Latest reviews by Litro_K

Tate Britain

Litro_K — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:03:58 +0000

Rating: 5.0

Location: Millbank, SW1P 4RG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7887 8000

Website: http://www.tate.org.uk

Tags: sculptures, paintings

One (often forgotten) Great Tate I am surprised that 11 people have sung the praises of Tate Modern, but its poor relation, Tate Britain, seems to have been ignored so far. I wonder why this is - the building is arguably much more beautiful, dating from 1897, on a site previously occupied by a prison. What's not to like? The riverside at Millbank is calmer, the pace more relaxed for visitors, giving stellar views towards Westminster.

As for the art, some of my favourites are housed in the permanent collection here: John William Waterhouse's 'The Lady of Shalott', John Singer Sargent's 'Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth', 'The Bath of Psyche' by Lord Leighton and some noted works by Stubbs, Gainsborough, and Hogarth. Just as impressive as the feted exhibitions in the Turbine Hall, and the surroundings are a great deal more peaceful!

The gallery comes alive on the first of every month with special 'Late at Tate' evenings, designed to correspond with the main exhibition going on at the time. There are usually free talks, live music, djs, half-price admission to the paid exhibitions and lots of fabulously artsy, liberated (drunken) people to watch.

It might not be as famous as Tate Modern, but itâ¬"s definitely not the fusty older sibling, either. Definitely worth a look - many, in fact. And if you still prefer the other one, you can always hop back on the river boat linking the two.

Five massive stars for a great British art institution!

Sweet

Litro_K — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:04:06 +0000

Rating: 1.0

Location: 64 Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QP, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7713 6777

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

Staff Anything But!This place has some of the best cakes I've eaten in a while.

It also has some of the rudest, most disinterested staff I've ever encountered.

We had our order taken inside and it took the waitress foooooreveeeeer to make two cappuccinos and a hot chocolate. Then, when we were two minutes into drinking them outside, an angry looking different waitress came and took our cake plates moments after the last bites had made it into our mouths, clinking loudly as she went. A startled cry of 'we weren't finished!' did nothing to dissaude her. She was determined to hustle our plates and cups away from us. And the cakes were marvellous. Really. I had one of the best pasteis de nata ever. It's a crying shame to have to give it one star, but there you go.

Leon

Litro_K — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:34:02 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 7 Canvey Street, SE1 9AN, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7620 0035

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

Tags: lively, international, cheap eat

Great post-Tate pit stopThis stylish Leon branch sits in a shiny new development right behind the Tate modern. Large, airy, and true to the best bits of the chain, it was a welcome pit stop after a recent trip to the gallery. Like all other Leons, the food if fast, healthy and fresh, with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. I had the original superfoods salad and a lovely iced lemonade with ginger and mint. All very decent and came in at under Â£6. Service came with a smile and I'd happily return anytime!

Hotel Aleksandar

Litro_K — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:13:22 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: Bulevar cara Lazara 79, 21000, Novi Sad, Serbia

Phone: +381 214804444

Website: www.aleksandar-hotel.co.yu

Tags: hotel, EXIT Festival, Serbia, four stars

S.O.S. (Surprisingly Ok, Serbia)I came here with four colleagues on a work trip to the Exit music festival in Novi Sad, Serbia (and yes, we did work!)We were all continually surprised by the high level of customer care at the Hotel Aleksandar. We spent 8 nights here and in many hotels this would have been more than long enough, but the friendly smiles and little favours we received from the warm staff at reception and breakfast helped to make our stay really enjoyable.

During the festival the city is overwrought with tourists, and towards the end of our stay we had to share the quiet, serene hotel with many loud (usually British) revellers, but we were really looked after by the staff, particularly at reception. Our rooms were always clean, our laundry always done, and a cup of tea always on hand, no matter what time we stumbled home.

I'd highly recommend this hotel as a base for those who want to experience the festival, but not the campsites. It's a peaceful haven and although it's officially not the 'number one hotel in Novi Sad' - that honour goes to the Hotel Park, a tasteless 5 star monstrosity owned by a notorious criminal - it suited our needs excellently.

Kursaal Kalhesa

Litro_K — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:52:39 +0000

Rating: 5.0

Location: Foro Umberto I, 90133, Sicily, Italy

Phone: 39 091 6162282

Website: www.kursaalkalhesa.it

Tags: italian, middle eastern, north african, mediterranean, expensive, romantic

Fabulous Idea, Beautifully ExecutedAll right, I admit it. I found out about this place from the Easyjet in-flight magazine (that helpful little city-by-city guide at the back of each one. But don't let that put you off. I didn't, and it was one of the most magical places I've ever come across on holiday.

Kursaal Kalhesa is located in the Kalhesa, the Arab quarter of Palermo, in a spectacular old stone wall that used to house the local ship-builders' yard. It is many things all at once: a bookshop, a lively bar, a live music venue, and on the spectacular roof garden, surrounded by ruins of cathedrals and faded Palermitan splendour, a modern restaurant with a high-end menu. We came here a whopping three times during a one-week holiday; it's the kind of place that inspires dedication. We had a wonderful dinner for my boyfriend's birthday at the restaurant on the rooftop and pledged to return again.

The place oozes style, as do the clientele. The bar is like something out of a Bacardi advert; the bartenders hip and well-informed. Somehow it manages not to be too pretentious, though. It must be because the drinks are reasonable and the books attract more earnest types(!) They hold regular live music and jazz sessions too. I loved it; I will certainly be going back the next time I'm in Palermo-highly recommended.

The Ship & Bell

Litro_K — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:58:25 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 6 London Road, PO8 0BZ, Waterlooville, United Kingdom

Tags: country pub, B&B

Lovely Little Country B&BI stayed here recently for an engagement party nearby and was thoroughly impressed with the room we got for the price (Â£69 double, on a Saturday night). The standard of furnishings, the nice little touches like complimentary French toiletries, decent tea, coffee and biscuits, and service with a smile meant that this three-star b&b felt more like a four-star hotel. There's a sweet little pub attached which also had very friendly bar staff.

Because of a late night at the party we missed breakfast, but I'm told by other guests that it was very good. I'd recommend this place to anyone finding themselves in Horndean, for whatever reason...

Peckham Multiplex

Litro_K — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:21:47 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 95A Rye Lane, SE15 4ST, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0870 042 9399

Website: http://www.peckhamplex.com

Tags: cinema, excellent value

London's best-value cinema?I must admit, when I first moved to the area, I was a bit dubious about this cinema. I thought it might be a bit loud, a bit raucous; you know, popcorn throwing, heinous nacho cheese smeared on the seats, and lots of mobiles being answered during the screenings. I fully admit to being a bit snooty about it. Boy, have I been proved wrong. It's now a regular Monday night hangout.

All films are Â£5.50 all day long, which must be one of London's cheapest cinemas. As well as showing the usual action-packed blockbuster fare and kids' films, they often have an independent or foreign film choice showing at a decent time. It's never too busy, and I've never had my viewing experience disturbed by morons, not once. The popcorn's a bit pricey, and I'd like to see more low-budget stuff being shown there, but those are only minor downsides. Central London cinemas, take note!

Galileo's Locanda Toscana

Litro_K — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:43:40 +0000

Rating: 2.8

Location: 71 Haymarket, SW1Y 4RW, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7839 3939

Website: www.galileoslocanda.co.uk

Tags: italian, family & home feel, good value

Good post-theatre optionI came here to meet a group of friends late on a Friday night as I'd found the restaurant on the Tastelondon website and was looking for a place to try out my new card. Unfortunately they don't take the Tastelondon card on Fridays or Saturdays, but next time I'll check the conditions with the resturant beforehand. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't deserted at 10.30pm and they seemed to be kept busy from the Theatre Royal's customers.

The Italian staff were pleasant, but one of the elder waiters seemed a little humourless when some of our party arrived late, reminding us when we still hadn't ordered mains at 11pm that the kitchens would be closing at 11.30. Fortunately we all arrived and ordered in time. The food was good, served in generous portions and very inexpensive. Considering the dearth of decent options on Haymarket, I'd definitely come again.

Andrea's

Litro_K — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:42:17 +0000

Rating: 2.7

Location: 22 Charlotte Street, W1T 2NB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7580 8971

Website: http://www.andreas-restaurant.co.uk

Tags: greek

Not up to Charlotte Street standardsI went here for a large work lunch for 10 people and was disappointed with the decor, quality of food and strange, overbearing service. Considering most of the restaurants on Charlotte Street are pretty foolproof, Andrea's sticks out as a bit of a relic from the 60s, with dishes and furnishings to match. The menu is no doubt authentic but the food not especially palatable, and I've eaten better mezze at any branch of The Real Greek.

It's a shame, because I guess many agree with me in thinking that there are many finer options to be had on this street - I've noticed that Andrea's is almost empty at lunchtimes when all the other restaurants on the road are heaving...

The Zetter Restaurant & Rooms

Litro_K — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:47:59 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 86-88 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 5RJ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7324 4444

Website: http://www.thezetter.com

Make Me HappyThis is a stylish and unpretentious place to have a drink and a bite to eat in a funky area. A group of colleagues and I went last night with the express intention of taking advantage of their 6-7 half-price Pimms offer, as part of the London Festival of Architecture, and we were not disappointed with the ambience of the place or the service we received. It was, surprisingly, very uncrowded and we sat in a great spot in the light-filled restaurant and bar at the front of the building.

Â£2.50 will get you a large glass of Pimms every Mon-Fri 6-7pm while the LFA is running (until the 20th July), so get yourself down there to sample that, as well as some of their other excellent cocktails and light bites. The 'Make Me Happy' cocktail, an uber-mojito that my friend described as 'liquid gold in a glass', is worth the trip alone!

Clos Maggiore

Litro_K — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 19:39:48 +0000

Rating: 4.6

Location: 33 King Street, WC2E 8JD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7379 9696

Website: http://www.closmaggiore.com/

Tags: romantic, business, mediterranean, french

Clos to perfectionI had heard great things about this restaurant and had wanted to try it out for some time. Finally an occasion presented itself: my mum's birthday. I booked a table for lunch at very short notice (ie. same day) with no fuss and no quibble when we arrived slightly early.

The interior is impressive - a cosy, intimate setting with quirky, stylish design features such as walls covered with foliage and a beautiful central room at the back of the restaurant with the famed fireplace and sliding glass roof. We didn't get to sit in that part this time, but the whole restaurant is charming.

The wait staff all have different set jobs, making the service extremely efficient and letting each person's expertise shine. From the Maitre'd who greeted us warmly, through the drinks waiter, the sommelier, the person we ordered our food with and finally our desserts waiter, each interaction was poised, polite, and effortlessly amiable. We were made to feel valued and special, something which should happen more often, as we discussed afterwards. We both felt as if our birthdays had come all at once.

The food didn't let us down, either. We plumped for the 3 course set menu for Â£19.50, incredibly good value considering a 3 course a la carte meal for two with wine would have worked out at maybe Â£70-Â£90 a head, but chose a starter of pea soup from the main menu, with the waiter adjusting our bill accordingly to make the price around the same. The soup was basically a gorgeous concoction of pureed peas and cream, with a poached egg and a hint of truffle oil, plus a lovely little chorizo crouton on the side. Mains were simply made with excellent quality ingredients: I had pan-fried salmon fillet with a fennel duxelle and crispy socca, an Indian-style fried chickpea crepe, whilst my mum's corn-fed chicken breast was exquisite, served with simple buttered greens. We asked the sommelier for two wine recommendations by the glass as the wine list is dauntingly extensive (a huge 100 page tome, complete with contents page, that they place on the table with a knowing smile), but no doubt incredible. Her choices suited our dishes perfectly. Mum finished with an Ile Flottante for dessert, while I plumped for coffee and petits fours- beautiful little handmade Ã©clairs, truffles, and meringues.

I found Clos Maggiore to be a complete gem and the kind of place Iâ¬"d love to be surprised with a visit to for another special occasion. The service and general dining experience really beats most other Covent Garden venues hands-down. Worth booking in advance next time you have a cosy tÃªte-a tÃªte to attend to.

Daunt Books

Litro_K — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:58:16 +0000

Rating: 5.0

Location: 83 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4QW, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0207 224 2295

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

Tags: books, travel books

One of London's Finest BookstoresThis is such a beautiful, one-of-a-kind bookshop. Every time I step inside, I feel myself relax immediately - it's a world away from the hustle and bustle of Marylebone High Street and W1 in general.

The building is quirky yet pleasingly old-fashioned, an Edwardian building with 'long oak galleries and graceful skylights'. The upper floor is filled with natural light from said skylights, the basement cosy and comfortable enough to spend hours browsing and reading in.

The layout of the books is another great feature - mostly travel books and guides, laid out by country/ continent, with fiction and non-fiction relevant to the place all mixed in. It makes for an interesting way to pick your travel/ holiday reading: why buy just a guidebook when you can read some indigenous literature, poetry, or criticism?

The store holds regular readings and literary events and is a great place to spend a rainy (or sunny!) weekend afternoon. Try it once, and you won't go back to WHSmith, I can tell you.

Roast

Litro_K — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:46:09 +0000

Rating: 3.9

Location: The Floral Hall, Stoney Street, SE1 1TL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7940 1300

Website: http://www.roast-restaurant.com

Tags: business, british

Lovely Views of Borough MarketI haven't eaten here yet but soon will. I've visited twice, to have drinks in the long bar at the front of the building, the beautiful Floral Hall. It overlooks Borough Market in its entirety and seems to remain strangely quiet even on Saturday afternoons when the marketplace is rammed with people. For me, that makes it an incredibly appealing place to go and people-watch and I've dragged friends here for a drink when the usual haunts (The Market Porter, Brindisa) have been too full. Everyone who has been wants to go back, so I guess that says something!

Barcelona Tapas Bar & Restaurant

Litro_K — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:53:57 +0000

Rating: 2.0

Location: 481 Lordship Lane, SE22 8JY, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8693 5111

Website: http://www.barcelona-tapas.com

Tags: spanish

Barcelona This Is NotOn the last night of the (sadly missed) hot weather this week, I had a sudden craving when I got home from work and stared feebly at the cooker. It came to me as a vague memory of being in a hot land, once, before I moved to England, and eating something lovely outside, watching the sunset. Ah! Tapas, I thought. Little morsels of deliciousness. Easy on the waistline. Fun to share. Easy on the wallet. All washed down with a nice cold cerveza, I thought. Que bueno.

A quick flick through my Time Out Cheap Eats guide found our nearest tapas bar, Barcelona. It said they did a good Sunday buffet, but I figured we wouldn't have much, and we could just check it out for the next time we felt like a Sunday all-you-can-eat tapas buffet. (!) So off we went on the bus.

The first disappointing thing I noticed was that the bar had some great big red umbrellas, which would have been a nice place to sit and watch the sun go down, but that they were awfully close to the main road (the upper end of Lordship Lane is not that attractive). Then we got inside, and although the decor was cute and the tables well-spaced, the place was empty, bar two sullen-looking couples who looked like they wished they'd turned around and gone home.

I kind of wished we had, too. But a strange politeness comes over me in restaurants. I watched as the podgy elderly Spanish gentleman waiter came to greet us. He looked so excited! So happy! He had customers! So we sat, and looked through the vast (seemingly authentic) menu. There was lots of offal on offer. Mmm.

In the end, we lazily decided to order the set tapas menu at Â£10.99 per person. It included albondigas, chorizo, patatas bravas, chipirones, champignones and bread. We had some olives on the side and a 100ml bottle of Mahou. Nothing was outstanding. The chorizo was oily and tough, the squids also tough and nearly inedible.

We paid Â£35 for this delightful evening (the restaurant empied very soon after we arrived). I really, really wanted to like it there. I wanted to like the podgy waiter, who smiled sweetly at us as we stumbled over ordering in Spanish. I even tried to imagine his history asked him where he was from, tried to imagine how a man from Galicia ended up in this sorry place in Dulwich. I tried, really I did.

Next time, I'm going to Brindisa.

The Hope

Litro_K — Sun, 11 May 2008 23:39:09 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 1 Bellevue Road, SW17 7EG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8672 8717

Tags: relaxed, gastro pub, excellent pub food, young professionals, beer garden

Perfect for a sunny dayI've just spent the last two gloriously warm, sunny Sundays here and had to add it to the site. This pub was originally recommended to me by a friend because of their food, which is great, but I've since come to realise that The Hope has a lot more to offer besides.

It overlooks Wandsworth Common and is right across the bridge from the railway station, so it's very easy to find. As the pub faces the park, they're more than willing to give you your drinks in plastic cups to take to the common (I know, not very green, but a lovely idea on a hot day). They have an extensive range of beers on tap, including Fruli, one of my favourite summer tipples, as well as Staropramen, Peroni, Deuchars and other pale and real ales. They also have lots of board games scattered about the place - and in my experience, a pub with a decent Scrabble set is always a winner.

The food is aspirational and well-executed, considering the size of the tiny kitchen! I have never had to wait more than 10-15 minutes for it to arrive, either. Everything is served in immense white plate-bowls (v. technical term) giving a gastropub feel. Prices are very reasonable considering the type of restaurants and shops further up the road, which would explain how busy they are. Something they've recently introduced for the summer is that they will prepare picnic baskets of food, wine and all utensils for you if you order with a little advance notice. Given that the pub itself has been packed out for the last two weekends running and the gorgeous common beckons, this is something I'd like to try out very soon.

I haven't been here in the winter yet but I'd be very interested to keep coming back and see how it changes with the seasons. For now, with the excellent weather we've been having, I'd happily recommend it to anyone as a laid-back, suntrap of a weekend hangout.