Latest reviews by Jimbo

La Tosta

Jimbo — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:27:39 +0000

Rating: 5.0

Location: Cl. Victoria, N.8, 28012, Madrid, Spain

Phone: +34-915-226881

Tags: lively, toast, sangria, cheap eat, spanish, tapas

Yummy on the Toast!La Tosta is famous for it's toasts, obviously! Menu is long and incredibly tempting. Sangria is delicious and, again, incredibly tempting (Sangria pitchers are IN-YOUR-FACE as you walk into the restaurant; see the photo).

Service is super fast, unlike any other Spanish restaurant, and no matter how crowded the place is, you won't have to wait any more than 5 minutes for your order to arrive.

And prices... Good God, where do I begin! If I told you, you'd feel guilty eating out in London.

All in all, when in Madrid, do not bother with the fancy looking tourist traps. Go to La Tosta instead!

Le Relais De Venise L'Entrecote

Jimbo — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:03:17 +0000

Rating: 4.2

Location: 120 Marylebone la, W1U 2QG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7486 0878

Website: http://www.relaisdevenise.com

Tags: lively, Steak, crowded, expensive, french

Go Once and You'll Go Back!There's not much to add, really. The only reason I'm keeping one of the stars for myself is their "slightly" high prices.

Like I said in my review of their Paris branch, I'd be fooling myself if I disagree with their "come once and you'll come back" tagline.

Le Relais de L'Entrecote

Jimbo — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:43:48 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 271 Boulevard Pereire, 75017, Paris, France

Tags: lively, family & home feel, Steak, good value, crowded, french, romantic

No-Nonsense Steak and Fries!Recommended by my good friend, Jenni, Le Relais de L'Entrecote is now one of my most favourite restaurants in Paris.

There is no fancy mumbo jumbo involved. Steak and Fries is the only main course. A simple salad with mustard dressing and crushed walnuts is the only starter. And of course, there is a long list of French desserts. House red is smooth and tasty and so is their Grand Caprice. All in all, there is absolutely nothing to dislike.

"Come once and you'll come back" is what they say to their customers. I'd be fooling myself if I disagree with that.

Chalet des 2 Lacs

Jimbo — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:48:03 +0000

Rating: 2.0

Location: 2 Lacs, , Val Thorens, France

Phone: +33-479-002854

Tags: american, international, family & home feel, crowded, vegetarian, expensive, french, lively, italian

Meh! My 4 paragraph review disappeared somehow and I'm not in the mood to type the whole thing again! Maybe letaer. But for now, here's the short version...

Good food.

OK service.

Expensive prices.

Fun place to do crazy jumps!

Photographs are Greg, showing off his skills/ugly yellow thingamagics! Chalet des 2 Lacs at night, taken from our hotel balcony and 2 Lacs' terrace, obviously.

/Meh!

Chalet de Caron

Jimbo — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:20:13 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: Cime de Caron, 73 440, Val Thorens, France

Phone: +33-047-9000171

Website: http://www.chaletdecaron.net/

Tags: italian, family & home fe, ski, mountain, international, good value, snack, crowded, high, vegetarian, expensive, french, lively

Tasty Jambon Fries!3002 Meters above sea level, Chalet de Caron is one of the highest restaurants in the world's highest ski resort, Val Thorens. Always packed at lunchtime with tourists that come for a quick snack or a full meal. As for the rest of the day, the place is big enough for you to find a table.

There is a long list of French, Italian and international foods to pick from. Their Jambon Fries are to die for and are my favourite snack whenever I sit outside on the terrace! Salmon tagliatelle is also incredibly tasty. Their pizzas on the other hand, are Godawful! There is also a salad bar which I have never tried.

Service is very fast and friendly.

Unlike their snacks and desserts, main courses are slightly over priced (â¬12~â¬25). But considering that Val Thorens is one of the most expensive resorts in the Alps, there is not much to complain. And hey, it still beats a lot of central London restaurants however you look at it!

Caron tele cabin is the only way to get there from Val T. Go down towards le Carin blue run and you should reach there within a minute. Only way down back to the valley unfortunately, are black and red runs which beginners may find a bit difficult.

If you're into photography, I'd recommend taking the red Col de l'Audzin run down and then head further south towards the black Cristaux. Halfway down, stop and snap a few shots! Light is perfect all day long. The one I uploaded was taken there. But be aware that Cristaux is one of the most difficult black runs in all Three Valleys (shadowy most of the day; hence very icy early in the morning).

Fiori Corner

Jimbo — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:04:20 +0000

Rating: 2.0

Location: 38 Cranbourn Street, WC2H 7AD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7437 2694

Tags: lively, cheap eat, good value, crowded, cafe, breakfast

Smile and the world smiles with you, or don't!I'd have to agree with Walid on the unnecessary unfriendliness of the staff. To be honest, that was the only thing that I didn't like about Cafe Fiori.

The place is warm and cosy. Breakfast quality was great: Hot, fresh and tasty. But for the love of mankind, girl, smile a little. Or at least act like you don't want to chop my head off or stick a fork into my eyes!

It's not that much of a crime when you ask why crispy bacon is fifty pence cheaper than bacon, is it?

You be the judge: "scrambled eggs with bacon and toast" is Â£7.50. "scrambled eggs with CRISPY bacon and toast" is Â£6.95. When I asked why, the respond was "Wodoyoumean? One is crispy. Other one is not!" No $hit Sherlock!

And then in the end, there was the rude "+15% service" written with pen at the bottom of our bill. I've seen many restaurants doing this. But it's usually accompanied by a simple "thank you" or something. Not cool, again.

Anyway, it's a real shame as I liked the food quality and atmosphere of the place. The prices were also fair, considering that we're talking about Leicester Square here. But for me, service is just as important.

Rodizio Rico

Jimbo — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:26:52 +0000

Rating: 4.1

Location: 77 - 78 Upper Street, N1 0NU, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7354 1076

Website: http://www.rodiziorico.com/

Tags: brazilian, vegeterian, seafood, family & home feel, african & caribbean, buffet, crowded, meat, expensive, lively

Every Cave Man's Dream!After a freezing day in Trafalgar Square on the now infamous Olympic Relay day last week, and after hearing passionate stories about this place by a friend who, errm, "eats well," and after walking an extra 25 minutes (Angel station was closed!) I was on my picky mood and were expecting more than just an ordinary food and service...

Well, I'm happy to say that Rodrizio Rio did satisfy me perfectly! And that doesn't happen in just any restaurant, I can assure you.

Apart from the expensive price tag (Â£26 Meat and Seafood) and the fact that the seafood was NOT eat as much as you can like meat, I found nothing wrong. I will recommend this place to everyone, including vegetarians (the buffet was one of the best I have had in London).

Harlem

Jimbo — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:07:46 +0000

Rating: 3.8

Location: 78 Westbourne Grove, W2 5RT, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7985 0900

Website: http://www.harlemsoulfood.com

Tags: jazz, reasonable price, burger, music, bar, restaurant, american

Neat Atmosphere!Great find, thanks to TP reviews. Good food. Good service. Reasonable price. Great atmosphere. What else could one ask for.

Savini

Jimbo — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 14:06:06 +0000

Rating: 5.0

Location: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, 11, 20121, Milan, Italy

Phone: 02 72 00 34 33

Tags: italian, 19th century, milano, milan, formal, italy, expensive

Best Ossobuco on the Planet!Ristorante Savini is one of the most famous restaurants in Milan. Placed on the second floor of galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the world's oldest and most elegant shopping center, its 19th century stylish decor and furnishings makes this place one of the most exquisite restaurants I have ever been to.

Food quality is perfect and so is the service. The only veal cutlet tastier than my Mom's, gorgeous saffron risotto and the best Ossobuco I have ever had... Wash them down with tasty fruity Italian red wine. There is really nothing to dislike.

If you're going to Milan, Duomo and galleria Vittorio Emanuele should be on top of your list of places to visit. If you can spare â¬120 per person for lunch, Savini should be the third on your list!

Mug House

Jimbo — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 18:25:29 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 1 Tooley Street, SE1 2PF, London, United Kingdom

Tags: bar, mug, british food, pub food, beer, wine, food

Yarrrrr!My visit to No.1 Mug House was really interesting. Old silver[?] mugs, dusty bottles of wine plus the interior design, lighting and over all atmosphere of this place make you feel like your in the set of Treasure Island movie and Long John Silver and Captain Flint (his parrot) are going to walk in any second. That's what I was thinking after a pint of incredibly strong Davy's Ale!

Anyway... To cut it short, my drinking experience in the Mug House was interesting enough to go back and pick something from their tempting lunch menu.

Pasta Brown

Jimbo — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:15:19 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 35-36 Bow Street, WC2E 7AU, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7379 5775

Website: http://www.pastabrown.com

Tags: italian, good value, crowded, lively

Messed-Up Italian Flag!A decent Italian restaurant near Covent Garden. Good Italian wine selection (slightly over priced, though), delicious Lasagne and fantastic Linguine. I will go back to try their sword fish pesce.

The one problem I noticed: My tricolore was white, green, Red (mozzarella, avocado, tomato) instead of avocado, mozzarella, tomato (similar to the Italian flag)!

Most Cafe Bar

Jimbo — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:44:28 +0000

Rating: 2.0

Location: 206-208 Tower Bridge Road, SE1 2UP, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 74036030

Tags: cosy, duvel, belgian beer, average brew

Down and Dirty!We had a quick beer in Most Cafe Bar last Friday. It's a small and neat looking cafe placed exactly underneath Tower Bridge on the south side of the river Thames. A very unique location, to say the least.

A small bottle of Belgian Duvel was Â£3.20 which was a bit too expensive. I've had pints of Duvel in central london for about the same price. I can't comment on other prices because we left after the first bottle! But I can tell you this: apart from my friend and I, there was only three American tourists inside who were there for a coffee. And that was 6pm on a Friday! You be the judge!

Oh, and in case you aren't from London, the upclose view of the river Thames is second worst, next to my neighbour's ugly oily Sphynx!!! Yuk!

Ping Pong Dim Sum

Jimbo — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:55:06 +0000

Rating: 3.3

Location: 45 Great Marlborough Street, W1F 7JL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7851 6969

Website: http://www.pingpongdimsum.com

Tags: lively, business, chinese, crowded, vegetarian, expensive

Yummy Crispy Prawn Balls!There's not much left to add, really. Just that their service was as good as Paddington Street's. Oh, and that I can never get enough of their crispy prawn balls. Yummmy!

Ping Pong Dim Sum

Jimbo — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:46:51 +0000

Rating: 3.7

Location: 10 Paddington Street, W1U 5QL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7009 9600

Website: http://www.pingpongdimsum.com

Tags: lively, business, chinese, crowded, vegetarian, expensive

Satisfying Quickie!!!For a quick and fun lunch, this is an ideal restaurant. Service is fast and friendly. Even for the first timers, Ping Pong is satisfying enough.

The only problem is that the palce is a bit small and you might have to wait for a while.

The Maple Leaf

Jimbo — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 16:43:31 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 41 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7LJ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7240 2843

Tags: american, Canada, Canadian, sport pub, gastro pub, mature, different pub food, traditional pub, independent pub, expensive, trendy, lively

A Small Piece of Canada in the Heart of LondonThat's what it says on the wall out front. The Maple Leaf is apparently the only Canadian pub in London. I can't comment on that and I can't comment on their food quality either. But as for drinking, I had a good time in there.

Prices are pretty much the same as other Central London pubs. Surprisingly, I didn't see the very recommended Molson on the tap, so I went with my usual Extra Cold Guinness. A pint of Strongbow, an Amstel and one Guniess plus three shots of tequila on each round costs about £17.

The atmosphere is kindda nice and cosy. There are ice Hockey stuff on the walls which are kinnda interesting. But if it wasn't for them and a few other little things here and there, you wouldn't notice you're in a Canadian pub. There are TVs everywhere so I assuem the place will be packed when NHL season's on.

My conclusion: As a "pub," it's OK. But a couple of Hockey sticks and skates on the walls and the Canadian flag outside are not enough for the "only Canadian Pub in London," if you ask me!