Latest reviews by Samantha

Shampers

Samantha — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 12:44:21 +0000

Rating: 4.2

Location: 4 Kingly Street, W1B 5PE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7439 9910

Website: http://www.shampers.net/

Tags: cosy, good wine, british, seafood, french

Great wine with good foodQuaint and far removed from the many chain restaurants that adorn London, this little hideaway boasts an expansive wine list to enjoy. The staff will always recommend something and tell you what will best accompany your meal...

which is also guaranteed to be a great medley of tastes. I'd say the food incorporates superior British and classic French food with a good selection of fish - if that sounds good to you, your taste buds will love this place.

Las Iguanas

Samantha — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 12:27:44 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: Unit 14 Festival Walk, SE1 8XT, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7620 1328

Tags: cool, Latino, cocktails, trendy

Love cocktails, Love South American food, Love Latin?On the South Bank next to the National Theatre, this Latin hangout is fabulous for cocktails (made even more fabulous with happy hour 2for1!) With a relaxed seating area inside and plenty of space out, it is buzzing with after work drinkers in the summer.

The homemade salsa and tortilla chips are scrummy, followed by classic fajitas or perhaps an interesting twist on paella... plenty to make your mouth water and it tastes pretty good too!

Gourmet Pizza Company

Samantha — Thu, 31 May 2007 16:39:08 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: Gabriels Wharf, 56 Upper Ground, SE1 9PP, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7928 3188

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

Tags: crowded, outside dining, original, Pizza, good value

Original pizza with a viewBest to go in summer, when you can get a seat outside by the river. This pizzeria has an original menu and is also reasonably priced. Great if you're passing by on a day out on the South Bank.

The Yellow Book Cafe

Samantha — Wed, 30 May 2007 17:14:34 +0000

Rating: 2.0

Location: 190 George Lane, E18 1AY, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8989 3999

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

Tags: friendly staff, outside terrace, Californian, fun

Californian SunshineThis little bistro is L.O.V.E.L.Y. The essence of the Californian' menu is to pay tribute to all the dishes that have found a home in the state. The Mexican food is great and the pizzas are fabulous original and stone baked in an open kitchen area at the back. For something a bit more special, the steak and tuna are also good. Freshly cooked and wonderfully presented, I'm always going back for more&and with the funky cocktail list in hand too.

Jewel Bar

Samantha — Wed, 30 May 2007 16:48:23 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 29-30 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7439 4089

Website: http://www.jewelbar.com

Tags: relaxed, cool & smart, young professionals, sexy, trendy

Cheeky CocktailsJewel is a nice hideaway for after-work weekday drinks. With two floors and various sections in various decors, you're bound to feel comfortable somewhere inside. Hit happy hour to get the cocktails cheaper and the better service. On weekends it is very busy and unfortunately that is conveyed in the level of service. Oh, and home of the best Bramble I've found...

Strada

Samantha — Tue, 22 May 2007 16:45:22 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: The South Bank Centre, SE1 8XX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7401 9126

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

Tags: italian, business, crowded, friendly staff

This Italian is smart and friendly and draws a mature crowd of professionals and tourists in from the South Bank.

It was very busy on the Thursday evening that I stopped by but we were seated straightaway and had our drinks brought over with complimentary filtered water.

I ordered the special - porcini ravioli with pea shoots, which was rich in flavour but not overbearing. The pesto bread was also good. What pleased me was how conscientious the waitress was in enquiring about the quality of the dish and whether it should go on the main menu - that instilled confidence in me about the quality standards.

Overall, a nice place for dinner with a reasonable price tag.

The Tattershall Castle

Samantha — Tue, 22 May 2007 16:33:04 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: Victoria Embankment, WC2N 5DJ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7839 6548

Tags: relaxed, river views, cool & smart, young professionals, outside

Beer on a boatAlways the first thing to pop into my mind when the sun comes out, this boat bar is one of the best places to enjoy a summer aternoon in London.

The drinks are no more expensive than most good London bars and it serves proper draft beer and a good couple of wines and spirits. There is also a tasty bar menu and a bbq on board in the summer :o)

Below deck becomes a club on certain evenings, but above deck is where you'll want to be - with stunning views of the London Eye, Parliament and other London treasures.

You'll have to fight for a table when the weather is nice, but there is plenty of leaning space.

Only word of warning - you'll be convinced that 'swaying feeling' is the boat... but that can be very misleading!

Doggett's Coat & Badge

Samantha — Fri, 18 May 2007 16:19:59 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 1 Blackfriars Road, SE1 9UD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7633 9081

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

Tags: pool, sport pub, standard pub food, beer garden, traditional pub

A British Pub on the ThamesDoggetts is a great pub, spread over 4 floors with a roof terrace and plenty of outside seating at the back and front. The second floor is a sports bar with screens and pool tables and it is possible to hire the top bar for functions (with great views over the river).

But the best thing about this pub is that it is a specialist pie house selling a good range of British pies and mash daily - yum, yum!

Mosaique

Samantha — Fri, 18 May 2007 15:55:03 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 73 Gray's Inn Road, WC1X 8TP, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7404 7553

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

Tags: live music, mediterranean, romantic

Mediterranean MusicThis mediterranean restaurant serves dishes with quality ingredients which cater for everyone.

Add to that the dimmed atmosphere and live pianist, it is a lovely venue for a romantic meal.

Hare & Tortoise

Samantha — Fri, 18 May 2007 15:46:21 +0000

Rating: 4.5

Location: 373 Kensington High St, W14 8QZ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7603 8887

Website: http://www.hareandtortoise-restaurants.co.uk

Tags: japanese, casual, business, good value

Who knew heaven was via JapanOH my god. Without a doubt the best Japanese restaurant I have eaten in.

All sushi is freshly prepared and the noodle and rice dishes are also cooked to order. The Blackbean and Chilli Lo Mein is my favourite, with so much more flavour than your typical dish. The raw juice is also great.

With each dish costing about £5 including rice or noodles, this place is incredible value for Kensington and is usually full by 12:30 each lunchtime.

In fact, this is the thing I miss most about not working in Kensington anymore - make sure you try it if you're in the area.

Mongolian Barbeque

Samantha — Fri, 18 May 2007 15:34:00 +0000

Rating: 3.7

Location: 12 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7NA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7379 7722

Website: http://www.mongolianbarbecue.com

Tags: lively, groups, fun, crowded

Make your own dinner!At the Mongolian BBQ you pick your own ingredients from the counter - veggies, meat, fish, spices, sauces. Then you take it to the BBQ and the chefs cook it for you while you wait. It is basically stir fried on a big grill and served with rice or noodles.

The beauty of this is that you can pay for one trip, or (more fun) unlimited trips and have as many dinners as you like! Though, be warned - your eyes will always be bigger than your belly!

Prezzo

Samantha — Fri, 18 May 2007 15:00:56 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 8 Johnston Road, IG8 0XA, Woodford Green, United Kingdom

Tags: italian, business, good value, crowded, romantic, lively

More ItalianPrezzo up in Woodford Green is so popular that you'd have to wait an hour for a table, even on a Tuesday. So it's not surprising that they decided to open another one a mile down the road in South Woodford, situated on the new Queen Mary development.

I really like Prezzo, the dishes are always good, as is the service and they often have good specials. This new restaurant is nice, and pretty large with two floors which extend into the old adjacent building. We were seated downstairs under the cellar arches, though there are many different sections with different light and ambiance.

Overall, a nice new addition, even if it is next door to 3 Italians and down the road from a few more. I for one happen to love Italian food and it's always good to have choice!

Crepe Affaire

Samantha — Fri, 18 May 2007 14:48:07 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 173 Wardour Street, W1F 0TJ, London, United Kingdom

Tags: quick bite, good brew, fun

Pancake Day... or Night...This cafe on Wardour Street has been a great little find. Serving savoury or sweet crepes for breakfast, lunch or simply post-drinking snacks, it offers something a little different.

After dinner and drinks somewhere else we stumbled upon this on the way back to the tube. So we stopped in for late night chocolate crepes and coffee - delicious!

Italian Graffiti

Samantha — Fri, 18 May 2007 14:34:16 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 163-165 Wardour Street, W1F 8WL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7439 4668

Tags: italian, family & home feel, good value

Soho ItalianI have been back to Italian Graffiti a few times. It serves good, recognisable Itailian dishes and is bound to cater for everyone's tastes. Both the pasta and pizza are excellent.

Good value and nice, friendly environment with a fire in the winter.

Fifteen

Samantha — Fri, 18 May 2007 14:29:41 +0000

Rating: 3.8

Location: 15 Westland Place, N1 7LP, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0871 330 1515

Website: http://www.fifteenrestaurant.com

Tags: italian, informal, romantic, relaxed

A relaxed dinner at Jamie'sWe ate in the Trattoria, which combines good dining with a relaxed, casual candle-lit atmosphere. No one was too dressy and it was easy to feel at ease and blend in. Sometimes I think that posh restaurants, especially celebrity restaurants, can be a bit intimidating to your average diner, but this was certainly not the case here.

The table bread was good and served with delicious olive oil and balsamic vinegar you could really taste the quality. For the first course I had pasta and my partner had a risotto both delicious (the benefit of being a woman means you get to try his too!) Freshly made and perfectly cooked, it was noticeably different from your average Italian food. We both had the Steak for our main course, which was also great. The essence of the food here is that it is very simple but very high quality. Accompanied by a very reasonably priced bottle of Prossecco and followed by coffee, we had a great evening. The service was friendly, helpful and efficient but not over-attentive. The waiter kept our wine bottle in the fridge and refilled our glasses whenever they ran low without interrupting our conversation.

I would like to go back and try the restaurant downstairs, but the benefit of the Trattoria is that it is that little bit cheaper and that little bit easier to book a table.