Latest reviews by Jimbo's friends

Picasso - review by sue

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:02:01 +0000

Picasso - review by sue

Rating: 4.0

Location: Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd South, 89109, Las Vegas, United States of America

Phone: 866.259.7111

Website: http://www.bellagio.com/restaurants/picasso.aspx

Tags: romantic, mediterranean, spanish, expensive, french

The Bellagio is filled with excellent restaurants, and of the fine dining options, one called Picasso caught our eye, so we pre-booked a table for our first night in town. The restaurant is accessed via the Bellagio casino, and looks out over the lake. It has been awarded 2 Michelin Stars, and a AAA Five Diamond Award for seven consecutive years.

The dining room is grand and beautifully decorated - it is filled with Picasso paintings and ceramics. The professional but amiable service made us feel welcome and relaxed from start to finish.

The food is "French cuisine seasonally prepared with a Spanish influence". There was the choice of a degustation menu, or a fixed price, four course menu. We chose from the fixed price menu, and also opted for the Sommelier's wine pairing. This was not a cheap meal, but a memorable one.

To start, we had the Poached Oysters, garnished with Osetra Caviar, Sauce Vermouth; and the Warm Quail Salad with Sauteed Artichokes, Pinenuts. Both dishes were beautifully presented and the oysters were so good they earned a place in Alex's "Top 5 Oysters I have ever eaten" list.

Next up we both opted for the Sauteed Filet of Black Bass with Saffron Sauce and Cauliflower Mousseline - really delicious. Then for the 'main' course we had the Roasted Milk-Fed Veal Chop with Rosemary Potatoes and Au Jus; and the Sauteed Medallions of Fallow Deer with Caramelized Green Apples and Zinfandel Sauce. The deer was certainly the winning dish, I found the veal a little over-cooked.

Desserts were happily devoured, in particular my Warm Chocolate Fondant with Carmel Chocolate Ice Cream. The fondant was good, but the ice cream was exceptionally good and I could happily have eaten it all night.

Yellowtail Sushi Restaurant & Bar - review by sue

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:52:10 +0000

Yellowtail Sushi Restaurant & Bar - review by sue

Rating: 4.0

Location: Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd South, 89109, Las Vegas, United States of America

Phone: 866.259.7111

Website: http://www.bellagio.com/restaurants/yellowtail.asp

Tags: lively, bellagio, cocktails, sushi, japanese, expensive, romantic

While staying at the Bellagio, one evening a lighter dinner was required in-between drinking cocktails and hitting the casino, so we ventured to Yellowtail Sushi Restaurant, which is conveniently located in the casino area.

A fairly new addition to the Bellagio restaurant directory, Yellowtail is a very stylish looking place, with very attractive staff who seem to have shares in push-up bras.

We were seated at a high table in the front section of the restaurant, so unfortunately didn't have views of the lake and fountain. We weren't ravenous, so just ordered a few things to share. The stand-out item was the Salmon Nigiri - wow, the salmon was so melt-in-your-mouth that we promptly ordered another serve.

We also ordered the Grilled eggplant skewers with sweet miso, some Tuna sushi rolls, and the Popping spicy crab, which was a sushi roll with crab, cucumber, asparagus and a sprinkling of those pop-rock candies that pop and crackle in your mouth. Interesting.

Fontana Bar - review by sue

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:38:39 +0000

Fontana Bar - review by sue

Rating: 4.0

Location: Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd South, 89109, Las Vegas, United States of America

Phone: 702.693.7089

Website: http://www.bellagio.com/nightlife/fontana-bar.aspx

Tags: jazz, bellagio, cool & smart, live, views, cocktails, friendly, relaxed, cool, live music

Fontana Bar is located lakeside in the Bellagio, accessed via the casino. There is a large bar area inside, with a stage and dance floor, and a terrace that looks over the lake and Strip. We visited early one evening and of course headed straight for the terrace, and a prime fountain watching position.

There was a band playing inside, and speakers outside so we could still enjoy the music. Every now and then the bands music would be replaced by the various backing soundtracks for the dancing fountains, and we would enjoy the eruptions from our seat.

We ordered mojitos (really good!) and martinis and felt pretty content. I can highly recommend the combination of a terrace table, a cocktail or two and watching the colours of the Strip change and those fountains dance.

Jean Philippe Patisserie - review by sue

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:27:41 +0000

Jean Philippe Patisserie - review by sue

Rating: 4.0

Location: Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd South, 89190, Las Vegas, United States of America

Website: http://www.bellagio.com/restaurants/jean-philippe.

Tags: quick bite, bellagio, ice cream, top food, average brew, cakes, crowded

Jean Philippe Patisserie is located inside the Bellagio, and is well worth a visit if you have a sweet tooth like me. Not only are there beautifully created (and tasting!) pastries and cakes, but there is also some very good ice cream on offer.

Also of interest is what claims to be the "World's Tallest and Largest Volume Chocolate Fountain". The photo I took only shows the bottom half of it. It certainly looked impressive, but was behind glass, so it was not the type of choc fountain you could dip marshmallows in.

We sampled a couple of the cakes - a Lemon Tart, and a chocolate concoction that had choc mousse and nutella and praline crispy biscuits. Yes, it was good. Another day we returned for a small serving of ice cream, which was creamy and full-flavoured.

The Buffet at the Bellagio - review by sue

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:12:18 +0000

The Buffet at the Bellagio - review by sue

Rating: 2.0

Location: Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd South, 89190, Las Vegas, United States of America

Phone: 702.693.7089

Website: http://www.bellagio.com/restaurants/the-buffet.asp

Tags: lively, bellagio, all you can eat, international, family & home feel, buffet

I don't really 'do' buffets, basically cause I can't eat that much in one sitting so I never feel like they are good value for me. Oh, and nothing compares to the brunch buffet I once had at the Delano Hotel in Miami. Anyhoo, that said, it seemed like having a meal at the Bellagio Buffet was one of the 'things to do' whilst in Vegas, so we did.

We turned up at around 11am on a Sunday and there was a queue out into the casino. Thankfully it moved quickly, so our tummies weren't grumbling for too long. You have to pay before you are seated, and they ask if you want to leave your tip in advance, or at the table. We opted for the table option, unsure how much service we wanted to pay for at a 'self-service' restaurant.

We were shown to our table and then sat there waiting till eventually our waitress arrived and took our drink orders. Service was pretty non-existent after that.

So, the buffet. There was a massive selection of food - everything from cornflakes to pizza to scrambled eggs to sushi to cakes to roast beef. There were chefs cooking dishes in front of you, so you knew that (some) things were nice and fresh.

We didn't pile our plates too high, though after a couple of visits to the buffet we were pretty much full and unfortunately didn't sample anything worth mentioning.

Canaletto - review by sue

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:54:47 +0000

Canaletto - review by sue

Rating: 4.0

Location: Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd South, 89190, Las Vegas, United States of America

Phone: 702.733.0070

Website: http://www.venetian.com/Pages.aspx?id=838

Tags: italian, venetian, romantic

Canaletto is an Italian restaurant located on "St Marks Square" inside the Venetian Hotel. We had dinner there one night and opted to sit on the terrace in the square. It really did feel like we were back in Venice at dusk. The restaurant was lively and had a real Italian feel, helped along by the Italian staff, and the gondoliers and carabinieri walking past in the square.

We started with a glass of prosecco and reminisced about our last time in Venice. Then it was dinner time. We started with the Calamaretti Fritti and the Minestrone soup. Main course was the Veal shank braised in a marsala wine with porcini & shiitake mushrooms, served with saffron risotto; and the Fillet of seabass with tomatoes, artichokes, prosecco and saffron, served with organic sautÃ©ed spinach and roasted Yukon gold potatoes.

All the food was very enjoyable, and the couple of glasses of wine we had were very good value.

Carnegie Delicatessen - review by sue

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:08:29 +0000

Carnegie Delicatessen - review by sue

Rating: 3.0

Location: Mirage, 3400 S. Las Vegas Blvd, 89109, Las Vegas, United States of America

Phone: 866.339.4566

Website: http://www.mirage.com/restaurants/carnegie-delicat

Tags: american, jewish, cake, good value, deli, lively

Carnegie Delicatessen is located within the casino of the Mirage Hotel. It is apparently quite like the original Carnegie Deli in New York.

The main draw card here seemed to be the "overstuffed sandwiches" - they were so massive. Think two average slices of bread with a filling of pastrami, and when I say filling I mean a 25cm high tower of meat! Then add sides including a big stack of fries, a tub of coleslaw and a giant pickle, and you will get the idea of what a meal here entails.

But we ignored all that and just shared a giant slice of Cheesecake instead. And a pot of tea to wash it down. And tried to take sneaky photos of people with huge sandwiches.

Plane Food - review by sue

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 17:15:16 +0000

Plane Food - review by sue

Rating: 2.0

Location: Heathrow Terminal 5, TW6 2GA, Hounslow, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8897 4545

Website: http://www.gordonramsay.com/planefood

Tags: expensive, heathrow, ramsay, gordon ramsay, british, international, breakfast

We thought we would start our last holiday in style - instead of the usual pre-flight breakfast at Giraffe, we would instead dine at Plane Food, which is Gordon Ramsay's restaurant in Heathrow Terminal Five, airside.

The restaurant has been beautifully designed, taking advantage of the light-filled space which offers views out to the airfield. The space was much larger than imagined, and although stylish looking, the ambience was somehow more canteen like than I was expecting. Perhaps it had something to do with the large number of empty tables waiting to be cleared, meaning we had to wait around 10 minutes to be seated (eating into our valuable duty free shopping time).

Was it worth the wait. Not really. As this would be our second breakfast for the day, we just wanted something light and both opted for the Suffolk sweet-cured bacon and egg roll. It was the most boring and flavourless bacon and egg roll I think I have ever had. Next time we'll just stick to Giraffe.

The Gun Inn - review by Wheely

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 12:56:22 +0000

The Gun Inn - review by Wheely

Rating: 3.0

Location: High Street, BN14 0TA, Worthing, United Kingdom

Tags: friendly, beer garden, different pub food, traditional pub

This pub / restaurant has been on our agenda for some time. We visited yesterday for a light soup lunch after Mrs Wheely performed some 'open wallet surgery' on me in a factory outlet type of shop - a matter of jumpers / cardigans etc..! Totally beyond my simple comprehension !

The soup, genuinely home-made farmhouse vegetable. It was absolutely delicious and served as a generous portion in hot dishes.

The building itself, the exterior is an elegant georgian design whilst the interior consists of a labrynth of smart dining areas with a considerably older low ceilinged wood beamed bar deep inside. We understand the older bit is dated from around the 15th century.

The only (minor) shortcoming, the soup could do with a decent wholemeal bread to accompany it. However, good value at Â£3.75 per portion given that it contained a wide variety of finely minced vegetables that had retained their individual taste.

Tourists, Cissbury Hill is nearby and the village contains a wide range of interesting little shops.

Highdown Tea Rooms - review by Wheely

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:30:56 +0000

Highdown Tea Rooms - review by Wheely

Rating: 3.5

Location: Littlehampton Road, BN12 6PF, Worthing, United Kingdom

Tags: lively, good brew, quick bite

What an interesting last review ! We had a light soup lunch here today and we could not fault it. My wife had chicken and mushroom, I had carrot and parsnip, both genuinely home-made. They also had a third soup on the menu, lentil and bacon. All priced at Â£2.95.

The building itself appears to be an old stable that's been tastefully converted by retaining the large wooden roof beams and unplastered walls. Decoration is tasteful and local art adorns the walls.

Regarding the staff, smart, cheerful, friendly and clearly enjoying their job as they continually exchanged light hearted banter between themselves.

Conclusion, we must have gone to a different place to that of the previous reviewer !

Tourists, don't miss out on the (free) chalk garden next door and a walk up to the miller's tomb.

There is also a very large grassed area over the hill where you can let the kids and dogs go daft for a while. The public car park is free. ps, take your camera.

Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Lounge - review by Angella

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:18:03 +0000

Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Lounge - review by Angella

Rating: 5.0

Location: Newark Airport, , Newark, United States of America

Had a wonderful time at Newark airport, starting with the airport shops, where I bought a lovely coral red pendant in the jewellery bar, then into the airside Virgin Atlantic special lounge, best lounge of any I've tried.

I am a frequent flyer associate (courtesy of family member) with Singapore Airlines and have used their lounges all over the world, mostly Heathrow and Changi. At Newark I never got to the Singapore Airlines lounge and would be interested to know how it compares.

In the USA I was using airmiles for a flight to and from London on Virgin Atlantic and there was a three hour delay at Newark and the airline gave me a voucher for their lounge.

Colourful. Purple paint. Bookshelves and curved sculptures. A soothing circular window in wall. Pretty paintings. Bar seats for those who like to perch and low armchairs for those who want to flop back. And a little booth where a couple can sit on a snug, cosy, private two-seater settee and watch a film without disturbing others.

The Clubhouse had a the bar stool area where crackers were black and orange. Then a hot buffet. When I sat down soup was brought in teeny cups, Seems to be the latest thing, serving soup in a cup - had that in a coffee shop cum restaurant. The soup was either pumpkin or parsnip, thick and white with teeny lumps of tasty, sweet vegetable rewarding you at the end, like a lucky dip at a party.

Smartly dressed, svelte girls came round offering champagne or drinks. With regular refills. Not refills, fresh glass every time.

Then a dessert trolley. Refreshing fruit, as well as tempting chocolate or pecan nut tart. Their overload of sugar was offset by mint and a few pieces of colourful fruit. I have some great photos of the food.

My only complaint is that staff removed the cheese and biscuits from the buffet before check-in. So I didn't get a chance to go back for a last snack before my flight.

Naturally Tasty - review by Angella

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 02:15:38 +0000

Naturally Tasty - review by Angella

Rating: 2.0

Location: 234 5th Avenue, 10001, New York, United States of America

Phone: (212) 725 1804

Opposite the Museum of Sex and near the Flatiron building and the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

We were in a hurry and we got quick service because we sat near the cashier by the front door and were able to hail servers as they rushed past because it's quite a narrow restaurant at the front.

I had soup which was good. It was served in a tea cup. Strange. Are they short of bowls? Does that enable them to serve smaller portions? Actually, we had one soup and one sandwich between two of us and that was plenty. Serving soup in a tea cup is a great idea. Fast and easy. Why didn't I think of that before? I must do that at home.

Chicken sandwich and chips.

Drinks included fresh juices which pleased me. I was happy to see the juice mix drink of celery, beets, carrot and ginger. Alhough I must admit the taste didn't zing for me, it did sound healthy.

They do low carb breakfasts, waist watcher options and veggie burgers.

Vanilla Black - review by Izabel_blue

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:55:42 +0000

Vanilla Black - review by Izabel_blue

Rating: 4.7

Location: 17- 18 Tooks Court, EC4A 1LB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7242 2622

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

Tags: vegetarian, british, classy, good value

I've been here twice now - one for lunch and once for dinner, and have felt *pretty* impressed both times, though I found it a much better destination for dinner.

The food is commendable: the menu is a seriously good take on modern British seasonality (minus the meat) and hence a bit more sophisticated than the global fusion you get at other well-known veggie gaffs, like Manna or The Gate. However, portions are on the smaller size, and you really do need to go for all three courses to have a satisfying meal out - my husband worries that it is a bit too 'set menu' and not flexible enough with the a la carte.

A few examples from their recent menu include a starter 'toasty' with home-made piccalilli and 'deconstructed' lentil dal. Mains are exciting too: mushroom duxelle with mushy peas, goats cheese and walnut backlava with onion puree, beetroot tarte with horseradish custard...

The room is quite formally dressed and modern, with crisp white tablecloths and chandeliers - very trad, quite classy. Front of house is good too: they've brought a chirpy, friendly staff from the original restaurant in York, and you can tell that they care passionately about the food. The only dull note is the 80s' soft-rock and alt hits playing in the background: it seems to compromise the attention to detail with the food, room, and service.

However, the food and service is good enough to compete with any posh gastropub in the area, and the choices on offer will thrill any meat-reducer. Give it a go!

Cafe in the Crypt - review by Izabel_blue

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:38:42 +0000

Cafe in the Crypt - review by Izabel_blue

Rating: 4.6

Location: St Martin-in-the-Fields, WC2N 4JJ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7839 4342

Website: http://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org

Tags: cosy, average brew, quiet & relaxed, quick bite

I've been going to the Cafe in the Crypt off and on for about 7 years now, and though I can't fault them for offering good-value dining in a busy area, it's not amazing. The food is very 'school dinners' and tastes of mass catering, and the hot food is always lukewarm.

That being said it's a quiet oasis away from the touristy din of Trafalgar square, and one of the few places in the area where you can get a decent, filling main meal with a glass of wine for under a tenner. The staff is friendly and there is a nice ambience due to the candles and stone walls. Just don't expect a culinary adventure, OK?

Koko - review by VickieMac

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:50:41 +0000

Koko - review by VickieMac

Rating: 3.8

Location: 1A Camden High Street, NW1 7JE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0870 432 5527

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

Tags: live music, hole in pocket, indie, live, young and fun, rock, house, sexy, cheesy, trendy, friendly, dance, cool

This is one of my favourite venues in London. It's huge with three(ish) glamourous floors of guilding and plush red curtains and seating. It's great!

I love it best for live bands. The sound is mediocre but the atmosphere is fab. The HUGE disco ball is lots fun and adds a whole lotta sparkle!

Downside, the drinks cost a BOMB!! Wayyyyy too overpriced even for London. So bring your cutest piggy bank.