Latest favourites and wishlist by antimega

Donna Margherita - review by herb

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:32:18 +0000

Donna Margherita - review by herb

Rating: 4.3

Location: 183 Lavender Hill, SW11 5TE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7228 2660

Tags: italian, family & home feel, good value, lively

were can you find a good traditional italian restaurant?
well...it's hard after a good search i came across that donar margherita is one if not the best around, theres allways the one next door, but donna margherita will give a taste of the best pizza in london.

Maison Bertaux - review by CPaskell

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:39:19 +0000

Maison Bertaux - review by CPaskell

Rating: 4.5

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

Phone: 020 7437 6007

Tags: cosy, good brew, quick bite

I come here for the cakes, I come here for the tea and I come here for the atmosphere. I love that this place still exists, when everything else of any individuality in Soho is shutting down to make way for another chain cafe. The window shows off their great range of cakes and the proprietor always has a chat with me and gives each customer the personal touch, talking through the cake choices and making recommendations. It gets very crowded and very busy but this is part of the fun of the place and part of its charm. The service is quick and the staff are really lovely. One to go to for the experience, as much as the quirky decor, friendly service and tasty cakes.

Maison Bertaux - review by boxinghefner

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:41:15 +0000

Maison Bertaux - review by boxinghefner

Rating: 4.5

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

Phone: 020 7437 6007

Tags: cosy, average brew, quick bite

Maison Bertaux is one of those places you go to; even though it's over-priced, even though it's scruffed round the edges, even though you are practically sitting in your neighbour's lap: because of both the atmosphere and the attractive waiting staff.

Donna Margherita - review by chrisp

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:10:04 +0000

Donna Margherita - review by chrisp

Rating: 4.3

Location: 183 Lavender Hill, SW11 5TE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7228 2660

Tags: italian, family & home feel, good value, lively

Just in case I wasn't getting smug enough with the two excellent restaurants either end of my road (The Fox and Hounds and The Food Room), word on the street (well OK, on the internet) had it that some of the best pizzas to be had in London came out of an unassuming local Italian restaurant on busy Lavender Hill. I don't know if it's even possible to have a truly great pizza, a foodstuff which is after all only tomato and cheese on bread, and I suppose the best I usually hope for is that it isn't too oily and isn't too expensive. So once I found out that there was a chance I may have been missing out on a good thing, I eagerly made my way to Donna Margherita.

Unfortunately, I needn't have worried. Though not exactly bad, my pizza - a Diavola - was just very dull, the kind of thing you could get in more or less any bog standard Italian restaurant in the capital. The dough was slightly tough, but with the odd crispy burned bubble to give a pleasant bit of texture. The fresh basil was a nice touch, and the chilli oil wasn't too overpowering and overall the mixture had just the right balance of sweet tomato and salty cheese. More than once I've been served a pizza so groaning with cheese it was like eating a huge flat fondue, so in this respect I suppose they're doing something right. Overall though, the effect was desperately underwhelming. We had been told to order the garlic bread, so we did, and this was nice enough with little crispy bits of fried rosemary and basil on top, albeit with the same tough dough. I wasn't exactly in raptures.

I only wish I could have said the same about my companion's meal, but his seafood pizza was not just disappointing in flavour but an actual health and safety hazard. You see, the chefs in their wisdom thought it would be a nice presentational flourish to keep the mussels in their shells as a topping on the pizza. And indeed at first glance it did look quite impressive, arranged as they were amongst squid tentacles and a scattering of shredded basil. But under the fierce heat of the pizza oven the mussel shells had burned and splintered alarmingly, so much so that every mouthful of pizza required a careful dissection in case any of the razor sharp fragments made their way into your mouth and shredded your gums. Less a meal and more a culinary minefield, I'm afraid the question of whether he could recommend Donna Margherita pizzas was answered with a definite "Dear God, no".

However, all is not lost. Just a couple of doors down from Donna Margherita on Lavender Hill is a little takeaway place called Basilico. There's no eat-in option but they do deliver, and having sampled a few items on their menu there is only one I keep coming back to - the Pizza Funghi au Truffle, topped with generous amounts of lovely big salami and drizzled with truffle oil. I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say it was great, but it is certainly very good, and with very little danger of physical injury. Basilico has 5 branches scattered around London, and the Pizza Funghi au Truffle in particular comes highly recommended.

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.

Maison Bertaux - review by Jobob

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:09:06 +0000

Maison Bertaux - review by Jobob

Rating: 4.5

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

Phone: 020 7437 6007

Everytime I come to Maison Bertauz it makes me happy..simple as that..

I love good tea, i love cakes and i love places with a bit of a buzz.. Maison Bertaux is perfect..would walk miles for their cakes..and often do!!(I can justify the cake it I walk there first!!)

Milk And Honey - review by gilka

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:21:55 +0000

Milk And Honey - review by gilka

Rating: 4.3

Location: 61 Poland Street, W1F 7NU, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7565 1620

Website: http://www.mlkhny.com/london

Great place! It helped that we knew someone from inside.
It is a member bar so not sure how difficult it is to get in.
We had A-M-A-Z-I-N-G cocktails with extermely professional stories being told
on each drink! The place is a bit dark but it has good energy.
They have some house rules so ask before doing something silly...
the theme is prohibition time and this is why the place has no clear signs outside of it.

Maison Bertaux - review by sjspage

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:58:40 +0000

Maison Bertaux - review by sjspage

Rating: 4.5

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

Phone: 020 7437 6007

Yes it's small, cramped, has uncomfortable seating and you are very close to the next table - however the window display has a host of quite fantastic sweet delicacies - swill any one of them down with a tea or coffee.

If you've OD'd on sugar products they also serve a pizza slice!

Maison Bertaux - review by MichalD

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:10:16 +0000

Maison Bertaux - review by MichalD

Rating: 4.5

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

Phone: 020 7437 6007

Tags: cosy, quiet & relaxed, good brew, quick bite, cultured

This is one of the places where you can switch off - or should I say switch over - the moment you place your foot in it. Apart from an amzing selection of cakes and pastries, Maison Bertaux, a place with a very colourful history, has also an equally amazing selection of visitors.

Maison Bertaux - review by JehonaGjurgjeala

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 22:52:14 +0000

Maison Bertaux - review by JehonaGjurgjeala

Rating: 4.5

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

Phone: 020 7437 6007

Tags: cosy, great tea, great cakes, full of character, arty, top food, amazing brew

This place is just... spot on. Somehow I think it can bring anyone right in the mood that they are craving at the moment - you can be slightly cooky, gossipy, arty, continental... And if you dont feel like any of the characters mentioned above - it doesnt matter. This cafe has such a bit heart that everyone will feel perfectly at home, wherever they are coming from. Oh, and the cakes are excellent!

Maison Bertaux - review by opticnoodle

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 18:34:02 +0000

Maison Bertaux - review by opticnoodle

Rating: 4.5

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

Phone: 020 7437 6007

huge pot of tea, yummy cakes, welcoming old fashioned atmosphere. I want to go back and gossip with a girl friend in the upstairs room for hours.

Maison Bertaux - review by antimega

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:03:30 +0000

Maison Bertaux - review by antimega

Rating: 4.5

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

Phone: 020 7437 6007

Great cakes and pastries with a truly old fashioned Soho atmosphere.

Parisienne - review by antimega

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 08:58:59 +0000

Parisienne - review by antimega

Rating: 4.0

Location: 225 Lavender Hill, SW11 1JR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7924 5523

My local caff, they serve a surprising range of breakfasts and other meals. Set breakfasts are good value, going off-piste means the cost mounts up.

Donna Margherita - review by antimega

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 08:53:44 +0000

Donna Margherita - review by antimega

Rating: 4.3

Location: 183 Lavender Hill, SW11 5TE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7228 2660

A great Italian, serving probably the best pizzas in London.

Milk And Honey - review by girlswear

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 20:24:07 +0000

Milk And Honey - review by girlswear

Rating: 4.3

Location: 61 Poland Street, W1F 7NU, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7565 1620

Website: http://www.mlkhny.com/london

Milk & Honey is one of my favourite bars in London. I've been there a few times. love their house rules. I suppose it's tricky to go to without knowing anyone with the membership (which is Â£300 to join).

Their bartenders are quite talented, not only they make excellent cocktails (also non-alcoholic cocktails). Sometimes you can tell them what mood you're in, and they can make you something off the menu. Talk about creativity! Okay, so it's about Â£7 for one but it's worth it. My favourites are "Cubanada" (Cuban Rum with Canadian Maple Syrup) and "Honey Smash" (strawberry, hoeny and vodka).

The pretentious rich guy next table could be annoying when you know he's just trying to impress his date with this exclusive members only club. Other than that, I love Milk & Honey.