Latest favourites and wishlist by VictoriaR

The Wolseley - review by Barney752

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:08:17 +0000

The Wolseley - review by Barney752

Rating: 3.8

Location: 160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 6996

Website: http://www.thewolseley.com/

the wolseley is a great restaurant. Lets just get that straight. It is by far the most grand place that i have ever dined at. There are impossibly huge ceilings and marbles floors and all that jazz. Doormen that are paid to remeber your face, it is more than just a restaurant it is a dining experience. But what about the food? The food is great, really tasty, some of the best in london i would go as far as to say. But of course it is not cheap. Oh no. It is expensive but not extortionate. That is to say there are plenty more expensive restaurants with lesser food on the menu. All in all a great restaurant.

The Wolseley - review by Hazysunshine

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:36:58 +0000

The Wolseley - review by Hazysunshine

Rating: 3.8

Location: 160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 6996

Website: http://www.thewolseley.com/

Tags: lively, british, expensive, romantic

The stunningly elegant interior provided the perfect relaxed ambiance for a special breakfast treat of Champagne, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs which were delicious. There was a good selection of newspapers to read and the waiting staff were efficient however if there was one critism they could cheer up a bit and offer service with a smile. Best to book in advance.

Trinity Stores - review by GKFH

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:43:49 +0000

Trinity Stores - review by GKFH

Rating: 4.5

Location: 5 Balham Station Road, SW12 9SG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8673 3773

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

Tags: delicatessen, rare finds

Sat down for a light lunch and ordered a Ploughman's. Expected usual. Got exceptional. The cheese was freshly cut Lincolnshire Poacher. Ham was freshly sliced and full of flavour. Came with a little salad. Perfect dressing. Home made chutney was right up my alley. Bread was fresh and crusty. Simple, quality ingredients worked really well to make this the best ploughman I have had since camping as a young man.

The Wolseley - review by Mohock

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:25:33 +0000

The Wolseley - review by Mohock

Rating: 3.8

Location: 160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 6996

Website: http://www.thewolseley.com/

Tags: lively, business, good value

This feels like a big expensive restaurant. There is enough biege, black and gold in evidence to send anyone on a budget into a flat spin. However, the food and sleek service is excellent and surprisingly keenly priced.

We had a table with a clear view of the entrance and although my host was extremely good company, I could not help noticing that diners were entering and exiting as if on a catwalk. There was also quite a lot of hanging around tables, being seen. Some of the clientele are swishier than the waiters, who must be issued with special shoes.

I have been meaning to try this restaurant for a long while and thought The Wolseley might have lost its gloss this long after it opened, but I enjoyed the food and the incidental floorshow. We had a very good evening.

The Wolseley - review by k_thrn

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 21:36:54 +0000

The Wolseley - review by k_thrn

Rating: 3.8

Location: 160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 6996

Website: http://www.thewolseley.com/

Lost for ways to entertain parents or in-laws when they visit you in London? I know, breakfast at The Wolsey. It's sure to impress. Beautiful space with impeccable service and the best chicken soup in London. As I recall, they are also very nice to ladies with morning sickness who happen to be sitting next the gentleman who ordered the pickled herring. Very nice, indeed.

The Wolseley - review by collector

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 10:06:50 +0000

The Wolseley - review by collector

Rating: 3.8

Location: 160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 6996

Website: http://www.thewolseley.com/

Tags: expensive, family & home feel, business

Found The Wolsely on Piccadilly. It is expensive, but the place is amazing, the staff are great, and quite simply one of the best places for cheese on toast in London - enjoy..

They also make a mean cup of tea...

The Wolseley - review by Angel_Bury

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 16:17:06 +0000

The Wolseley - review by Angel_Bury

Rating: 3.8

Location: 160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 6996

Website: http://www.thewolseley.com/

Tags: lively, architecture, good value

I LOVED it here. The Wolseley fits all sorts of occasions from breakfast through to high tea and the good old fasioned grandly done up dinner.

I didn't mind the black shirt/tie thing, it's just a uniform, and they weren't pretentious, they were just high end waiting pro's with sense of pride in their restaurant. We had a good laugh with our waiter who was happy to tell us anything was wanted to know, even getting us bits of stuff to taste before we made up our minds.

The food is good, and the building incredible, who cares if it was once a car showroom! What a showroom it would have been, it's exquisit.

I think this is what proper London dining is all about, sorry that Thriller had such a terrible time, but The Wolseley and it's ninja waiters tick all my boxes!

The Wolseley - review by shelo9

Sat, 05 May 2007 21:42:48 +0000

The Wolseley - review by shelo9

Rating: 3.8

Location: 160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 6996

Website: http://www.thewolseley.com/

Tags: lively, good value, pretentious, brasserie

Yes the black tie brigade can be a little pretentious but if you're just as snotty they start smiling and serve you when you want to be served. The only snotty people were the celebs next to us who thought we were looking at them when we were looking at the beautiful decor.

The food is tasty and the portions are a good size. Not as expensive as expected and also possible to get a table for lunch an hour before arriving (which is not possible at all at its sister restaurant). Good location as well.

Trinity Stores - review by NatWilde

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 12:25:41 +0000

Trinity Stores - review by NatWilde

Rating: 4.5

Location: 5 Balham Station Road, SW12 9SG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8673 3773

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

Don't listen to estate agents. Balham is a lot friendlier than Notting Hill and Trinity Stores is one of the best breakfast places when you're nursing a hangover at the weekend.

The Wolseley - review by VictoriaR

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 10:39:18 +0000

The Wolseley - review by VictoriaR

Rating: 3.8

Location: 160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 6996

Website: http://www.thewolseley.com/

Tags: good food, porridge, gorgeous setting, English, business, pretentious, expensive, trendy

To wade in on the Wolseley debate...

yes, it's a bit pretentious. You do get the feeling, when you're being eyeballed by the black-clad section heads, that they'd really rather give your table to someone with a more expensive handbag. Service is not of the 'what can we do for you?' variety: to keep that busy-busy-busy vibe going, the staff run around constantly, seemingly attending to everyone but you. And maybe there's some management rule about not smiling at the clientele.

HOWEVER, that said... I've been here for tea and breakfast, several times, and couldn't fault the food. Tea comes on a traditional stand, with plenty of sandwiches and delectable little cakes, good tea in large silver pots and warm scones. Breakfast is similarly excellent, particularly the eggs. It's FAR from cheap, but not as ruinous as you'd expect, making it nice for a post-shopping treat, or a cheaper-than-springing-for-lunch meal out. (With the tea, at least, you won't want to eat again for days.)

And the setting is glorious: it was a spectacularly lovely car showroom. Somehow I doubt we'll be seeing The Hyundai any time soon, but then again, I bet there'd be a bit more friendliness.

Cafe @ All Saints - review by VictoriaR

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 10:24:59 +0000

Cafe @ All Saints - review by VictoriaR

Rating: 5.0

Location: All Saints Church, High Street, HR4 9AA, Hereford, United Kingdom

Tags: vegetarian, church, unusual setting, great coffee, peaceful, local produce, good value, organic, friendly staff

If you're in Hereford and in need of a cup of tea and some peace and quiet, pop into All Saints Church. Yes, really. A million miles away from the mental image you're probably conjuring with right now - plastic chairs, Rich Tea biscuits, tea urn, right? - Cafe @ All Saints is actually a very modern take on an old idea: while the beautiful old church still holds services for the tiny congregation in the lady chapel, the rest of the arching, ancient space bustles with activity as an organic cafe, serving locally sourced products and main meals cooked on the premises. All the food is vegetarian, though meat-eaters won't really notice the lack, such is the variety and quality of the cooking: typical lunch time fare would be roast pumpkin, spinach and little Hereford (cheese) quiche or Field mushroom and Ale pie, with cheddar mash, all served with salad, potatoes or their famous 'health bowl' mixture of lentils, vegetables and herbs - much more delicious than the name would suggest and a light lunch on its own. Snacks, cakes and scones are also available, and after 4pm, prices drop to bargain levels. Until 11am, the best hot buttered toast in the area is only 40p a slice.

The vaulting overhead space has been sensitively exploited by installing a floating mezzanine, which makes a peaceful upper level in which to read or work, while enjoying the Illy coffee and a slice of homemade cake. Getting such an unusual perspective on church architecture along with your latte is a real bonus! Regular art exhibitions are also held in the church, and the kitchen holds more formal ticketed dinners, where three or four courses are offered, often to the accompaniment of music. The cafe is closed on Sunday, to allow full services to take place, but opens at 8.30am - 5.30pm weekdays and Saturdays.

It's not a place to go if you're in a rush - service can be idiosyncratic and somewhat slow, and queues often snake back into the street - but the atmosphere is restful and the surroundings are, naturally, beautiful. Staff know regulars by name, and there's a much more community feel to proceedings than in a faceless chain. Prices are reasonable, if not bargain basement: a large cappuccino is 1.85, brownies 1.60, a main course around the 6 mark. When so many churches are falling into disrepair, it's good to see one being kept alive in a sympathetic, yet practical manner.

Trinity Stores - review by VictoriaR

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 09:30:21 +0000

Trinity Stores - review by VictoriaR

Rating: 4.5

Location: 5 Balham Station Road, SW12 9SG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8673 3773

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

Tags: friendly staff, regional producers, proper food, amazing brew, quiet & relaxed, local produce, snack, organic, coffee, quick bite

If you listen to estate agents, Balham is metamorphosising into the Notting Hill of South London, and with delis like Trinity Stores popping up like organic mushrooms, they might have a point. (In a good way.) Tucked down a side street opposite Balham Station, Trinity Stores offers a delicious selection of regional deli foods, wines, oils, cheeses, homemade cakes and so on, working on the principle that someone stumbling off the train home can pick up a restorative picnic supper for about a fiver: quiches, juicy stuffed peppers, multicoloured salads are all tempting. Although a fiver might be pushing it, once you've picked up a sour dough loaf or some Woodalls Cumberland sausage: this is very much a 'you get what you pay for' establishment. If you're very short on time, the kitchen can whip up a whole dinner party's worth of food for you, and with the decent wine selection and flowers, all you need to remember are the guests.

Staff are young, enthusiastic and friendly, which might account for the regulars Trinity Stores attracts for morning coffee (good cappuccinos & lattes for just under two quid; takeaway available). Though there isn't a huge amount of space, the big window makes the light and airy room a pleasant spot to while away quarter of an hour, and the lack of buggy room means the yummy mummies have largely relocated to Starbucks down the road, so the decibel level has dropped accordingly. Customers sit round a large table, piled high with brownies, buns and pastries, reading the paper and watching the traffic - the excellent Chelsea buns and Eccles cakes are Fridays/weekends only, and worth the trip.

This commendable commitment to good food extends to running the regular Sunday Farmers' Market in Hildreth Street, and wine and cheese tasting nights - perfect for Balham's growing ranks of foodies. With the major chains now moving in like plastic sharks - Starbucks, Cafe Nero - it's worth supporting high-quality independents like Trinity Stores. It's like the best 'foodie market town' deli you've ever been in, but in central London. Bliss.

The Wolseley - review by Thriller

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 00:11:09 +0000

The Wolseley - review by Thriller

Rating: 3.8

Location: 160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 6996

Website: http://www.thewolseley.com/

Tags: expensive, british, business, crowded

A really irritating place that masquerades as a decent restaurant. Bad service underlines the faux trendy atmosphere of "aren't we all cool" and "we're too important to look after you". Everyone in black suits, with black shirts and black ties....enough said. It is a great room however that used to be a car showroom, hence the name. A destination, but only because there is not much else nearby.

The Wolseley - review by Hugo

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 12:55:36 +0000

The Wolseley - review by Hugo

Rating: 3.8

Location: 160 Piccadilly, W1J 9EB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7499 6996

Website: http://www.thewolseley.com/

Tags: posh, picadilly, recommend, poached eggs, british, amazing brew, smart, good value, breakfast

Tremendous place for breakfast:
- open airy environment
- fantastic staff
- proper tea leaves
- yummy coffee
- fresh OJ
- Tip Top patisserie etc and more

Rather bizarrely they recently removed eggs benny (Eggs Benedict: poached eggs with the magic sauce) from the menu. At first they tried to pretend they did not do them but now they will do them for you.

Have not been for lunch yet but am planning to.

It isn't cheap and it can be hard to get in (book in advance) but it is worth it for the cut-above breakfast.