Latest reviews by amoneg's friends

El Parador - review by Buraco

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:27:41 +0000

El Parador - review by Buraco

Rating: 4.7

Location: 245 Eversholt Street, NW1 1BA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7387 2789

Tags: tapas, family & home feel, good value, unpretentious, spanish, friendly

I believe I've just had a perfect Trusted Places experience. I mean, this is exactly what this site was created for.

I had 2 sisters (one eating for two) and their other halves in town for the weekend. The theatre tickets were sorted, just needed a good eatery to round out Saturday.

It was short notice, but I knew I wanted somewhere pretty close to home, good vibe, not a wallet killer and my sisters both love Spanish food. Quick search on TP revealed El Parador. The recommendations from a couple of reliable people spoke for themselves, so I got the number and booked us in.

I would never have found or thought of this place without TP. And it was as good as Mez, soks and all the other reviewers said it was.

My recommendations: chicken thighs are the best thing we had (and we had most of the menu!), roasted sweet potato, chicken liver, meatballs should be ordered.

I would not recommend the grilled halibut, which was very low on flavour. However, I pointed out to the very friendly waitress that the halibut disappointed me, and she promptly insisted we wouldn't pay for it.

All in all a first rate eatery. Totally unpretentious, extemely tasty, swift and friendly service and excellent value (5 people, 3 bottles of wine, about 20 dishes, all for Â£30 per head).

I'll see you there soon.

Piada - review by walid

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:17:40 +0000

Piada - review by walid

Rating: 4.0

Location: 12-14 St John Street, EC1M 4AY, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7253 0472

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

Tags: italian, piadine, farringdon, good value, crowded

As littlevegemite's review explains, paidines are filled flatbread which with the right ingredients taste delicious. I've been there before and today had the chance to have another bite at one of their famous Piadines. They have 16 different varieties of piadines. Piadine zero for example has salame milanese and stracchine cheese, piadine nove has bresaola and parmesan and the one I had today is the piadine uno which comes with prosciutto and mozzarella. Whatever piadine you take you can pretty much guaranteed that the filling ingredients are quite fresh and tasty.

Prices are reasonable and vary between Â£4.10 and Â£5.00. If you find yourself in the area and want a little something different then try out Piada.

The Diner - review by walid

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:04:24 +0000

The Diner - review by walid

Rating: 3.0

Location: 18 Ganton Street, W1F 7BU, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7287 8962

Website: http://www.thedinersoho.com

Tags: relaxed, american diner, carnaby street, french toast, pancakes, young and fun, noisy

A friend of mine brought me to The Diner this afternoon as she wanted French Toasts.... ooohhh French Toasts hmmmmm. I love French Toasts but I also love pancakes, especially a pancake tower American style. Fighting our way up Regent Street we approached Carnaby Street where tucked to the side you can find The Diner.

The decoration is what you'd expect a traditional American diner to look like abroad, ie. close to the real thing, but trying a little bit too hard.

My friend ordered the French Toasts and me my pancakes. Now I make French Toasts, and I love them when they're crispy from the outside and soft in the inside. Her pancakes looked nice, except that they weren't crispy from the outside and had some cinnamon which may please some but not me. As for my pancakes as you can see from the picture it was a good portion but not what I would describe as a pancake tower.

Overall we had a good experience, the food was ok, the service was fine, the pricing is good, but the music was getting too loud. So I'm giving this place a "small" 3 stars.

The Hummingbird Bakery - review by Dharminder

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:26:30 +0000

The Hummingbird Bakery - review by Dharminder

Rating: 3.0

Location: 133 Portobello Road, W11 2DY, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7229 6446

Website: http://www.hummingbirdbakery.com

I like cakes, and for a few years now i've been getting Cupcakes from here. Yes they ain't cheap, but then again they are quite 'rich' and even for a man with my appetite, i can't really eat more than one in a sitting.

Tip: Avoid (or remove) the silver balls on some of them, unless you have very good dental insurance. This things would break Superman's teeth.

The plainer ones i find are nicer than the fancier ones.

Foubert's - review by Dharminder

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:16:05 +0000

Foubert's - review by Dharminder

Rating: 4.0

Location: 2 Turnham Green Terrace, W4 1QP, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8994 5202

Tags: quick bite, good brew

Title kind of says it all, this place has ice cream that reminds you of the those Gelato's you have on holidays in Italy.

The service is also reminiscent of 'those small places in Italy that are run by older fellow's rather than the 'starbucks generation'. (In Fouberts theres an old couple there who have served me on the occasions i've been there).

Can also have coffee and other cafe style food there. On a hot day there can be queues.

Viet - review by walid

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:52:17 +0000

Viet - review by walid

Rating: 3.7

Location: 34 Greek St, W1D 5DJ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7494 9888

Tags: vietnamese, bad service, cheap eat, crowded, soho

After reading the reviews by coldclimate and lenalouise I was very much looking forward to trying out Viet.

Ok lets start with the good points, as lenalouise wrote in her review the warm beef salad is indeed quite nice and excellent to start working your appetite for the main dish. The spring rolls that coldclimate had were also quite good. I had the King Prawn with noodles which was quite good and of course the pricing is excellent at Â£10 per head for a shared starter and a main dish.

Now what brings this place to a 2 stars and very nearly a 1 star is the incredibly poor service. I had reserved a table for 4 and left them my name + mobile number. Because we arrived 8 minutes late they had canceled my reservation without calling me to check if I was coming or running late and gave our table away. Luckily for them they managed to squeeze us into a smaller table.

Mistake #1, Mistake #2 the waiter seems to have no clue about the food he served. My friend can't eat flour and thus we tried to identify dishes that were flour free, which of course he had no clue. Mistake #3 taking forever to take our orders and bringing our dishes one at a time instead of all together, thus we waited for everyone to be served before eating our meal.

I would have given this place a 1 star if the food wasn't so cheap, but I prefer paying extra if it means receiving a better service.

De Hems - review by Dharminder

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:24:10 +0000

De Hems - review by Dharminder

Rating: 3.5

Location: 11 Macclesfield Street, W1D 5BW, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7437 2494

The place is chilled out (if a bit hot inside on warmer days, oxymoron alert!). If peckish try the chips with lashings of peanut sauce and mayo. Quite a nice way to soak up some of the beers on tap. With the Euro's (2008) going on at the moment, this is usually rammed with dutch fans (from memory of euro 2004)

Yamas - review by sokratis

Fri, 30 May 2008 11:48:49 +0000

Yamas - review by sokratis

Rating: 5.0

Location: Leoforos Nikis 15, 546 23, Thessaloniki, Greece

Phone: 00302310253097

Website: www.yamas.com.gr

Tags: greek, thessaloniki

â¬ÜYamasâ¬" is what us Greeks say when we bring our glasses together and toast to â¬ÜOur Healthâ¬". Being the clever people that we are, we worked out a long time ago that the main things to keep one in good health are excellent food; good drink and enjoyable companionship â¬ please read up on Epicurus for a more in-depth analysis.
Yamas provides the perfect setting for all of these to converge. Set next to Aristotelous square (dedicated to another clever chap from antiquity) its promenade front provides fantastic views of Thermaikos gulf that Thessaloniki, my home city, hugs. The venue is the result of a collaboration between the celebrated Greek chef, Lefteris Lazarou, and Yannis Dionisiadis, one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry, who set up the Goodyâ¬"s chain that has dominated the Greek quickly-prepared food market. It is split between four different areas - Kafeneio, Ouzeri, Taverna and Oinothiki, spread over two floors and about 2000 square meters. Kafeneio is aimed at the mornings, serving a variety of Greek breakfast delicacies (like bougatsa and tyropita) and coffee, while the ouzeri is the equivalent of Tapas in Greece and usually visited in the afternoon and mainly serves small, varied dishes that are slowly consumed with generous helpings on Ouzo. The oinothiki is a showcase for the best Greek wines, with an incredible selection at hand. Taverna is the restaurant part of the venue, split into two themes â¬ meat and seafood.
I visited the latter part while the sun was setting down. Iâ¬"ve watched the sun set in many parts of the world, but Thessaloniki is up there with the best. On a good day you can clearly see mount Olympos about 200 miles across the sea â¬ truly spectacular. Coming back to the taverna, I am so happy that Yamas opened its doors. I love Greek food, but the current restaurant scene really doesnâ¬"t do it justice. This is especially true for the UK, but applies to Greece to a large extent as well. Weâ¬"ve somehow managed to settle for a uniform mediocrity, losing a large part of the different tastes and cooking methods that vary so much across this country. Yamas addresses this head-on and provides a very high standard of modern/traditional Greek cooking, without venturing into haute cuisine aloofness. The venue is set in an elegant and simple design with a balcony on the first floor. The architecture of white walls is balanced perfectly by the ample blue of the Mediterranean sea that lies about 15 metres away from you.
We tried a wide variety of dishes ranging from delicious fresh salads, to oxtail stew, beef fillet and roasted pork tenderloin. We also had a delicious risotto with mushrooms and strawberries and squid with rice cooked in its ink. Wonderful, subtle favours delivered by knowledgeable and efficient staff. The meal was accompanied by a few bottles of Greeceâ¬"s finest wines. Thatâ¬"s another huge area of Greek culture that has been thoroughly underserved in terms of exposure and recognition. Next time you visit Greece, please donâ¬"t order retsina, but try out a few of the local wineries. If youâ¬"re not sure, ask for some advice and you wonâ¬"t be disappointed. The desserts were outstanding with the Greek coffee-flavoured chocolate mousse being my favourite, although the rose water flavoured soufflÃ© was a great challenger.
Overall, it was one of the best gastronomic experiences Iâ¬"ve had in Greece and beyond. However, it would be wrong to class Yamas as simply a restaurant. The ambition of the team behind it goes far beyond that. The core of the idea behind Yamas embraces traditional and modern Greek culture and produce, bringing it through a setting that invites you to sample and explore more. This is evident by every detail of the place and even events that are hosted, which involve photography, wine and cheese tasting (to name a few). Itâ¬"s a concept that transcends borders and was set up with international expansion in mind from the beginning. I canâ¬"t wait for their international expansion and London opening.

Maze - review by sokratis

Tue, 13 May 2008 21:46:40 +0000

Maze - review by sokratis

Rating: 4.9

Location: 10-13 Grosvenor Square, W1K 6US, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7107 0000

Website: http://gordonramsay.com/maze/

Tags: french, good for special occassion, good for business, haute cuisine, gordon ramsey, central london, expensive

I had to make a play on the word there, but the title is accurate. Maze felt effortless and Iâ¬"ll expand on why below.

A friend was visiting recently and we went on â¬ÜTrustedâ¬" tour of London. Sampled some of the best pubs, bars, nightclubs, small restaurants, pub food, but of course we had to visit a Gordon Ramsey place for the experience to be complete. Naturally, there had been very little planning before my friend arrived, so getting a table at Maze for Tuesday at 8pm when you call at 3pm on that usually unlikely. But hereâ¬"s a tip. Itâ¬"s hard to book a table at the restaurant, but you can still eat (very well) at the bar. And because most people donâ¬"t know that, the bar usually has some free space even you just walk-in.

Note: there is a â¬Ühelpfulâ¬" button below this review that was specifically designed to reward such generous sharing of insider knowledge.

Now back to Maze and the fact it was effortless. Firstly, the menus. We had to go for the tasting menu, as there are simply too many very seductive tastes on offer to exhaust in one visit. At Â£55 per head itâ¬"s not cheap, but hey you wonâ¬"t be going there every day. The thing that impressed me was that despite the amount of choice, going through the different options was simple and quick. Two pages only with excellent line spacing and some beautiful fonts made the process fast and pleasurable.

The staff was very friendly, with Mr Atherton being at the door when we arrived and dispensing a warm hello and welcome. I think he was there working on the seating plan with the reception staff. The barman was excellent and in general the whole place had an air of quiet efficiency, without being at all overbearing or stiff. Mr Ramsey himself made an appearance later greeting the diners at the restaurant across the room, although not stopping to chat at us on his way to the kitchen. For some reason he was also wearing his kitchen apron, although I donâ¬"t know if heâ¬"s still cooking while there. He may beâ¬¦Seemed like a very nice guy and you could sense the slight, extra alertness on the part of the staff while he was around.

Ah and finally letâ¬"s talk about food. The tasting menu is split between small courses (starter equivalent), some more substantial ones and finally desserts. I wonâ¬"t go through all eight of the courses we had, but the ones that really stood out for me were the â¬ÜBeef â¬Ütongue â¬Ünâ¬" cheekâ¬" caper raisin and ginger carrotsâ¬" â¬ with â¬Ütongue and cheekâ¬" being a literal reference. I love a cowâ¬"s tongue and cheek, so combining the two was exceptional, but perhaps a bit heavy for a full course. I loved the artichoke veloute with braised duck leg and although the deconstructed pain au chocolat, required a small intro on how to eat, it was definitely worth it.

After a two hour experience we both felt fantastically satisfied and not the least bit overeaten. The bill did approach the cost of a bargain flight to New York, but whoâ¬"s got the time to fly there anyway? Plus with the way airports are these is much easier to just pop over to Grosvenor Square.

Skylon - review by walid

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:45:11 +0000

Skylon - review by walid

Rating: 2.3

Location: Southbank Centre, SE1 8XX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7654 7800

Website: http://www.danddlondon.com/restaurants/skylon/home

Tags: south bank, royal festival hall, merguez, slow service, waterloo, high ceilings

This is a really difficult one to rate, on one side the service was a 2 star, the venue a 5 star, and the food 3 star... ok so overall a 3 star.

Found on top of the Royal Festival Hall, Skylon has a restaurant and brasserie section. My friends and I sat in the brasserie section as we starred at the beautiful view of the south bank. With its incredibly high ceilings Skylon feels very airy and with its candles at night would probably be romantic.

The food is ok at best, I had the Merguez Couscous which wasn't very exciting in terms of taste and texture. What this place has going is that the food is reasonably priced. See picture of the menu.

The disappointment came with the quality of the service. Whilst there was an abundance of waiters it was quite difficult to get their attention and when you did the service was slowish. Additionally I overheard at least 4 times dishes / glasses being dropped by the staff.

In spite of the above issues I would recommend you give this place a try, if not for the food do it for the great views and superb airy atmosphere.

The Holly Bush - review by sokratis

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:35:06 +0000

The Holly Bush - review by sokratis

Rating: 4.5

Location: 22 Holly Mount, NW3 6SG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7435 2892

Website: http://www.hollybushpub.com/

Tags: relaxed, best pub in London, excellent pub food, Hampstead, friendly

Maybe Iâ¬"m being influenced by having watched Superbad very recently, but the superlatives are justified in this case. The Holly Bush is one of those â¬Üthey donâ¬"t make them like they used toâ¬" kind of places you rarely encounter in London anymore (says I, the old-Londoner who grew up on the cobbled streets of Whitechapel!). Itâ¬"s a pub in the proper sense on the word.
No music. No fruit machines. No shiny, â¬ÜSlug & Lettuceâ¬"-type surfaces and silly prints on the wall.
Solid selection of beers and ales (unfortunately no Bombardier). No-nonsense, friendly staff. Unique ability to distort time and keep you there until closing.
It really is one of those places you can go with friends and spend hours getting merrier as the time passes by, setting the world to rights, recounting old stories and generally doing what friends do.
The pies that are mentioned in the title deserve a special mention. They are the specialty of the house and Iâ¬"m confident the Organic Beef and Harveyâ¬"s served with Cheddar mash is one the best youâ¬"ve ever tried. At Â£9.50 itâ¬"s reasonably priced as well. The rest of the menu is excellent too, with the burger and roast chicken being a couple of my favourites and the bread and butter pudding an amazing dessert. The menu seems to have been set in stone there, but why mess with something that works so well? Iâ¬"ve probably eaten or sampled every item in it and nothing was short of really good, going all the way to the superb. There is a cosy, beautiful dining room on the first floor and I recommend you book if youâ¬"d like to eat as the pub floor gets very busy.
Youâ¬"ve probably worked out that this is probably my favourite pub in London. Itâ¬"s also tucked away from public view so you really have to look for it to find it, but trust me itâ¬"s worth a detour or even a special trip.

The Freemasons Arms - review by sokratis

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:16:41 +0000

The Freemasons Arms - review by sokratis

Rating: 4.0

Location: 32 Downshire Hill, NW3 1NT, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7433 6811

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

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

The Freemasons Arms is a great ending to a nice day in Hampsted Heath if youâ¬"re finishing on the south-west (if youâ¬"re heading north-east then Cafe Mozart on Swains Lane is a excellent option too). Very spacious and with a modern, slick finish it serves a variety of beers and ciders. One of the best outdoor spaces in the area and a great kitchen that serves what youâ¬"d expect by the â¬ÜWinner of the Sunday Independent/ LBC Gastro Pub of the Year!â¬". Be prepared to wait for a table on a sunny Sunday afternoon as the place gets very busy. Of course be also prepared to be surrounded by yummy mummies, Â£500+ baby carts, noisy small children and generally the rest of the Sunday family squad that descends on Hampsteadâ¬"s surrounding areas on a weekend.
Donâ¬"t let that put you off though. The Freemasons is still one of the best places to enjoy a drink and a bite after a hard days navigating the heights of the Heath.

The Dolphin - review by sokratis

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 01:43:10 +0000

The Dolphin - review by sokratis

Rating: 3.0

Location: 165 Mare Street, E8 3RH, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8985 3727

Tags: friendly, indie, electronica, hip-hop, house, underground, trendy

How does one begin to describe the Dolphin? Is it a pub or is it a club? It looks like a pub, works like a pub and smells like a pub, but then again itâ¬"s open until 5am on Saturdays, which makes it fall under the club category. Oh well, Iâ¬"ll leave semantics aside and go for the club version.
Located in Hackney, itâ¬"s a magnet for all of East Londonâ¬"s trendies who are still yearning for some entertainment after most places in Shoreditch shut down at 2am. You will find probably the highest concentration of skinny genes per capita in the world, along with funny haircuts, moustaches, shiny shell-suits, trench coats, white shoes, golden shoes and all the other hallmarks of the â¬ÜIâ¬"m so cool and creative in my self-expressionâ¬" uniform of the East London hipsterati.
A drink will cost you Â£3 and the atmosphere is very friendly and party oriented. Apparently the Karaoke nights are legendary, but not on when I went. Instead we went through a vibrant mix of cheese, hip-hop, dance pop and occasional Gypsy Kings thrown in for good measure.
Not a place for the easily offended or swank-loving professional crowd, but an interesting night out that Iâ¬"d recommend you try once - if only for the novelty factor alone.

Rivington Grill Bar - review by sokratis

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:39:08 +0000

Rivington Grill Bar - review by sokratis

Rating: 3.0

Location: 28-30 Rivington Street, EC2A 3DZ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7729 7053

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

Tags: lively, after work drinks, british, business, shoreditch, expensive

The Rivington Grill Bar is a place I wanted to visit for a while. A bit classier that the rest of the surrounding places and full of a buzzy crowd of the usual suspects for the area. Itâ¬"s perhaps that my expectations where high, but unfortunately the restaurants/bar failed to deliver.
We arrived without a booking on a very busy Friday, but the friendly staff was quick to find us a table for two. We settled on the sparse, but elegant environment (if you ingnore a couple of cables sticking out of the main wall) ordered a couple of glasses of wine and really enjoyed the freshly made bread that greeted us after minutes of sitting down. I wasnâ¬"t fussed at all about the fact they had run out of chips around 9pm on a Friday.
What I was fussed about (and Iâ¬"m generally quite easy going) was the fact the pear, chicory and Strathon blue salad, had enough cheese on it so that you could barely, technically get away with adding it on the menu, but it hardly featured on your mouth. The â¬Üdevilishlyâ¬" done kidneys (the devil there alluding to the hotness of the dish) were presented on a piece of toast with nothing but a very strong smell to accompany them and that was just a prelude of things to come.
The starters were minor annoyances, but the mains were really disappointing. My roast suckling pig arrived lukewarm and hard, which really took the flavor away from the meat and made it chewey. The mash potatoes were a few degrees away from cold too and the Black Gold medium-rare, rump steak came nowhere near the quality youâ¬"d expect from the Â£23.50 price tag (menu attached as pic).
We did not have time to re-order or stick around for desserts.
The staff were very professional and friendly throughout. They offered complimentary desserts, which we could not accept as we had to go. Unprompted, the waitress took two glasses of wine off the bill.
Which is nice and the main reason that I may venture to the Rivington again for drinks and maybe a quick bite, but I wonâ¬"t be booking any dinners any time soon.

Yupa's Thai Kitchen - review by Dharminder

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:04:22 +0000

Yupa's Thai Kitchen - review by Dharminder

Rating: 5.0

Location: 313 Chiswick High Road, W4 4HH, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8995 2424

Tags: thai

Well chiswick appears to have a good selection of Thai places. My other fave the turnham green cafe is about 10mins away. But that was closed this particular evening, so had to find another place on my way home. So gave this a try.

Couldn't fault it, the service was tops (the staff were simply brilliant), the food was real good (i had the jungle curry, which was nicy nice), the interior was clean and well done. Will definitely be back, (well depending on the route i take through chiswick, as the turnham green cafe has always been a personal fave).