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Freud - review by Niamheen

Rating: 3.8

Location: 198 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8JL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7240 9933

Tags: lively, underground, quirky, pub

When I first moved to London a friend brought me to Freud's. I was really impressed and became quite a regular. It's a nice place, tucked away at the bottom of a precarious staircase on Shaftsbury Ave. It's in the basement, with nice exposed stone walls and art from up and coming artists on display.

Expect nice cocktails and wine, I especially like that they serve the wine in glass tumblers. The food is reasonable pub grub: soup, salads and sandwiches, always pretty decent. The downside is that it gets so busy it can be impossible to get a seat, not to mind a few of them together.]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:05:51 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1n02c82/freud1410875076 lively underground quirky pub 51.513422 -0.128958 Freud - review by Niamheen http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1n02c82/freud
Freud - review by Niamheen

Rating: 3.8

Location: 198 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8JL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7240 9933

Tags: lively, underground, quirky, pub

When I first moved to London a friend brought me to Freud's. I was really impressed and became quite a regular. It's a nice place, tucked away at the bottom of a precarious staircase on Shaftsbury Ave. It's in the basement, with nice exposed stone walls and art from up and coming artists on display.

Expect nice cocktails and wine, I especially like that they serve the wine in glass tumblers. The food is reasonable pub grub: soup, salads and sandwiches, always pretty decent. The downside is that it gets so busy it can be impossible to get a seat, not to mind a few of them together.]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:05:51 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1n02c82/freud1575903670 lively underground quirky pub 51.513422 -0.128958 Freud - review by Niamheen http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1n02c82/freud
Freud - review by Niamheen

Rating: 3.8

Location: 198 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8JL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7240 9933

Tags: lively, underground, quirky, pub

When I first moved to London a friend brought me to Freud's. I was really impressed and became quite a regular. It's a nice place, tucked away at the bottom of a precarious staircase on Shaftsbury Ave. It's in the basement, with nice exposed stone walls and art from up and coming artists on display.

Expect nice cocktails and wine, I especially like that they serve the wine in glass tumblers. The food is reasonable pub grub: soup, salads and sandwiches, always pretty decent. The downside is that it gets so busy it can be impossible to get a seat, not to mind a few of them together.]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:05:51 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1n02c82/freud1745765859 lively underground quirky pub 51.513422 -0.128958 Freud - review by Niamheen http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1n02c82/freud
Freud - review by Niamheen

Rating: 3.8

Location: 198 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8JL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7240 9933

Tags: lively, underground, quirky, pub

When I first moved to London a friend brought me to Freud's. I was really impressed and became quite a regular. It's a nice place, tucked away at the bottom of a precarious staircase on Shaftsbury Ave. It's in the basement, with nice exposed stone walls and art from up and coming artists on display.

Expect nice cocktails and wine, I especially like that they serve the wine in glass tumblers. The food is reasonable pub grub: soup, salads and sandwiches, always pretty decent. The downside is that it gets so busy it can be impossible to get a seat, not to mind a few of them together.]]> Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:05:51 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1n02c82/freud1398139940 lively underground quirky pub 51.513422 -0.128958 Sketch - review by sarah2009 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/117286x/sketch
Sketch - review by sarah2009

Rating: 3.7

Location: 9 Conduit St, W1S 2XG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0870 777 4488

Website: http://www.sketch.uk.com

Tags: lively, international, good value, brasserie, vegetarian, french

I had dinner with friends in the Gallery last week and wow! I have never seen anything like it before; the food was delicious and we were entertained by the most amazing video art projections. I will definately visit again soon, if not for dinner then just to the bar.]]> Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:55:56 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/117286x/sketch1008695160 lively international good value brasserie vegetarian french 51.512295 -0.141839 Sketch - review by sarah2009 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/117286x/sketch
Sketch - review by sarah2009

Rating: 3.7

Location: 9 Conduit St, W1S 2XG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0870 777 4488

Website: http://www.sketch.uk.com

Tags: lively, international, good value, brasserie, vegetarian, french

I had dinner with friends in the Gallery last week and wow! I have never seen anything like it before; the food was delicious and we were entertained by the most amazing video art projections. I will definately visit again soon, if not for dinner then just to the bar.]]> Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:55:56 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/117286x/sketch1960774880 lively international good value brasserie vegetarian french 51.512295 -0.141839 Sketch - review by sarah2009 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/117286x/sketch
Sketch - review by sarah2009

Rating: 3.7

Location: 9 Conduit St, W1S 2XG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0870 777 4488

Website: http://www.sketch.uk.com

Tags: lively, international, good value, brasserie, vegetarian, french

I had dinner with friends in the Gallery last week and wow! I have never seen anything like it before; the food was delicious and we were entertained by the most amazing video art projections. I will definately visit again soon, if not for dinner then just to the bar.]]> Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:55:56 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/117286x/sketch762677496 lively international good value brasserie vegetarian french 51.512295 -0.141839 Sketch - review by sarah2009 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/117286x/sketch
Sketch - review by sarah2009

Rating: 3.7

Location: 9 Conduit St, W1S 2XG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0870 777 4488

Website: http://www.sketch.uk.com

Tags: lively, international, good value, brasserie, vegetarian, french

I had dinner with friends in the Gallery last week and wow! I have never seen anything like it before; the food was delicious and we were entertained by the most amazing video art projections. I will definately visit again soon, if not for dinner then just to the bar.]]> Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:55:56 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/117286x/sketch1719788584 lively international good value brasserie vegetarian french 51.512295 -0.141839 La Trouvaille - review by CristinaA http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1m92z8k/la-trouvaille
La Trouvaille - review by CristinaA

Rating: 4.3

Location: 12A Newburgh St, W1F 7RR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7287 8488

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

Tags: romantic, good value

Iâ¬"m a little too fond of red wine for my liking, which is probably why I spend so much time in La Trouvaille. Tucked away and hidden from the hustle and bustle of Carnaby street, you'll find the wine list is sensational and the complimentary glass of Sangria you get when entering La Trouvaille started the evening with a bang! La Trouvaille is a great place, great food and atmosphere.]]> Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:20:07 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1m92z8k/la-trouvaille270119551 romantic good value 51.513107259786 -0.13948828625394 Beach Blanket Babylon - review by Browners http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1l02b8/beach-blanket-babylon
Beach Blanket Babylon - review by Browners

Rating: 3.4

Location: 45 Ledbury Road, W11 2AA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7229 2907

Tags: unhygenic

Beach Blanket Babylon is one of London's trendiest bars and has a buzzing restaurant. It is beloved by the Notting Hill set and typifices the idea of style over substance. Which is why we went there in the first place!

Your senses are blown away by the over the top decorations - it couldn't be more rococo if it tried.

No matter how trendy or posh you think your restaurant is... there are some basic catering rules that you can't break. Such as don't swear at the customers. Don't serve unhygenic food. Make sure there aren't any mouse-traps on show... etc. Common sense basically.

3 plates of perfectly good sushi arrived at our table along with some sets of chopsticks. The light wasn't great... but it was bright enough to detect a luminous green glow. On closer inspection we realised that the chopsticks were covered in a furry green mould. Gross! The elegant waitress simply took them back and didn't even consider apologising for it!

Our next course was very tasty... but sadly undermined by such a major lapse.]]> Sat, 27 Sep 2008 11:22:04 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1l02b8/beach-blanket-babylon1945990151 unhygenic 51.513152664836 -0.20001789598876 Beach Blanket Babylon - review by pindulgence http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1l02b8/beach-blanket-babylon
Beach Blanket Babylon - review by pindulgence

Rating: 3.4

Location: 45 Ledbury Road, W11 2AA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7229 2907

Tags: expensive, international, pretentious, crowded

I really wanted to love the Beach Blanket Babylon, it has a reputation for the decor which is most definately deserved. However once you get past the spectaular decor, you are left with a bar and restuarant which loves itself so much it literally has its head where the sun doesn't shine. When we first arrived it was packed. It took ages to served by an obnoxious and quite literally rude member of staff. We were seated for our meal by an equally obnoxious and rule waiter who unfortunately continued to get rude throughout the evening. To top it off, we were forced to pay the service charge for that rudeness. You will NOT be allowed to get away without paying the automatically added charge. An utter disgrace.]]> Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:34:27 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1l02b8/beach-blanket-babylon150984720 expensive international pretentious crowded 51.513152664836 -0.20001789598876 Freud - review by ben1982 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/cafe/1n02c82/freud
Freud - review by ben1982

Rating: 3.8

Location: 198 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8JL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7240 9933

Down the treacherous steps is a small slice of New York style with an expansive drinks menu, including the significantly strong long island iced tea. Earthy decor, wine served in duralex tumblers, uplifting yet not generic house music and frequently updated art displays all help make this place a winner]]> Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:30:27 +0000 /review/uk/london/cafe/1n02c82/freud1467227928 51.513422 -0.128958 London Street Brasserie - review by lutik http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/reading/restaurant/1s9a37/london-street-brasserie
London Street Brasserie - review by lutik

Rating: 3.4

Location: 2-4 London St, RG1 4PN, Reading, United Kingdom

Phone: 0118 950 5036

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

Tags: lively, british, business, pretentious, crowded, brasserie, expensive

Went there with my husband having read a few good reviews and wanting an oasis in Reading's dessert of identikit chains.
Sadly, I was dissapointed by LBS. On the positive side, the food tasted quite nice. Our mains were presentable and generous. Unfortunately the venisson was a bit too rare, and not very fresh. The desserts were better though as some fo the others have pointed out, clearly not made at the premises.
But what really was a let down was the sloppy service and the non-existent ambiance. We sat in the downstairs area where the lack of any kind of cushioning to absorb some of the noise, meant that i could hardly hear anything except the general cacophony. The service did not help - there were 2 waitstaff trying to serve us, so they asked us twice what we wanted for starters and then didn't know which of them should bring it. When our mains arrived, the waitress stood over us expecting us to move our starter plates so she could put down the food because no one came to clear those plates away first. Not very impressed at all.]]> Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:27:51 +0000 /review/uk/reading/restaurant/1s9a37/london-street-brasserie1083500612 lively british business pretentious crowded brasserie expensive 51.453198974897 -0.96950914143804 Osteria Basilico - review by alexgjohnson http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1841f7h/osteria-basilico
Osteria Basilico - review by alexgjohnson

Rating: 4.0

Location: 29 Kensington Park Road, W11 2EU, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7727 9957

Tags: italian, family & home feel, crowded, expensive, romantic, lively

Osteria has been in Notting Hill forever and is the top end of the three restaurants in this group (the others are Mediterraneo and Essenza) with a classic Italian menu, and slightly surprisingly, a sideline in pizza including takeaway. I would avoid the pizza - it's not as good as Luna Rossa's across the street - and frankly if you come to a place like Osteria and have pizza you are wasting the opportunity to eat rather better. The wine list is great and the downstairs seats are particularly cozy in winter. It is definitely pone for romantic get-together. Like all the Italian restaurants in Notting Hill service is probably not why you come here.]]> Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:50:26 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1841f7h/osteria-basilico715808881 italian family & home feel crowded expensive romantic lively 51.515060424239 -0.20714907866177 Beach Blanket Babylon - review by WB1 http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1l02b8/beach-blanket-babylon
Beach Blanket Babylon - review by WB1

Rating: 3.4

Location: 45 Ledbury Road, W11 2AA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7229 2907

Tags: expensive, pretentious

I had heard great things about this venue and went to the bar on a Saturday night with some friends for a treat. We were disappointed to say the least! The decor was as spectacular as I had been led to believe with chandeliers, nook and crannies, cabinets with jewels, ornate tables and chairs etc and really has to be seen to be believed. Unfortunately that was as good as it got. The bar was packed and it took an age to get served. When we eventually did get to the bar we almost wished we hadn't - the prices are astronomical. The crowd around the bar were snooty, pretentious and often downright rude. The staff seemed rather harassed (unsurprising) but were pleasent enough. Having got our drinks we squeezed ourselves into a little nook between two tables (I think you would have to get there very early to find somewhere to sit) and spent an unpleasant couple of hours being jostled by the crowds. I will not be going back. I have not visited the restaurant so cannot comment on that area.]]> Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:37:57 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1l02b8/beach-blanket-babylon1686300362 expensive pretentious 51.513152664836 -0.20001789598876