Latest reviews by claypole http://trustedplaces.com/user/claypole Place reviews by claypole en Latest reviews by claypole http://trustedplaces.com/uploads/userpics/AntonChristodoulou_dd0d2672.120.jpg http://trustedplaces.com/user/claypole The Princess Victoria http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/bar-pub/1x01s8t/the-princess-victoria

Rating: 4.7

Location: 217 Uxbridge Road, W12 9DH, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8749 5886

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

This newly refurbished pub on the Uxbridge Road is exactly what "The Bush" needed. It has been turned into a fantastic open space, with high ceilings and plenty of light, the food is excellent (I have only had bar snacks so far, but plan to have dinner and Sunday lunch here soon. You can eat in the pub or they have a large connected dining area), they have three pages of wine for white and then another three pages of red. The price of the wine escalates quite quickly however, so not a huge selection sub £20, which is a shame. That said, all the wine is good (including the house) and we have had some spectacular bottles around £30-40 mark. They are very knowledgeable too, just ask for an expert behind the bar. And you can take away at off-license prices, which is a nice touch.

They are doing a farmers market outside on a Saturday, although I haven't had a chance to check this out yet. And they are planing to bring in experts and do wine tasting. They have a decent selection of draft and bottled beers and cider, and do some classic cocktails too.

All in all then, my only criticism is how much I end up spending whenever I "pop down the local" with my friends!]]> Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:32:26 +0000 /review/uk/london/bar-pub/1x01s8t/the-princess-victoria1592009415 claypole 51.506418603013 -0.24026155471802 Dino Art Cafe http://trustedplaces.com/review/cyprus/limassol/restaurant/1g1658a/dino-art-cafe

Rating: 5.0

Location: Irinis Str. 62-66, , Limassol, Cyprus

Phone: +357 25 762030

Tags: italian, greek, oriental, seafood, international, african & caribbean, good value, mediterranean, brasserie, japanese, lively

Hidden Gem?On a recent trip to Cyprus, it took a while to find places I could wholeheartedly recommend, and in particular, good bars and restaurants. Dino Art Cafe is in Limassol's old town, which has seen a major face lift and has lots of new places to hang out since the last time I was here a few years ago.

Where Dino's stands out is in its ability to provide excellent food in a great atmosphere with friendly service. It is a great place for lunch, when the place is buzzing and they have an extensive selection of sandwiches and salads (Jamaican Jerk chicken salad being a favourite) and super-fresh sashimi and sushi. In the evening, the atmosphere manages to be both more relaxed and formal at the same time. The dark chocolate cake is something to behold and reminds me of the first time I had the chocolate cake at E&O in Notting Hill when it first opened. The only bad dish I had was the Wasabi Seaweed salad which was too sweet and sticky, everything else was excellent and we visited Dino's quite a few times once we had found it.

Because of its location in the old town, you can check out a few other places before or afterwards too. Highly recommended.]]> Fri, 23 May 2008 19:42:24 +0000 /review/cyprus/limassol/restaurant/1g1658a/dino-art-cafe1311940081 claypole italian greek oriental seafood international african & caribbean good value mediterranean brasserie japanese lively Monmouth Coffee Company http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/food/1o12f7b/monmouth-coffee-company

Rating: 4.6

Location: 2 Park Street, SE1 9AB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7645 3562

Website: http://www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk/ourshops.htm#theborough

Tags: relaxed, open, amazing brew, bustling, quick bite, lively

Brilliant CoffeeThe best coffee I have had anywhere (well, except Laos but that's a bit further afield!). Great location bang in the heart of Borough Market (which also gets 5 stars), there is another Monmouth Coffee Company in the Market itself, which is more like a market stall, great for a quick takeaway. The main one on the corner is open, bustling and makes you realise just how generic the likes of Starbucks and Costa have become, no comparison.

They is also do bread and jam on the long central wooden table (help yourself and pay a flat fee), and cakes and biscuits laid out on a counter. In the summer the jam and cakes attracted quite a few wasps which the staff didn't seem to care about which put me off having anything to eat here, but then that's not why you come here anyway.

One other thing to bear in mind, the double espresso really is the strongest coffee I have ever had, in fact I think that applies to all their coffee. You have been warned!]]> Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:18:10 +0000 /review/uk/london/food/1o12f7b/monmouth-coffee-company422472545 claypole relaxed open amazing brew bustling quick bite lively 51.505439 -0.091383 Gourmet Burger Kitchen http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/171228s/gourmet-burger-kitchen

Rating: 4.0

Location: 131 Chiswick High Road, W4 2ED, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8995 4548

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

Tags: lively, good value, burger

Top quality burger actionIt does what it says on the tin. Recommended.]]> Fri, 09 Nov 2007 15:30:31 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/171228s/gourmet-burger-kitchen2088435700 claypole lively good value burger 51.492388615581 -0.25413670043343 Latymers http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1q52u8o/latymers

Rating: 4.5

Location: 157 Hammersmith Road, W14 0QL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8741 2507

Tags: lively, top quality, consistent, cheap eat, good value, authentic, thai, tasty, friendly

Simple, consistent and damn tasty Thai!I have been coming here for over 13 years. The décor and ambience are ok, the pub at the front is ok too, relaxed and friendly and always fairly busy. Where Latymers stands out is the food; simple and authentic versions of all the Thai staples such as Tom Ka Gai - chicken in coconut soup, choose spicy; Pad Nam Prik Pao - chicken in a tasty Thai chilli paste - at lunch just ask for No.8 chicken spicy; some great specials, Gai Tord Rad Prik is a big favourite - basically like Thai KFC but a lot fresher and tastier! And the closest I have had to Thai food in Thailand. It is excellently priced, especially at lunch time, service is friendly and relaxed and it's a great place to go with a group of mates or just the two of you.]]> Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:25:03 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1q52u8o/latymers647880453 claypole lively top quality consistent cheap eat good value authentic thai tasty friendly 51.493600846476 -0.21519427159347 Le Vacherin http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1962o76/le-vacherin

Rating: 4.5

Location: 76-77 South Pde, W4 5LF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8742 2121

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

Tags: french, good value, unpretentious

Ce Magnifique!I have visited Le Vacherin twice in the last 3 months, having previously been to Racine for the first time (Knightsbridge). On balance I would say the food, efficiency of the service and ironically the price was marginally better at Racine; Le Vacherin makes up for this in atmosphere, serving fantastic traditional french food with very friendly service and in a relaxed typically french bistro setting.

Highly recommended.]]> Wed, 07 Nov 2007 11:40:19 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1962o76/le-vacherin1126271672 claypole french good value unpretentious 51.496154557149 -0.26551817565482 Cerveceria Catalana http://trustedplaces.com/review/spain/barcelona/restaurant/1c24c8i/cerveceria-catalana

Rating: 5.0

Location: Carrer de Mallorca 236, CT 08008, Barcelona, Spain

Tags: lively, catalan, seafood, good value, spanish, crowded, tapas

Tapas Tapas TapasThis place is a staple whenever I visit Barcelona, I have been coming here for over 10 years. I end up here on numerous occasions day and night (it's open from 7:30am until 1:30am Mon-Sun). The tapas is superb, with some fantastic daily specials such as baby squid, it has a nice outside area and the atmosphere inside is great too. There is a real buzz and it feels like a local place, not a tourist trap. On my last trip, and a little worse for wear, I managed to forget how to get here and a group of us spent nearly an hour and a half (no, really) in a taxi trying to find it. And failed. The following day some friends that live in Barcelona took us to their favourite tapas bar... you guessed it. Suffice to say, highly recommended.]]> Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:19:56 +0000 /review/spain/barcelona/restaurant/1c24c8i/cerveceria-catalana688936329 claypole lively catalan seafood good value spanish crowded tapas 41.392512 2.160792 L'Atelier De Joel Robuchon http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/restaurant/1o52586/l-atelier-de-joel-robuchon

Rating: 4.6

Location: 13-15 West Street, WC2H 9NE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7010 8600

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

Tags: Expensive

FaultlessThis is one of the best restaurants I have ever been to, and I've been to most in this class, both in London and abroad.

The decor and ambience was perfect, the service excellent, all the food was outstanding, my favourite being the quail stuffed with fois gras. Our initial wine recommendation was lighter than I had hoped based on my preferences, but did compliment our starters, which were predominantly seafood based. The next choice from a decent, mainly (if not all) French wine list was excellent. After our meal and on contemplating the mayhem of a Saturday night in the heart of the West End, we were directed to a fantastic private bar and were the last to leave at some point early Sunday morning. The cocktails were spot on, the Jamaican Mule being a staple, but there were no bar snacks of any kind, which was unfortunate. The bill was outrageously expensive but along with the company this was a great night out and worth every penny.
]]> Thu, 13 Sep 2007 17:05:51 +0000 /review/uk/london/restaurant/1o52586/l-atelier-de-joel-robuchon188617387 claypole Expensive 51.512979 -0.128097 C. Lidgate http://trustedplaces.com/review/uk/london/food/1n42z8p/c-lidgate

Rating: 5.0

Location: 110 Holland Park Avenue, W11 4UA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7727 8243

The best butchers I have ever been to (and go to). Their Cornish pasties and kofte kebabs are superb but then so is everything else.]]> Fri, 20 Jul 2007 00:30:27 +0000 /review/uk/london/food/1n42z8p/c-lidgate1842330723 claypole 51.506095200516 -0.20894204508918