Latest reviews by Liss's friends

The Golden Hind - review by sue

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:31:56 +0000

The Golden Hind - review by sue

Rating: 4.9

Location: 73 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2PN, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7486 3644

Tags: lively, british, seafood, cheap eat, fish & chips, good value

There seems to be a constant debate in London on where to get the best fish & chips. One place that always gets a mention is the Golden Hind in Marylebone, so I went there to see for myself how it rated.

The Golden Hind is a very cool place, not 'hip' cool, but historic cool. It has been open since 1914, and there is a little board that shows the names of the various owners since then. The simple dÃ©cor doesn't look like it would have changed much over the years, nor the furniture, which is basic yet functional. This is a lively place, with a constant stream of customers coming and going, along with locals picking up their takeaway. It is cramped, a little noisy, but the food is good, the staff are so smiley and friendly, and to top it all off, it is BYO.

Bottle in hand, we managed to grab a table one evening without having a reservation. In fact we were allocated a luxurious table for 4 when there was only 2 of us. Happy days. We ordered some Calamari to start, which was lightly battered and very soft. We both had Haddock with chips and mushy peas (why are mushy peas so much tastier than normal peas!?). Really enjoyed it all and found the batter very light and not too greasy.

So, were the fish & chips at the Golden Hind the best I've ever had? Maybe not the best (there was this amazing place in North Walesâ¬¦), but certainly one of the best.

Galvin at Windows - review by sue

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:21:56 +0000

Galvin at Windows - review by sue

Rating: 4.3

Location: 22 Park Lane, W1K 1BE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7208 4021

Website: http://www.galvinatwindows.com/

Tags: romantic, glamorous, views, cocktails, expensive, friendly, french, european

Located on the 28th floor of the Park Lane Hilton, Galvin at Windows is the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion. We went for dinner on my birthday and had a magical night. Yes, one of the highlights of a visit here are the fabulous views across London, but we also had mostly delicious food and were served by some very friendly staff which all added to a very enjoyable evening.

We started off the night with a drink in the bar, really enjoying the views and the cocktails. We were then ushered to our window seat in the restaurant, where we looked out over Green Park and Buckingham Palace. The staff were all charming, and I found it very amusing when the sommelier recognised us from a meal we had had 6 months earlier at Latium, where he used to work, and he even remembered which wine we had ordered back then (so did we as it was an excellent Barolo).

The meal started with an Amuse Bouche of Chilled melon soup which was nice and summery. We then had the Salad of summer vegetables, hand picked leaves, walnut vinaigrette & creamed Perigord goat cheese; and the Warm Lincolnshire smoked eel, seared foie gras & caramelised Victoria pineapple. The salad was nice and light and prettily presented. The eel was excellent and combined perfectly with the creamy foie gras.

For main course we had the Confit fillet of halibut, crab pommes ecrasees, courgette & radish puree; and the Fillet of Glen Fyne beef, braised cheek, English carrots & Madeira jus. Only complaint would be that the fish was a little bland, though it was nicely cooked and presented.

Dessert was the highlight for me (ok, when isn't it!). We had the Hot chocolate fondant, Szechuan pepper ice cream & almond milkshake; and the Peanut butter parfait with chocolate pearls & berry jam. Both desserts were superb, but the best flavour combination was to have a mouthful of the fondant and the parfait at the same time, making it one of the tastiest desserts ever!

Brindisa - review by sue

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:10:41 +0000

Brindisa - review by sue

Rating: 4.3

Location: 18-20 Southwark Street, SE1 1TJ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7357 8880

Website: http://www.brindisa.com

Tags: lively, borough, spanish, crowded, tapas

Brindisa is a tapas bar located on the edge of Borough Market. They don't take reservations and every time I have walked past they have always been very busy. That said, we did manage to walk in at around 12.30pm on a Saturday and nab a table, well it was more a bench type windowsill than table, but perfect for two.

It was another busy lunch time for them, but our lovely waitress still took the time to check on us throughout our meal which was much appreciated. Speaking of our meal, it was tasty.

We ordered:
Gran Reserva Joselito loin (a type of Spanish ham)
Country toast with tomato
Grilled Sardines
Iberian ham croquettes
Deep fried Monte Enebro goats cheese with orange blossom honey

Our favourite was the goats cheese with honey - delicious. In fact it was all pretty good, though not as keen on sardines when they are as this big. Only real complaint about Brindisa would be that wine is expensive, with only one bottle of white wine for under Â£20. We just stuck to a glass each - I chose an intriguing white rioja which I would be happy to become better acquainted with in the future.

Giaconda Dining Room - review by sue

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:37:41 +0000

Giaconda Dining Room - review by sue

Rating: 4.0

Location: 9 Denmark Street, WC2H 8LS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7240 3334

Tags: relaxed, british, business, good value, friendly, french, european

The Giaconda Dining Room opened just a couple of months ago in an unlikely street that is better known for its guitar shops than its cuisine. When I first read about this new restaurant I moved it straight to the top of the to-do list, mainly as the chef/owner is an Aussie who had a very good name in the Sydney dining scene a few years back.

On arrival the greeting from the lovely French waitress was friendly, and continued to be so throughout the meal. She was charming, and did nice things like, for example, telling me not to bother ordering extra salad as a serve came with one of the other dishes and would be enough for two.

The dÃ©cor in the small dining room is fairly plain, with the tiny kitchen to the rear. Toilets are downstairs and are not nice - obviously weren't renovated before the Giaconda Dining Room opened. They could at least buy a toilet seat that fits.

A 'cover charge' of Â£1 per person is charged which covers the bread and unlimited water - this was good value for us as we drank a few carafes of sparking water, and ordinarily we would order a couple of bottles anyway.

The food is a mix of French/British/European, with a great sounding menu making the ordering process difficult. The three of us couldn't decide on which starter to order, so we ordered three to share - the Shellfish Bisque; the "Boneless (almost!) & Crisped Pigs Trotters" (as it is written on the menu); and the special of the day, Foie Gras with green bean salad. The bisque was flavoursome, the pigs trotters were a little bland. The foie gras was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

For main course we had the Ham Hock Hash; the Rib Eye with chips and salad; and the Crisp Roast Salmon with deconstructed piccalilli. The Ham Hock Hash was the favourite. Desserts had to be sampled, and we opted for the Chocolate Truffle cake with coffee sauce; and the Tiramisu. Both were very rich - I couldn't finish my cake - and the tiramisu was nice and groggy.

Prices are lower than average for the quality of the meals on offer, and service and atmosphere were great. Certainly hope to return.

Yauatcha - review by sue

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:48:40 +0000

Yauatcha - review by sue

Rating: 4.5

Location: 15 Broadwick Street, W1F 0DL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7494 8888

Tags: lively, tea, dim sum, cakes, cocktails, chinese, unique, expensive, trendy, good service

Why did it take me so long to visit Yauatcha? I think because I thought it was some sort of pretentious, expensive place where only the 'beautiful' people could get a table. I was so wrong, well they let us in didn't they!

Booking in advance, we got a table at Yauatcha for a Sunday lunch. After some serious browsing in Carnaby Street before hand we were ready to sample what we hoped would be some pretty special dim sum, and happily our experience lived up to expectation.

We had booked a table on the ground floor, and I'm glad we did. The downstairs, whilst interestingly decorated, looked a bit cramped and dark, especially on a sunny day. The service was friendlier than I was expecting and I was impressed with their efficiency considering how busy the restaurant was.

Knowing the menu was going to be large, and not being dim sum experts, I did some research in advance to see what dishes others recommended. This did indeed make the ordering process easier, though we still took our time, starting with a couple of interesting sounding cocktails - the Kumquatcha and the Lalu (or something like that), neither of which I was too keen on.

The food we ordered was:
Har Gau
Scallop and Kumquat Dumplings
Baked Venison Puffs
Prawn Cheung Fun
Pork, Prawn and Tofu balls
Pork and Century Egg Congee

My favourites were the Prawn Cheung Fun and the Venison Puffs - those tasty little venison parcels were as good as everyone says. The congee wasn't something I had had before - a type of creamy, rice soup with pork and preserved egg, the latter tasting better than it looked!

Can't believe we didn't have room for dessert, as they have amazing looking cakes on display which you can buy to take away too. My next visit may well just be for tea and cake sampling. And perhaps a cheeky serve of Venison Puffs too...

Fernandez & Wells - review by sue

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:37:58 +0000

Fernandez & Wells - review by sue

Rating: 5.0

Location: 73 Beak Street, W1F 9SR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7287 8124

Website: http://www.fernandezandwells.com/beak.php

Tags: friendly, great coffee, amazing brew, cakes, quick bite

People 'in the know' kept telling me that Fernandez & Wells made good coffee. So we went there. And they certainly do!

We didn't visit their main shop on Lexington Street, but the smaller coffee bar on Beak Street. It was morning tea time one sunny Sunday and coffee was in the agenda. Ordering a couple of Flat Whites and one of my favourite treats - a Portuguese custard tart (Pasteis de Nata), we took a seat by the window.

Our coffee arrived and it looked really good. A nice dark crema and a pretty pattern in the milk. It tasted even better than it looked. And the custard tart was nice and fresh and custardy. Staff were friendly too. Top marks.

Scoop - review by sue

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:32:06 +0000

Scoop - review by sue

Rating: 4.5

Location: 40 Shorts Gardens, WC2H 9AB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7240 7086

Website: http://www.scoopgelato.com/

Tags: helpful staff, gelato, ice cream

What do you do when you've had a big lunch, and later you are strolling the streets of Covent Garden when suddenly you spy a place that is supposed to serve the best gelato in town. You do what you have to do, don't you, and eat some, full belly or not.

So we rocked into Scoop, not in top ice cream eating form unfortunately, but keen to sample at least one flavour anyway. The gelato looked lovely and creamy, and there weren't too many flavours - when there is it makes it impossible to choose and you also wonder how long some of them have been sitting there... But there was still enough choice to make our decision difficult. Thankfully we were able to have a couple of small tastes before making our final choice.

In the end I just had a single serve of Lemon sorbet. It was very lemony and tangy and I liked it. Though next time I will be having some of that incredibly dark chocolate one, and perhaps some of the coffee... or the panna cotta... or the nougat... or some of each!

Austins - review by sue

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:17:04 +0000

Austins - review by sue

Rating: 2.5

Location: 29 The Green, TW9 1LX, Richmond Upon Thames, United Kingdom

Tags: quick bite, smoothies, free wi-fi, proper food, tea, average brew, juices, cakes, organic

Austins is a small cafÃ© located across the road from Richmond Green. It specialises in organic and fair trade food and drinks. Its location ensures it is very popular, especially when the sun is shining as it has some tables outside.

After often walking past Austins for over a year, I finally ventured there one morning in search of a cup of tea and some cake. I had never seen it so quiet. The only two customers there were hogging all of the outside tables with their giant baby buggy and even larger, slobbering dog. I decided to sit inside.

All of the cakes in the display cabinet were still covered in clingfilm, which I always find off putting. I ordered a cuppa and a slice of 'organic chocolate cake'. The tea was served in a large cup that had seen better days. The cake was covered in lots of rich icing which was nice, but if you ate the cake part without the icing it was too dry. As I sat, sipping my tea to wash down the cake, I noticed how dirty the floor was.

The Pipe - review by sue

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:41:47 +0000

The Pipe - review by sue

Rating: 4.0

Location: Kirchstrasse 38, , Zermatt, Switzerland

Phone: 079 758 53 24

Website: http://www.gozermatt.com/thepipe/

Tags: lively, south african, african, international, asian, expensive, indian, friendly

The Pipe is a 'fusion' restaurant serving up dishes with African, Indian and Asian flavours. I was dubious at first, but the enthusiasm of the owner, coupled with the hope of never eating another rosti again (joking, I love them!), found us sitting down for dinner one evening. That and the fact the restaurant was about two steps from our hotel.

The Pipe Restaurant and Bar is a "Surfers Cantina", with quirky dÃ©cor and cheerful staff. Prices were a little higher than the other places we ate in Zermatt, though atmosphere and service was certainly better.

We started with an unusual Lamb Salad to share, which had strips of tasty lamb, salad and banana. For main course we had the Karroo Lamb, which was marinated in African spices; the Tamarind Chicken Tikka; and the Springbok Biriyani. All of the dishes were nicely presented and filled with great flavours. I had the Tamarind Tikka and it was really nice and moist. Serving sizes were large though and unfortunately we had no room for dessert.

Bergrestaurant Alphitta - review by sue

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:38:23 +0000

Bergrestaurant Alphitta - review by sue

Rating: 4.0

Location: Riffelalp, 3920, Zermatt, Switzerland

Tags: relaxed, swiss, views

After a visit to scenic Gornergrat, we stopped off in Riffelalp for a wander and some lunch. When we happened across Bergrestaurant Alphitta, with its large, shady balcony we were smitten. The restaurant is perched on the side of a hill and there are lovely alpine views from here across the valley.

Grabbing a great table on the balcony, we lapped up the views whilst waiting to order...things move slower in the mountains. We all opted for a Rosti - either topped with ham, cheese and egg, or with bacon and egg. They were really delicious and very filling.

If the sun is shining I can really recommend Alphitta as a good place for a drink or meal.

3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat - review by sue

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:34:43 +0000

3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat - review by sue

Rating: 4.0

Location: Gornergrat, , Zermatt, Switzerland

Phone: 027 966 64 00

Tags: sunny, swiss, international, views, relaxed

Located 3100 metres above sea level at Gornergrat is the highest hotel in the Swiss Alps. The Kulmhotel Gornergrat has been around for over 100 years. The hotel is home to a couple of restaurants, both which have large sun terraces ensuring stunning views for you as you slurp your soup.

We visited the modern "Panorama self-service restaurant", which sold a good range of hot and cold meals, sandwiches and cakes. There was a large seating area inside, but we just had to sit on the sun terrace - we did have to hover for 10 minutes to bag a table, but it was well worth the wait.

Once our seat was sorted, we popped inside and got some coffee, tea and cakes. I had a slice of carrot cake, identifiable by the cute marzipan carrot on top. We sat in the sun and soaked it, and the views, in.

Trockener Steg Restaurant - review by sue

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:31:15 +0000

Trockener Steg Restaurant - review by sue

Rating: 3.0

Location: Trockener Steg, , Zermatt, Switzerland

Phone: 027 967 18 12

Tags: views, snow, international

After an amazing visit to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise we needed a nice cup of tea to defrost (as it was -5 celsius up there), so we headed down one cable car stop to Trockener Steg where we had spotted a restaurant on the way up.

We just went to the 'self-service' part and helped ourselves to hot drinks and some tasty cake. We then found a sunny table on the terrace, put our feet up and drank in the views of the Matterhorn.

We could have sat there for hours, looking at the surrounding peaks and glaciers. One of the most scenic places I've ever had a cuppa!

Burgener Hotel Restaurant - review by sue

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:16:19 +0000

Burgener Hotel Restaurant - review by sue

Rating: 3.0

Location: Bahnhofstrase 72, , Zermatt, Switzerland

Phone: 027 967 10 20

Website: http://www.rhone.ch/hotelburgener/

Tags: quiet, swiss

One night in Zermatt the first four places we tried to go to for dinner were fully booked - who knew you had to book ahead for a Tue night in summer - so we were getting hungry and irritable and agreed to eat in the next place that had a free table and wasn't budget-busting. So that is how we ended up at the Burgener Hotel Restaurant.

As the name suggests, the old-fashioned looking restaurant was attached to a hotel, and I would guess that the other diners that night were staying there. I wasn't feeling confident about the food, especially as the service was a bit slap-dash.

Happily the food was actually ok. We had the Rump Steak; the Filet of Rabbit; and the Rosti with ham and egg. The rabbit was one of the house specialities and was served with mounds of polenta. Prices were reasonable, though I doubt I would eat here again due to the lack of atmosphere - though no doubt it is more lively in winter.

Café Fuchs - review by sue

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:11:51 +0000

Rating: 2.0

Location: Getwingstrasse 24, , Zermatt, Switzerland

Phone: 027 967 18 55

Website: www.biner.ch

Tags: busy, proper food, average brew, terrace, quick bite

CafÃ© Fuchs describes itself as a restaurant, tea room, and bistro. It seemed more like a cafÃ© when we had lunch there before catching the funicular up to Sunnegga.

It was a gorgeous day and we found a nice table out on the terrace. Before we sat we had a look inside and decided on some ready made quichy-type things in the display cabinet, which we ordered from the counter staff. Once outside, a harassed looking waitress dashed past, taking our drink order on the way.

It didn't take too long for our food to arrive, though I wasn't too excited by it. But then I rarely get excited about quiche.

We waited for an eternity to try get our bill and in the end went inside and joined a long queue to pay. Finally at the front of the queue, they had no record of our order, and we had to repeat what we had eaten/drunk, three times. Boring.

Pizza Roma - review by sue

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:08:25 +0000

Pizza Roma - review by sue

Rating: 3.0

Location: Riedstrasse 20, , Zermatt, Switzerland

Phone: 027 966 27 50

Website: www.detta.ch

Tags: cosy, pizza, friendly, italian

Pizza Roma is a cosy pizzeria which was located close to our hotel in Zermatt. We wandered past it one evening when looking for somewhere for a relaxed meal, and were initially attracted by the prices, which weren't as exorbitant as neighbouring dining options.

We were given a friendly welcome and shown to a snug table in a corner, close to the pizza oven. We decided not to have pizza that night, and all ordered a pasta option - the lasagne; the Spaghetti Carbonara; and the Spaghetti Bolognese.

It certainly wasn't haute cuisine, but was entirely edible, and we happily washed it down with a carafe of house wine.