Latest reviews by belinda

David Bann

belinda — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 23:32:33 +0000

Rating: 3.7

Location: 56-58 St Mary's Street, EH1 1SX, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Phone: 0131 556 5888

Website: http://www.davidbann.com

Tags: vegetarian, crowded, noisy

David Bann should be banned!I am so so so very sorry to everyone who visited this restaurant based on my review from 2006. Not visited this restaurant for at least a year and a half and was very excited to be going tonight ... oh dear.

Lets run through the experience for you.
Arrival ... not friendly "NAME!"
Drinks ... warm white wine and probably the worst Mojito this side of Hadrian's Wall.
Follow-up Drinks ... no idea as no-one asked if we wanted any more and we never saw our waitress again.
Bread ... stale (its only Friday surely you can get fresh bread)
Starters ...1. Thai fritters (tasteless minced tofu, soggy) 2. Humous & bread (bread stale again but the humous was fine)
Mains ...1. Tasted like Old E'Paso mix stuffed in a red pepper served with soggy chips) 2. A bad Indian curry in a soggy pancake with a warm cabbage leaf on the side filled with "something" - just like Granny used to make!)
Dessert ... didn't want to risk it
Service ... very bad (except for the waiting assistant who seemed to be the only person working)

I am giving this restaurant 1 star because it does not let me give it zero and that is being generous. It was so bad that seriously nothing could tempt me to eat there again.

Eat and Two Veg

belinda — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:23:50 +0000

Rating: 3.2

Location: 50 Marylebone High Street, W1U 5HN, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7258 8595

Website: http://www.eatandtwoveg.com/

Tags: american, british, crowded, diner, brunch, burgers, breakfast, vegetarian

Minus a star for the Goats Cheese & Courgette TartBefore lunching at Eat & 2 Veg today I would have given them 4 stars but my meal was soooooo bad that they have lost one whole star. Their Goats Cheese & Courgette Tart was so bad that I couldn't eat it. Sloppy half cooked onions & courgettes mixed with a dash of goats cheese that is melted through so that it is totally unrecognizable as cheese. The tart base however was nice, pity they couldn't actually cook the filling in the tart instead of slopping it in after. Then they top of the hot tart with lettuce leaves - my pet hate, tart = HOT, salad = COLD and never the twain shall meet, hot lettuce hmmmm.

But don't let that put you off this place, just stick to the burgers and breakfasts and you can't go wrong. Great juice, great coffee and (usually) great food.

Konstam

belinda — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 12:48:59 +0000

Rating: 4.1

Location: 109 King's Cross Road, WC1X 9LR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7833 5040

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

Tags: expensive, english wine, local produce, organic, crowded

Have you seen my waitress?My friend has been eager to visit Konstam for ages and we finally got to go last night. Unfortunately it did not live up to its hype. Service was appalling and food was so-so. Although they apologised for the 3 hours it took for us to have our meal, it simply was not good enough. The reason...everyone was seated at the same time...hello! everyone booked, there are no walk-ins here so not staggering your bookings if your kitchen cannot handle it is simply unacceptable.

Service was not attentive and we had to ask several times for things that were missing. Our waitress was run off her feet while 3 other staff stood behind the counter and chatted. When i asked one of these for my coffee, did he make it? no he went and found our waitress who had to make all our coffees while they watched. Its that team spirit that really makes the place.

Decor was... well kind of strange. the windows and ceilings were draped in those metal beads that you often see in Chelsea establishments and looked totally out of place in the old pub, I think the space had a great opportunity to make it something special and they totally missed it.

There were 5 of us and although I did enjoy my food everyone else was not impressed. I was however impressed with the English wine!

Wine Factory

belinda — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 12:26:13 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 294 Westbourne Grove, W11 2PS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7229 1877

Website: http://www.brinkleys.com

Tags: italian, wine, outdoor seating, expensive

Lots to Whine aboutThis is the first time we have been to the Wine Factory and our last. We were impressed with the decor (looks a tad 90's from the outside but a better feel inside) and the staff were friendly but value for money it is not. 4 of us for lunch, no wine, only water and only one course each, the bill was Â£80. The food was bland and unimpressive and I assume people come for the wine not the food? Unfortunately for us it was a business lunch so sampling the wine was not an option. I much prefer Negozio Classica across the road, sorry Wine Factory.

Melt

belinda — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:59:27 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 59 Ledbury Road, W11 2AA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7727 5030

Website: http://www.meltchocolates.com

Tags: expensive, gift, present, engagement, treat, special, chocolate

Willy Wonka Lookout!Unusual and yummy chocolates ( in this chocolate shop, they are not a cafe but they do have hot chocolate.

Its a "select your own" set-up but don't go crazy as these chocolates are very expensive. My husband went a tad crazy when we first went there and we ended up with a box of chocolates for Â£30 (thats after I made him put some back!). Luckily these chocolates are so divine that you only need a couple to overdose.

They do these chocolate hearts where you can put a gift inside and they seal it up, very cute!

They used to have the most amazing chocolate fudge cake but it was made by some woman not by Melt and she stopped making it, get it back! it was divine.

They package the chocolate very nice so it always makes a great gift and you can sometime see the chocolates being made as the shop/kitchen is open.

Julie's Restaurant & Bar

belinda — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:39:41 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 135 Portland Road, W11 4LW, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7229 8331

Website: http://www.juliesrestaurant.com

Tags: romantic, british, good value, wine, outdoor seating, expensive

Romantic and SpecialGreat restaurant, fantastic decor with different rooms decorated with different themes. We ate in the White Room, food was fantastic, service was professional and I would recommend this restaurant for a romantic dinner or if you need a special/quirky place to take someone.

Bloody French

belinda — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 13:26:37 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 149 Westbourne Grove, W11 2RS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7727 7770

Website: http://www.bloodyfrench.com/

Tags: cosy, top food, proper food, fire, crowded, funky, trendy

Great name!Great decor, friendly staff and fresh tasty food. My only complaint is the lack of veggie options (but then they are French so I can't complain too much) and they need to change their menu more often. Otherwise a great choice for any night of the week.

Gail's

belinda — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:36:49 +0000

Rating: 3.7

Location: 138 Portobello Road, W11 2DZ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7460 0766

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

Tags: quick bite, soup, top food, amazing brew, bread, cakes, pastries, crowded

Bread HeavenHeavenly bread, cakes and savory bits. Coffee is the best in Notting Hill I think along with their pain au chocolates. They have outside tables (with heaters) and limited seating inside (downstairs they have made into a comfy seating area but up top is not so comfy.

Totally mad on the weekend with the market crowd around but during the week you can usually get a table. If not grab some bread to take home, it is truly divine.

Mexicali

belinda — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:25:01 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 147 Notting Hill Gate, W11 3LF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7243 4148

Tags: comfortable, private area, big screen tv, helpful staff, cocktails, mexican, vegetarian, bar, restaurant

Upmarket Mexican - CLOSED!!UPDATE - THIS PLACE IS NOW CLOSED, not surprised as they were never very busy and the restaurant lease is now for sale at the bargain price of Â£80,000 per month...that is alot of tacos!!

We like this place and have been here a few times. Good looking place which is comfortable with friendly staff.

Food is always fresh and a good standard. They also do a brunch with a Mexican twist which is worth a try. Lots of Margaritas on the cocktail list (too bad I hate tequila!). I have never seen it very full but it has not been in the area very long, if they can keep up the standard they should do well.

They have a big screen TV upstairs although I have never seen it on. I think you can hire out that area for private parties.

This place is more upscale than your average Mexican restaurant, you wont see any cheesy sombreros or striped wall hangings here. Prices are cheap for the area.

The Witchery By The Castle

belinda — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:26:12 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 352 Castlehill, EH1 2NF, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Phone: 0131 225 5613

Website: http://www.thewitchery.com

Tags: romantic, candels, haunted, scottish, historic, good value, atmosphere, wine, garden, expensive

History, Atmosphere & Great Food!Wonderful atmosphere, friendly and attentive staff, wine book the size of a novel and great food ... can't beat that.

We usually book a table in the secret gardens (there are 2 different restaurant areas at the Witchery) and have never been disappointed.

They also have a lunch or supper menu (2 courses for something like Â£12) so you don't have to break the budget to go to this charming restaurant. They also take bookings until around 11:30pm so if your not fussy on eating early you can always get a table.

Love this place, if you are visiting Edinburgh I would say it is a must and if you live there then this is a great place for a romantic dinner or to take visitors.

Gate Bar & Burgers

belinda — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:07:53 +0000

Rating: 1.0

Location: 90 Notting Hill Gate, W11 3HP, London, United Kingdom

Tags: bar, unfriendly, burgers, dark, funky

Where's the Food?We have tried twice to eat here to no avail. Place looks funky and dark although a bit limited on the seating but I guess on busy nights its drinking and standing room only.

The staff are unfriendly and inattentive. The second time we went here we ordered 3 times and 3 times our choices were not available but they didn't tell us straight away, we had to leave half drinks to go somewhere that did serve food.

Their PR says they have the best burgers around but who knows? Maybe someone has actually been able to eat here and let me know!

Overall this is a bar, very limited space to eat because with a few people drinking all the tables are gone and you have nowhere to eat from.

If you want to go somewhere to stand up and have a drink then this might be your scene although I think there are many better places in the area.

Camera Obscura

belinda — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:39:11 +0000

Rating: 4.8

Location: 547-549 Castlehill, EH1 2ND, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Phone: 0131 226 3709

Website: http://www.camera-obscura.co.uk

Tags: views, edinburgh, museum. sightseeing, gallery

Fun and InterestingI took my 16 year old nephew here and I think I enjoyed it more than he did. Holograms and light tricks/displays and the view from the roof is brilliant.

Browns

belinda — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 20:14:28 +0000

Rating: 3.3

Location: 131 George Street, EH2 4JS, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Phone: 0131 225 4442

Website: http://www.browns-restaurants.com

Tags: romantic, international. cocktails, british, good value, crowded, brasserie, expensive

Consistently GoodBrowns has been long established on George Street and has been consistently good. Great food, great cocktails and wine. Comfortable seating with a great atmosphere. I don't think I have ever had a bad meal here (well OK once I did). If you are looking for somewhere where you know you will enjoy your meal then Browns is definitely somewhere you should go.

Biblos

belinda — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:55:25 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 74 South Bridge, EH1 1HN, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Phone: 0131 2267177

Tags: live music, university, djs, nachos, standard pub food, independent pub, students, wines, breakfast, brasserie, comfy, trendy, music, bar, restaurant, lively

so-so food, good venueUpdating my review which I first posted below: Went to Biblos last week and the great nachos is not so great any more, service is still pretty non-existant but it is in a good people watching spot ... just don't order the nachos of fajitas!

Biblos is on the south side and a haunt of university students and arty types. Food is great, fantastic nachos and a well stocked bar. Open late with live DJs. Service is not so great, we have often had to track down staff just to pay our bill. But aside from that I really like this place. Comfortable seats and they also do a good breakfast.

Belushi's

belinda — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 19:48:24 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 9-13 Market Street, EH1 1DF, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Phone: 0131 226 1446

Website: http://www.belushis.com

Tags: lively, sport, cheap eat, beer, fries, burgers, bar

Backpacker CentralCosy bar with good comfort food. TV's to watch sport and quite lively. Last time we went there it was full of Australian backpackers (kind of like Belushi's in Shepherds Bush). It is pretty small but I think that adds to the atmosphere.