never empty and is always a favourite with a regular bunch of friendly people and those who have just stumbled upon the place much to their delight.

The wine menu is great, the staff are friendly and upstairs in the restaurant the food is particularly delicious. We went for New Year's Eve. Our group of 10 had a table in the corner in between the tiny outdoor courtyard which is perfect for the smokers in the group and the bar which got pretty packed up in the run-up to midnight.

I would definitely recommend a glass of wine here before dining upstairs or anywhere else in the triangle. I love the place.

Edo - A great secret... by ONscotland

ONscotland — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:21:48 +0000

Review by ONscotland

Rating: 4.00

Phone: 020 8670 8900

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

Tags: japanese, value

Upper Norwood sounds a bit dull, doesn't it? Most people refer to this area as Crystal Palace, but my inner pedant won't allow that, so Upper Norwood it is!

Edo is located in the heart of 'The Triangle', which has gained a reputation in South London for it's huge range of restaurants and dining options. The local MacDonalds recently packed up and left, its tail between its legs, unable to woo the locals from the myriad of better options offered.

Which brings us to Edo, an unassuming restaurant, decked out in a spartan Japanese style, in fact at first glance it looks like a greasy spoon.
But put such thoughts to the back of your mind as you sit at the sunken tables at the back of the restaurant. The menu offers a range of sashemi and sushi, noodles and ramen dishes, teriyaki and tempura, which covers all the bases, although the sashemi could perhaps be more extensive.

I really like the food here, I'm not a fan of sashemi to be honest, but was tried the tuna and was very impressed. (Why do they cook tuna at all? That fish was born to be eaten raw!).

Deserts included Deep Friend Coconut Icecream. Very tasty... diet tomorrow.

Service is very friendly and polite, and a delivery service is also provided. Another place that I have returned to over and over again.Upper Norwood sounds a bit dull, doesn't it? Most people refer to this area as Crystal Palace, but my inner pedant won't allow that, so Upper Norwood it is!

Edo is located in the heart of 'The Triangle', which has gained a reputation in South London for it's huge range of restaurants and dining options. The local MacDonalds recently packed up and left, its tail between its legs, unable to woo the locals from the myriad of better options offered.

Which brings us to Edo, an unassuming restaurant, decked out in a spartan Japanese style, in fact at first glance it looks like a greasy spoon.
But put such thoughts to the back of your mind as you sit at the sunken tables at the back of the restaurant. The menu offers a range of sashemi and sushi, noodles and ramen dishes, teriyaki and tempura, which covers all the bases, although the sashemi could perhaps be more extensive.

I really like the food here, I'm not a fan of sashemi to be honest, but was tried the tuna and was very impressed. (Why do they cook tuna at all? That fish was born to be eaten raw!).

Deserts included Deep Friend Coconut Icecream. Very tasty... diet tomorrow.

Service is very friendly and polite, and a delivery service is also provided. Another place that I have returned to over and over again.