Latest favourites and wishlist by Frankie

Choccywoccydoodah Bar Du Chocolat - review by blobby

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:51:52 +0000

Choccywoccydoodah Bar Du Chocolat - review by blobby

Rating: 4.3

Location: 27 Middle Street, BN1 1AL, Brighton, United Kingdom

Phone: 01273 732232

Website: http://www.choccywoccydoodah.com/

At the bar du chocolat you and your friends can relax with a sumptous hot chocolate, made from dark belgian chocolate for Â£3.50, or treat your self with a mouth wateringly gorgeous ice cream milkshake form Â£3, You can have a slice of their famous chocolate cake for around Â£4, which is nice. The yummy chocolate dipping pots come as milk, white or plain chocolate and have a selection of strawberries, marshmallows, turkish delight, fudge, chili etc and are very nice also. The decor is over the top and fantastic and we have enjoyed the experience, did not see any mice and would be unhappy if we thought they re packed happy shopper chocolates. It is a bit pricey but we don not go every day.

Curzon Soho - review by CPaskell

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:51:32 +0000

Curzon Soho - review by CPaskell

Rating: 4.5

Location: 99 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 5DY, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7734 2255

Website: http://www.curzoncinemas.com/

The staff at Curzon Soho are brilliant. Friendly, knowledgeable and helpful - and importantly for me, unlike most cinemas - they smile. A lot! There is a good range of films shown here and the concessions stand offers popcorn, alcohol and beverages that are very reasonably priced. There is also a bar and coffee bar in the building, offering different food, drink and cake options. This is a cinema you can come to as part of a whole evening, you don't feel like you've got to watch your step on sticky floors or that you are being ripped off. The membership options offer good value for money if you are going to come more than 4 times in a year - and actually, you might because the atmosphere here is so friendly and welcoming. I went tonight - and there was even a quiz, adding to a real 'community' feel! In the centre of London and next to Leicester Square's massive multiplexes, this is a treasure.

Oasis Sports Centre - review by Alsation

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:23:52 +0000

Oasis Sports Centre - review by Alsation

Rating: 4.5

Location: 32 Endell Street, WC2H 9AG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7831 1804

The Oasis is one of the few places that makes it worth living in Covent Garden. Having a local, heated, outdoor pool within walking distance is great. The Oasis is more than just a swimming pool, with gym, sauna, squash courts, physio and sports injury treatment rooms and more.
But it will always be the magnificent outdoor pool, that is open year round, that makes this place so special. On a damp, cold, winterâ¬"s morning the steam gently rises off the water when youâ¬"re speeding through it. In summer it tends to get extremely busy and crowded during the day, but the early morning lane swimming doesnâ¬"t suffer from this.
There is also a decent indoor pool, but this tends to be used for school swimming and for special groups. On top of the building is a large sun deck with picnic benches and lots of space to soak up a few rays.
The place is managed by Camden Council, who invest just enough money to keep the facilities in an acceptable condition. It is not luxurious or posh, but decent enough to make it one of Londonâ¬"s best leisure gems.

Bar Kick - review by chrisp

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:08:15 +0000

Bar Kick - review by chrisp

Rating: 4.3

Location: 127 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7739 8700

Website: http://www.cafekick.co.uk/BK_location.html

Tags: jazz, sport pub, pop, indie, excellent pub food, young and fun, rock, friendly, relaxed

Like its sister bar in Exmouth Market, Bar Kick is a cosmopolitan, friendly and trendy place to spend an afternoon or evening. Bar staff are approachable and (in most cases) can mix a decent cocktail. The food menu - a much expanded version of the tapas at the other place - looked tempting but I have to admit I wasn't there to eat. We spent an hour and a half in the darkened basement watching the footie, and were grateful for the expanse of seating and thoughtful placing of flatscreen TVs. Always popular and never dull, Bar Kick is the pick of the drinking holes on Shoreditch High Street.

Bedford - review by ben_e_h

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:06:20 +0000

Bedford - review by ben_e_h

Rating: 3.9

Location: 77 Bedford Hill, SW12 9HD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8682 8959

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

Tags: live music, trendy, relaxed

This is a very popular place in Balham. There is a bar area downstairs and then typically a place upstairs with a few small bars and club/music area. It is often very busy and can be quite difficult to get a drink. The kind of people in their can be a bit unfriendly but generally OK. It is a good place to go if you want to stay in one place all night, from bar drinking to a bit of dancing late doors. I dont think this place is that special really but it is popular and has a busy atmosphere.

London Zoo - review by furrypig

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:14:42 +0000

London Zoo - review by furrypig

Rating: 3.5

Location: Regent's Park, NW1 4RY, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7722 3333

Website: http://www.zsl.org/

My first comment is buy your ticket in advance! Luckily we had as it was a 20 minute (at least) wait to reach the entrance. The children really enjoyed the day despite being caught in the rain! Well it was the summer holidays! Our favourites were the penguins, the giraffes and the monkeys.

Inside the food and drinks were expensive so worth bringing some of your own refreshments in although we found it difficult to find somewhere to sit down to eat.

Moro - review by Litro_K

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:25:37 +0000

Moro - review by Litro_K

Rating: 4.7

Location: 34 - 36 Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 8336

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

Tags: lively, north african, spanish

I'd been waiting years to try our Moro, upon countless recomendations, and finally had an excuse last Friday. Well, three, actually - a birthday, an engagement, and a leaving party, all in one. And boy, was it worth the wait.

I had booked well in advance for a table of 14, which was situated at the back of the restaurant, in a semi-private corner. In the end we had to book for 16 and they happily agreed. The staff were always lovely and helpful, whether on the phone or in person, and they took no massive deposit from my credit card, foisted no set menus on us, and we had one lovely waitress all to ourselves for the night, who coped very well with having to take orders for 16 over three courses without shouting herself hoarse!

As for the food? It was completely out of this world. All the meat tasted like each animal had lived the best life possible, if you know what I mean. It was all tender, succulent, well-seasoned, and â¬ well - moreish. Wines chosen at random from the list were wonderful; desserts were passed around and slathered over, everyone shared their food and so many noises of ecstasy came from various corners of the table that I stopped for a moment, feeling truly happy, and thought: this is really what eating out is all about. Five stars.

The Three Kings - review by ben1982

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:14:11 +0000

The Three Kings - review by ben1982

Rating: 4.2

Location: 7 Clerkenwell Close, EC1R 0DY, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7253 0483

This pub just feels great; a little bit dark and dingy (in the best possible way), a healthy post-work bustle and a slight creative twist, particularly the upstairs rooms with its Fifties decor, which mirrors the Clerkenwell clientele...when it gets dark the candles come out and the food has a pub-grub quality lacking in many similar places. A place to return to again and again.

Arancina - review by bellaphon

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:58:25 +0000

Arancina - review by bellaphon

Rating: 4.4

Location: 19 Pembridge Road, W11 3HG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7221 7776

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

Tags: italian, sicilian, top food, proper food, pizza, lively

The lure of that sawn up orange Cinquecento is a great marketing exercise.

I donâ¬"t normally care much for pizzas in this country but at Arancina the Paletta (to all intents and purposes; by the slice) portion of parmacotto ham and mushrooms was outstanding. It tasted fresh, utterly Italian and the total absence of the dreaded stodgy thick crust. This portion was more than enough for lunch, but if you can fit it in and not be too conscious of the Atkins Diet the delicious arancinas (Sicilian rice balls) belong to the dangerous â¬Übingeingâ¬" category.

I included fast food as one of the things I love when I played the TasteMatcher, Arancina upholds the inclusion without fail. Bravo.

Choccywoccydoodah Bar Du Chocolat - review by squirrel99

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:35:08 +0000

Choccywoccydoodah Bar Du Chocolat - review by squirrel99

Rating: 4.3

Location: 27 Middle Street, BN1 1AL, Brighton, United Kingdom

Phone: 01273 732232

Website: http://www.choccywoccydoodah.com/

Tags: rare finds

I was a bit shocked by the last review saying they were infested by all manner of things - made me think twice about putting a review. However i can only be honest and i don't know anything about what the previous review say. Neither did i see any evidence of that. If there was an infestation, surely you would see some sign?!

Anyway, i found it to be chocolate heaven, or hell, whichever route you prefer to take!

Tastes were fabulous with a price tag to match!

However i would certainly go back and sample some other chocolately goodness, and will be keeping a close eye out for anything else!

London Zoo - review by anilascot2008

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:58:07 +0000

London Zoo - review by anilascot2008

Rating: 3.5

Location: Regent's Park, NW1 4RY, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7722 3333

Website: http://www.zsl.org/

I visited the London zoo recently and unfortunately I wasn't impressed. it seems a lot of effort has been put into making the zoo a very nice and entertaining place for people to visit but not as much effort has been put into making the animals lives better. In general I think keep animals that should be wild, in captivity is cruel but it is even worse when the animals are living in enclosures that (in my opinion) are far too small when they could be living in larger and more entertaining and interesting enclosures if less space was used for people's entertainments and more was used for enlarging the animals enclosures. besides that, an OK place to visit if you don't mind that but definitely would be more worthwhile spending your money to support a wildlife sanctuary etc.

London Zoo - review by Spikey_Spooney

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:36:25 +0000

London Zoo - review by Spikey_Spooney

Rating: 3.5

Location: Regent's Park, NW1 4RY, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7722 3333

Website: http://www.zsl.org/

There is plenty to see at London Zoo so it offers a good day trip and it is nice to also get a chance to see Regents Park alongside it if possible.

One of the best bits at London Zoo is the penguin feeding time. Still a great attraction to Mr Heron who lives in the tree above the penguin area ready to swoop down on their dinner.

The penguins were watched with great interest by our niece and nephew who also patiently waited to see the tiger walk past. Generally there was plenty to keep them entertained all day but it is good to have a buggy as the walking can get tiring for little legs.

London Zoo is shabby in some areas but still has many favourite animals including giraffes, zebra, camels and so on. It is a shame that the elephants have not been there for some time.

There are food outlets but we took a packed lunch with us like many visitors.

Waterstone's Piccadilly - review by Artemidor

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:10:38 +0000

Waterstone's Piccadilly - review by Artemidor

Rating: 4.3

Location: 203-206 Piccadilly, SW1Y 6WW, London, United Kingdom

Tags: helpful staff

I love this place. The bookstore is absolutely full of books, well ordered and presented in an attractive way. There are cosy sofas in which you can relax with your stack of books and peruse them at leisure. The coffee is not so good (that is my only complaint) and, in fact, it is very expensive. But if you like the smell, you can seat near and profit for it.

It has also customer toilets (very handy after a long day of shopping). Many people use to read there the magazines without purchasing them: that is an option, if you are squint. Great bookstore.

Bedford - review by loyd

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:59:11 +0000

Bedford - review by loyd

Rating: 3.9

Location: 77 Bedford Hill, SW12 9HD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8682 8959

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

Tags: jazz, pop, indie, mature, cool & smart, live, young professionals, glamorous, young and fun, rock, sexy, trendy, friendly, relaxed, posh, cool, live music

As previous reviews have said, this is one of the best pubs in London. There is always something going on and the choice and variety of acts astounds me. There does, however, always seem to be a 15 minute wait for drinks.

If you are willing to wait though you will be treated to the most amazing maze of corridors and rooms, including a globe theatre...

Staff are usually great, although you do sometimes get a few snooty customers in who are set on making a scene. Perhaps they are drawn in by the Thespian vibes...

All in all, one of the best pubs in London and definitely worth a visit if you live anywhere near by, even if it doesn't become your favourite regular watering hole.

Ping Pong Dim Sum - review by WB1

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:38:21 +0000

Ping Pong Dim Sum - review by WB1

Rating: 3.8

Location: 74 Westbourne Grove, W2 5SH, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7313 9832

Website: http://www.pingpongdimsum.com

Tags: lively, good value, chinese

Ping pong is a great dim sum restaurant with a difference. The decor is modern and stylish but still comfortable enough to spend a whole Sunday afternoon there. The list of dim sum is good - not the most comprehensive ever, but certainly good enough so that everyone can find several things they like. You are given a list and a pencil and mark your choices. The food arrives in wicker baskets and while the waiter tells you which is which it's easy to forget! The food is good and excellent value. As other reviewers have mentioned the jasmine tea is a real treat to watch and not bad to drink either! The cocktail list is also good and while I'm not sure that cocktails and chinese food are a classic combination, if you have time they are definitely worth trying after your meal. The staff are friendly and happy to help and advise on choices for both food and cocktails.