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Sakura - review by professionalabc

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:39:23 +0000

Sakura - review by professionalabc

Rating: 2.8

Location: 9 Hanover Street, W1S 1YF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7629 2961

Sakura Japanese restaurant is the worst japanese restaurant I have ever been in my life. Awful services! I arrived the restaurant in the afternoon. And I and my frd requested another table due to the noisy environment. We sat down, and one of the staff came and requested us to move to another table due to the closure of the particular area. We moved to a 4 person table and the manager came to us, and took our menus away from us very rudely, without saying a word, and forced us to another table which is the original one. We refused and the guy just stared at us very rudely. I can never believe I have ever been to a restaurant like this!

Mug House - review by AlexWoods

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:36:28 +0000

Mug House - review by AlexWoods

Rating: 3.5

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

Tags: relaxed, young professionals, different pub food, independent pub, underground, friendly

Part of Davy's Tooley Street Empire, the Mug House is a charming and "characterful" little pub. But, much the same character as any other Davy's bar you've ever been in!
There is quite an emphasis on wine here, with an impressive, if over priced list.

Davy's Bitter and Old Wallop are kept reasonably well (if you wonder why it's called Old Wallop go have half a dozen pints and you'll understand. A session beer it ain't!) They also do their own lager which is surprisingly good, and that's coming from a chap who just don't do lager.

Good lunch menu though it is expensive and you don't get much for your money.

I like the place, but if you've been anywhere else, be it the Cooperage, Skinkers, Shampagne Sharlie's (or Champagne Charlie's. You can have it one way or t'other. That goes for you too Sean Bean. Or Shorn Born. Make y'damn mind up! Incidentally, I strongly advise you to go to one or all of the above. See review on Skinkers, to follow) then you're not going to have an especially new experience.

So. Do go for the quirky atmosphere (beer from a pewter tankard keeps much better! Note that lager boys. If you want to keep your tasteless p*ss fizzy so you can merrily burp your way home on the night bus, invest in a pewter pot.)
Don't go if you want a: a cheap night out or b: to drink y'main stream Fosters and John Smiths and other such grot - here it's Davy's way or the high way.
Davy's do what they do, and they do it well. You are guaranteed a unique experience. In any one of Davy's 9 identical bars.

Fire & Stone - review by RR123

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:13:06 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by RR123

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

Tags: pizza

I know people who rave about this restaurant, but whilst I liked that they were trying to do something a bit different, I think they over-did it here.

The pizzas are certainly different and are an intriguing array of ingredients (for instance when did you last have black pudding on a pizza??), but I felt as though there were so many flavours that it was a bit over-powering. It was certainly an interesting experience but not somewhere I would be desperate to go back to.

If you do decide to go there though, do check out their website as they have various deals including two pizzas for Â£10 if you book via the internet.

Fire & Stone - review by Suzieee

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:18:13 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by Suzieee

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

The idea of pizzas with toppings from different worldwide dishes isnâ¬"t very nice; Iâ¬"d recommend you to stick to the sensible choices.

It was a very busy Tuesday night and obviously they were rushing around trying to avoid eye contact with dinners to prevent more work, although they did seem nice whilst serving.
However, when it came to paying! I found it VERY CHEEKY that the OPTIONAL service charge of 12.5%! was included in the total without any subtotals to tell you how much it would be without the service charge.

And to add to this! Before I was able to ask for this to be removed from my payment, the lady took my card and went off with it to their till without a word (a card should never leave its ownerâ¬"s sight as you would never know what they would be doing with it, they could be copying down your card details and you would know until you find money missing from your account! And I wasnâ¬"t too happy about that). I was expecting it was a chip and pin, but she came back with a receipt I had to sign for my card payment with the optional service charged included without asking!

I ask her if the 12.5% service charge was optional and she replied â¬Syes!â¬

Jo Shmo's - review by Beersupper

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:32:29 +0000

Jo Shmo's - review by Beersupper

Rating: 3.7

Location: 244-246 High Street, GU1 3JF, Guildford, United Kingdom

Phone: 01483 535255

Tags: american

Always had a good meal here but service quite slow.
It's now called something different but as with all these chain places they do that every 2years, why i can only think they arn't happy with the turnover of the place.Possibly an up market burger bar.

Fire & Stone - review by tapdancingcat

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:43:48 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by tapdancingcat

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

Tags: cheap eat, international

The new spin on the old classic is great, I had a heisin Duck pizza was lovely, and my partner's traditional pepperoni was superb, so even if you want a normail pizza this place is a winner, the only downside is the size of the pizza - if you have a big appitite this isn't a place for you!

Ping Pong Dim Sum - review by misstravelbug

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:55:23 +0000

Ping Pong Dim Sum - review by misstravelbug

Rating: 3.3

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

Phone: 020 7851 6969

Website: http://www.pingpongdimsum.com

Tags: lively, chinese

So it's not the most authentic chinese dim sum restaurant it's more asian fusion and caters to western tastes. The decor is always cool and the service is great. The dim sums are fairly hit and miss...a bit overpriced for what you get. The jasmin tea with the opening flowers is pretty cool. It's a classier joint that your typical chinatown dim sum restaurant.

Sakura - review by acrobat

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:35:12 +0000

Sakura - review by acrobat

Rating: 2.8

Location: 9 Hanover Street, W1S 1YF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7629 2961

Tags: japanese, good value, crowded

having read about the appaling service reported in 2007 and early 2008 from other reviewers I think it is only fair to give an update.

On my visit this week it was relatively busy - the maÃ®tre d' was polite if a little curt as we were shown our table. The waiting staff were friendly, topping up green tea when asked and the service was fairly fast for a busy night. So perhaps they have turned a corner.

The food, as other reviewers noted, was excellent - the decor well say no more.

Jo Shmo's - review by gossfam1

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:00:56 +0000

Jo Shmo's - review by gossfam1

Rating: 3.7

Location: 244-246 High Street, GU1 3JF, Guildford, United Kingdom

Phone: 01483 535255

Tags: american, good value, lively

Joe Shmoâ¬"s is a great place for a quick bite to eat before the cinema, or a place to eat with a group. Beware though that there are lots of groups that do book, so it can become quite lively, especially on a Friday / Saturday night. The service is good, though at times they need a few more of them, but the burgers are huge and very tasty. They actually ask you how you want them cooked, which is nice. Itâ¬"s also really quite good value considering itâ¬"s in the centre of Guildford. My only criticism is there isnâ¬"t more restaurants in the chain yet, as other towns could benefit from them!

The Porterhouse - review by Polkadot

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:26:43 +0000

The Porterhouse - review by Polkadot

Rating: 4.0

Location: 21-22 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7NA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7379 7917

Website: http://www.porterhousebrewco.com

Tags: relaxed, modern pub, mature, young professionals, standard pub food, friendly

The Porterhouse is a haven amongst the busy, touristy streets of Covent Garden. The pub itself is huge and sprawling with many floors and an abundance of nooks and crannies with makes it perfect for a get together with friends or a quiet date tucked away in the corner somewhere - just arrange where to meet first or you'll never find one another! Huge range of continental beers and good pub food at reasonable prices. Music is loud enough to be heard but not overbearing and it attracts a fairly smart but relaxed, slightly older crowd. Outdoor area is a bonus in the summer!

Fire & Stone - review by realalelass

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:59:13 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by realalelass

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

I agree with Tanzanitelilac entirely as we had the same experience at Fire and Stone. The pizza was delicious, the 'fusion' menu inspired, but the service ruined the evening.

I went here with some girlfriends and our waiter was one of the most arrogant people we'd ever had the misfortune of encountering. He was really full of himself and even tried to encourage my pregnant friend to have a glass of wine.

The starters and pizzas were lovely but the service left a bad taste in our mouths. The low point of the evening came with the bill, when we asked him to remoe the 'discretionary' 12.5% service tip, since we felt that we had hd bad service. We were interrogated as to why we wanted to do this, told he was on a low wage and needed the service etc etc.

I would not go back here if I was paid to!

Fire & Stone - review by fakelvis

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:50:41 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by fakelvis

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

Looking for something a bit different than your typical pizza restaurant? Then Fire and Stone is for you.

The typical complaints are that it's expensive and not very 'Italian'. Well off course it's not Italian: it's in the middle of Covent Garden and is a chain! It's about as Italian as Pizza Express. As for the price: I'm not disagreeing on this point, but check the restaurant's website and grab one of there always-on deals: this makes it well worth the money.

So, what about the food? The pizza is well cooked, tasty and is quite extraordinary. Roast potato pieces on a pizza? No problem. More ingredients than you thought it was possible to fit on a piece of dough? No problem. Tasty? Always.

The restaurant itself is quite a sight too, with a large pizza oven coming up from the basement kitchen as the centrepiece, the decor is modern but not generic.

Lovely!

Ping Pong Dim Sum - review by AndrewS

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:49:23 +0000

Ping Pong Dim Sum - review by AndrewS

Rating: 3.3

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

Phone: 020 7851 6969

Website: http://www.pingpongdimsum.com

Tags: chinese

Food tastes OK, but not fresh, food like you buy in supermarket,then put in microwave......

Fire & Stone - review by blondie_wandie

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 11:13:05 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by blondie_wandie

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

Tags: lively, international, good value

We went along here with a group of friends for my birthday. Liked the look of the menu and the place itself looked very urban and cool- great location so close to the Covent Garden Bars etc.

The staff were really friendly and the food was amazing- the range of pizzas was so different to the usual pizzarias. I had the Canberra which had roast chicken, roast potatos, rosemary, garlic and sour cream which was absolutely superb, boyfriend had a lamb roast dinner on a pizza which he was really chuffed by. Great range for veggies too which is always great.

Service was excellent, everything arrived quickly. Loads of great offers on their website which helps- the Sunday offer is excellent. Check it out, its a really great place that makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

The Porterhouse - review by sparklepants

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:28:13 +0000

The Porterhouse - review by sparklepants

Rating: 4.0

Location: 21-22 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7NA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7379 7917

Website: http://www.porterhousebrewco.com

Tags: live music, indie, friendly

I love the Porterhouse, but it just seems to be getting busier and busier?!! Especially during footy season as they have large screens downstairs. Itâ¬"s very big and takes a while to get used to where you are going! I have no sense of direction but I would still advise you to meet your friends before you go in! Oh, and go to the toilets in pairs! They have live music which is quite a good laugh and other than that they play your usual kind of indie rock n roll. Still a great pub, get there early if you want a seat and to be served!!