Latest reviews by NikoTheFinn's friends

Sesame - review by coldclimate

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:48:49 +0000

Sesame - review by coldclimate

Rating: 5.0

Location: , , Sheffield, United Kingdom

Phone: 07929016573

Website: www.sesamesheffield.co.uk

Tags: delicatessen catering vegitarian vegan

Please note, Sesame are a catering service, not a restaurant! They are online at www.sesamesheffield.co.uk

I was at a wedding this summer and Sesame provided the buffet. It was really really fantastic. The care that had been taken to source and prepare everything was just amazing, and the food itself so tasty.

They specialise in vegetarian and vegan food, but not once in the whole night did I hear a single "could have done with a steak on the side" type comment. As a dedicated meat-eater, I didn't even notice.

The courgettes rounds with goats cheese were delectable, the rissoto (shaped into rounds for easy finger eating) wonderfully creamy, the cheese board afterward had one of the best sage derbys I've ever eaten.

Get in contact, discuss what you want, and I'm sure they will be able to help.

Little Saigon - review by coldclimate

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:32:13 +0000

Little Saigon - review by coldclimate

Rating: 4.0

Location: 6 bigg market, ne11uw, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Phone: 01912330766

Website: www.littlesaigon.me.uk

Tags: vietnamese, good value

I went on the recommendation of a friend to Little Saigon which has just opened and was really impressed. It was very quiet, but the food was excellent and the bill very reasonable. 2 beers, two starters and two main courses came to a grand 33 quid in total.

To start we split seaweed fried beer (very tasty - see photo) and garden rollls (a bit like an unfried spring roll). Both were excellent.

I managed to forgo the Pho, though I've heard good reports about it, and had a pork and noodle dish with fine chopped salad, and excellent it was too.

Only slight dip in the night was when we went to pay and they had the wrong bill, but it was all sorted out very easily, aparently the new till requires some learning.

Being on the edge of Bigg Market, you probably want to go mid-week, rather than a Friday or Saturday. Oh - and it has a very pretty sink in the gents too.

Pierre Victoire - review by walid

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:28:43 +0000

Pierre Victoire - review by walid

Rating: 3.7

Location: 5 Dean Street, W1D 3RQ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7287 4250

Tags: french, good value, soho

I've been to Pierre Victoire a few times over the past few years and always found it to be a relative safe bet. What characterizes Pierre Victoire is pretty good food at a very good value. I went back there last weekend for a meal and had a fairly good experience. As mentioned the food at Pierre Victoire is pretty good French food but it isn't exceptional. I had one of my favourite dishes bavette with shallots. Now for me a bavette is a good fairly chunky piece of great beef. The one from PV looked as though it had been flattened. For dessert I had the tiramisu with amaretto biscuits, which was alright. Overall I like this place and would probably return there if only it didn't get as noisy as it usually does.

Busaba Eathai - review by walid

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:28:22 +0000

Busaba Eathai - review by walid

Rating: 3.9

Location: 106 Wardour St, W1F 0TR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7255 8686

Website: http://www.busaba.com

Tags: good food, chance encounters, good value

I'll always have a very fond memory of Busaba Eathai as it's actually in this restaurant that I met this girl dinning a few tables away from my table... was a good moment.

Anyway the food is fresh, tasty, and thoroughly enjoyable. I also like the dark wood paneling across the venue. This place is obviously very popular as there's always a queue of people wanting to enjoy their great food.

The Royal Well Tavern - review by Browners

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:06:04 +0000

The Royal Well Tavern - review by Browners

Rating: 5.0

Location: 5 Royal Well Place, GL50 3DN, Cheltenham, United Kingdom

Phone: 01242 221212

Website: http://theroyalwelltavern.com/

Tags: lively, british, good value, crowded, french

We went to Cheltenham for a long weekend to escape the humid monotony of London. We're both country folk at heart who get very twitchy if we haven't seen a field or smelt a cow pat for a few days. We were treated to 3 glroious days of sunshine. Probably the only three consecutive days the sun has worn his baseball cap a la William Hague for the whole summer of 2008.

We stayed at 32 which is in the Mr and Mrs Smith guide. I'll leave you to look at it yourself, but needless to say it was very swish and very stylish. A nice change to frilly curtains and flowery pillow cases your normally get at BnBs. O... and the breakfast was perfect. Apart from the mindless chatter from some of the other guests. We uncovered a new truism. When given a rectangular table, layed with six places, the first couple will always choose the far end. The next couple will always choose the near end. And the last couple will land up gimping it up in the middle seats - sandwiched between two strange couples.

I'm pretty bad at small talk at the best of times, afterall this is Cowie's speciality. But I am atrocious in the morning. I'm perfectly capable of ordering tea and saying yes to all the different permuatations of the full English breakfast, but anything beyond that is not on. Breakfast should be silent. A chance to read the papers. A nice way to ease into the day whilst listening to the news. A chance to think about what the day has in store for you. The rest of the day is for talking.

I was one of 4 Jonathans staying at 32, with the other 2 Jonathans in charge of the place and the 4th being a guest. When we arrived on Friday we immediately interogated Jonathan 1 about our dinner options. He wholeheartedly recommeded a newly opened restaurant called The Royal Wells Tavern. Impressed, we took the recommendation and strolled across Imperial Square to a very unlikely location next door to a dirty looking chip shop and opposite the National Tyre Centre and bus station.

With all the tables busy we sat at the bar and were talked into ordering some Breton oysters that had arrived earlier in the day that the front of house had tried for lunch. They didn't disappoint. Smaller than normal oysters they were deliciously fresh and flavoursome. Oozing with the essence of the sea they instantly rejuvinated us after our long journey from London. With a glass of house wine from a small caraffe I joked with the chap who was serving us that I felt like Simon Hopkinson should be sitting next to me. He laughed and pointed at a small library of cookery books that stood behind the bar - all of which I owned - including 2 by SH himself! And the others by the rest of his band of merry men.

The more got stuck in the more we realised that this was a very special place. Like a cross between the Anchor and Hope, Cafe Anglais, Riverford Farm and all of the other places that put their ingredients first and chefyness second.

Cowie had a lovely fillet of bream whilst I was completely bowled over by an expertly poached fillet of sea trout which came with some brown shrimp butter and a mound of vivid green samphire. Without doubt the finest trout or salmon dish I have ever had the good fortune to eat.

I had a sudden pang of greedy curiosity whilst waiting for my trout which resulted in a small plate of lambs tongue arriving just as the fish did. I've rarely tasted something so deep and meaty. Inadvertantly I had created my own surf and turf! Cowie the taste and texture of it... but it was the gassy after-effects that really turned her off!

We shared a vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert, which was perfect too.

The staff were brilliant. The best either of us have ever come across. The chap we had chatted to at the bar when we first arrived turned out to be the ridiculously young owner who we subsequently found out is called Sam Pearman. He was effortlessly charming in a very disarming way. We found ourselves discussing our next trip to La Champignon Sauvage with him. I won't write here what he said but can tell you he was right!

If you are ever in Cheltenham you simply have to visit Sam's restaurant. It's the best in town. If only all towns had a restaurant as good and straightforward as this.

Le Champignon Sauvage - review by Browners

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:43:11 +0000

Le Champignon Sauvage - review by Browners

Rating: 2.0

Location: 24-26 Suffolk Road, GL50 2AQ, Cheltenham, United Kingdom

Phone: 01242 573449

Tags: french, pretentious, expensive

Ever since devouring David Everitt-Matthias's book, Essence, whilst exploring Whitstable last autumn, I've had a crazed desire to visit the author's restaurant in Cheltenham.

We decided to make the most of our trip to Cheltenham so turned into a mini holiday. Everyone we spoke to in Cheltenham before we visited the restaurant had the same reaction. Amazing food. But terrible atmosphere. We put this to one side, dismissing them as idiotic locals. But of course they were right!

Le Champignon Sauvage is focused purely on the end product. The food is the star of the 2 Michelin starred show. But this is at the vast expense of everythng else. It's almost as if they are being obtuse about the whole thing.

As we walked in we couldn't help thinking that we were in the wrong place. We sat down in the waiting room which made us feel like we were in a cross between a dentists and an Indian takeaway.

The menu read beautifully. Full of interesting ideas that we hadn't encountered before. Cowie and I consulted heavily with the waitress before deciding to have scallops followed by skate for Cowie and rabbit and pigs' tail caneloni followed by zander for me. I chose them because I would never cook them at home. This a rule I am trying to live by when it comes to ordering in restaurants.

We were ushered through to a dining room that was as quiet as it was floodlit. We were surrounded by the posh and aging population of Cheltenham who actively disobeyed the strict no mobile phone rule that is printed on the menu like they do at golf clubs.

Cowie's scallops were delicious, but not the best we've ever had. They were accompanied by an intriguing combination of licorice and artichoke. Big flavours for a couple of little blobs of fishy flesh.

My rabbit and pigs' tail dish was stunning. Layers of flavours that I found very hard to decode, but completely loved. Fascinating. This is why we came here. This is what they do best. This is what got me excited when I read Essence. This was awesome.

Cowie's skate was good. But it was a bit stingy and greasy. It needed to be meatier. Skate is one of our favourite fish but this didn't live up to our expectations.

I ordered zander more through curiosity than a desire to eat it. That said it was an interesting dish that was of more interest to the brain than the mouth. Again it was quite hard to unravel and just like everything else was presented with great style.

Feeling a bit wary of the bill and not feeling the love for anything on the menu we decided to feast on petit fours washed down with a cup of iffy espresso. We staggered back to our BnB with their words of wisdom ringing in our ears. They were completely right - the food is brilliant, if a bit inaccessible, whilst the atmosphere is morgue like. With the lights being so bright and the room so unfriendly nobody speaks above a whisper. It's something we haven't experienced before and resulted in us breaking out into spontaneous laughter on a couple of accoassions to see if we'd get told off!

I'm delighted we've dined here - as its somewhere I've wanted to go to for ages. It brought us down to Cheltenham and introuduced us to the brilliant restaurant Royal Wells Tavern.

The Cumberland Hotel - review by walid

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:38:53 +0000

The Cumberland Hotel - review by walid

Rating: 2.0

Location: Great Cumberland Place, W1H 7DL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0870 400 8701

Website: http://www.cumberlandhotel-london.co.uk/?gclid=CK6Ope2MkJUCFQ5NQwodEWbcgQ

Tags: bar, slow service, Marble Arch, cocktails, swanky, expensive, trendy

As you enter the Cumberland hotel you're quite impressed by its massive entrance that has this modern scifi feel to it. Anyway this review isn't about the hotel itself but the Kua Bar. The Kua Bar at first site looks trendy, spacious, comfortable, trendy and swanky. I was there attending a Courvoisier event and looked forward to trying out a few new Courvoisier cocktails including the one picture which had chocolate. The cocktails themselves were great, well prepared and well presented. Now if I stopped my review at this point I'd give the Kua Bar a 4 stars... however... and that's a big however the service was extremely slow. Not because there was too many customers or not enough staff but from what I understand misunderstandings and bad management by the staff. Both my drinks and the other guests with me took 15 - 20 minutes to arrive which is completely unacceptable, so because of this I'd give the Kua Bar a 2 star and probably won't be returning.

L'Esquisse - review by walid

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:30:09 +0000

L'Esquisse - review by walid

Rating: 3.0

Location: 73 avenue de Suffren, 75007, Paris, France

Phone: 01 47 34 90 56

Tags: jazz, steak, Paris, good value, italian

Had lunch at l'Esquisse with my mom last Saturday. L'Esquisse is conveniently located 200 meters from my mom's home and as it was a sunny day we decided to give this place a try.

As it's found on l'Avenue du Suffren you get quite a few tourists who come to l'Esquisse for a bite to eat. We sat outside on the terrace to have our lunch as it was sunny and not too many cars were passing by... it is August and all Parisians flee Paris.

First impression of l'Esquisse is that it's a nice clean and relaxing venue. Second impression, is was a funny waiter we had from Bayonne. He was just super friendly, funny, and entertaining, his presence tempted me to give this place a 4 star. As for the food, it was pretty good. I had ordered an onglet with shallots that was quite good, tender but I would have expected a little better.

I think the best time to try this place is at night as they regularly have a live jazz band and/or a piano player to entertain the guests.

Cafe Arabe - review by walid

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:14:29 +0000

Cafe Arabe - review by walid

Rating: 4.0

Location: 184 Rue el Mouassine, , Marrakech, Morocco

Phone: +212(0)24429728

Website: http://www.cafearabe.com

Tags: moroccan, mergez, marrakesh, couscous, free wifi, middle eastern, good value, lounge, cocktails, romantic

My brother, his wife, my friend and I were in Marrakesh about a month ago and whilst walking around in the Medina we came across this attractive looking entrance. It instantly reminded me, from the outside, Buddah Bar in Paris. So without further to do we went in and climbed the steps to go to the terrace. There we sat down on the comfy white sofas with a beautiful view of the old city of Marrakesh with the Atlas mountains in the background. The setting was perfect. As it was night we ordered a few cocktails, me having my traditional mojito which turned out to be pretty good.

The overall ambiance of this place is definitely one of a cool lounge with a mixture of tourists and Moroccans. The place is owned by an Italian and you can see some Italian influence in the decoration but also in the food, as I came back the following day to try out the restaurant. I ordered a Mergez Couscous which was divine, the couscous was perfectly cooked and the Mergez were very tasty, juicy and not overly spicy.

I'd strongly recommend you try out Cafe Arabe if you're in Marrakesh whether if you'd like a nice meal or simply an oasis of peace upstairs in the terrace with a few cocktails.

They also had free wifi which is great if you can't stay away from your work whilst on holiday ;-)

Mistletoe Bakery - review by coldclimate

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:05:51 +0000

Mistletoe Bakery - review by coldclimate

Rating: 4.3

Location: 17 Mistletoe Road, NE2 2DX, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Phone: 0191 281 2008

I love the Mistletoe Bakery! They've served me fresh bread at 2am, the best cornish pasty I've ever eaten (and at 4am). The guys who run the place are either brilliantly friendly or amazingly grumpy.

The bread is brilliant, the pies are brilliant, but it is all definetly seen by night. Through the day, its just a normal bakery. Also be warned, it is very likely to be full of pissed students.

Maison Bertaux - review by walid

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:30:51 +0000

Maison Bertaux - review by walid

Rating: 4.5

Location: 28 Greek Street, W1D 5DQ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7437 6007

Have been there for coffee and cakes a few weeks ago with a few friends. I love the decoration, it's quite original. As for the cakes I found them to be average and overpriced for the quality. If I wanted just cakes and no funky decoration then I would have gone to Paul down the street.

Le Pain Quotidien - review by walid

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:29:28 +0000

Le Pain Quotidien - review by walid

Rating: 4.0

Location: 18 Great Marlborough St, W1F 7HS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7486 6154

Website: http://www.painquotidien.com/

Not to bad, but I personally prefer Paul which is close to Le Pain Quotidien

Gerry's Off Licence - review by walid

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:28:41 +0000

Gerry's Off Licence - review by walid

Rating: 4.5

Location: 74 Old Compton Street, W1D 4UW, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7734 4215

Friendly off license place run by a Greek I believe. Seems to know a lot about the area.

Brew - review by Browners

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:03:00 +0000

Brew - review by Browners

Rating: 3.0

Location: 45 Northcote Road, SW11 1NJ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7801 9300

Tags: quick bite, average brew

Terrible. Only one type of tea!

Adventure Bar & Lounge - review by Browners

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:01:41 +0000

Adventure Bar & Lounge - review by Browners

Rating: 4.3

Location: 91 Battersea Rise, SW11 1HW, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7223 1700

Website: www.adventurebar.co.uk

Tags: cocktails, local bar

Great bar. Really friendly guys behind the bar. Make you feel like you're at home.