Latest favourites and wishlist by coldclimate

Favela Chic - review by CristinaA

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:31:58 +0000

Favela Chic - review by CristinaA

Rating: 3.5

Location: 91-93 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HZ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7613 5228

Website: http://www.favelachic.com

Tags: brazilian, crowded, expensive, lively

French Brazilian, there's nowhere like this place in London. Interior has been creatively put together using re-cycled materials, tables are old school desks, matched up with chairs and disused benches, hanging mobiles with parrots, mirrors and dried flowers. They do their own take of delicious Brazilian cantina food.

I recommend Feijoda washed down with one of their perfect mojitos- www.favelachic.com

Music is eclectic,and mid week they usually have a live band playing.

El Centro - review by LEGALVINCE

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:53:47 +0000

El Centro - review by LEGALVINCE

Rating: 5.0

Location: 824 9th Avenue, 10019, New York, United States of America

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

I went to El Centro this saturday (11 October 2008) for a late lunch with a friend, she knew that place and recommended it. I must say that the decoration is really loud, but this is how it is supposed to be, the food is good and prices quite reasonnable.
I felt like I was actually having my (late) lunch with a very pretty girl sitting opposite to me on the other side of the room. I couldn't resist letting her know that I appreciated her (somehow distant) company and expressed my liking. Although my intention was not to get any phone number, had it been given to me, I would have used it maybe for a (less distant) lunch at El Centro, or alternatively for dinner date in Paris, France. This idea still remains open.
Vincent
(con tact would be : legalvince -at- aol -dot- com)

Loch Fyne - review by picsclick

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:25:28 +0000

Loch Fyne - review by picsclick

Rating: 4.5

Location: The Former United Reform Church, NE3 4ES, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Tags: romantic, international, good value

Loch Fyne - i'd heard about them before but never visited one of their restaurants. I'm so glad we now have one in the area. In a nutshell, i loved it! When we arrived i was surprised to find it situated in an old church - the decor is perfect and really adds to the ambiance. You might expect that it would be cold and drab interior based on the property, but that couldn't be furthest from the truth. The menu is extensive and all will find something they like. The food arrived quickly and i can't rate it highly enough! Its gorgeous - both how it looks and also how it tastes. Wonderful in every way!

The Cluny - review by jaws

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:26:40 +0000

The Cluny - review by jaws

Rating: 4.7

Location: 36 Lime Street, NE1 2PQ, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom

The cluny is down ouseburn. It has a good ale selection and frequent live music and gigs. The bar is nice enough, and as a gig venue it is very good, quite small so lots of atmosphere. Lighting and sound quality are average to good.

One down side is that the cluny is quite isolated from other places to go out in Newcastle upon tyne, although if you have a car then this is not a problem. But walking there from the station is a bit of a trek. All in all though I recommend this place â¬ great for gigs and for its drink selection.

Bincho Yakitori - review by mvk0016

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:02:30 +0000

Bincho Yakitori - review by mvk0016

Rating: 4.2

Location: 2nd Floor, Oxo Tower, SE1 9PH, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7803 0858

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

Tags: romantic, oriental, good value, japanese

Bincho Yakitori in the OXO tower is one of my favourite restaurants in London as it combines the 2 things that I always look for in a restaurant: Good food and a great environment to eat it in. The concept of yakitori is grilled skewers of traditionally chicken, but other types of fish, vegetables and meat are also on offer. Some that stand out are unagi (eel), momo (corn-fed chicken), ika (squid), enokibacon (enoki mushrooms wrapped in bacon), mehikari (fried fish with 7 spices), and the best dessert ever, layered banana cake with green tea ice cream.

The ambience is great, and the views to the river fantastic, if you go make sure you book in advance and ask for a table next to the window, I've never been disappointed as they always give me one.

Ping Pong Dim Sum - review by misstravelbug

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:55:23 +0000

Ping Pong Dim Sum - review by misstravelbug

Rating: 3.3

Location: 45 Great Marlborough Street, W1F 7JL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7851 6969

Website: http://www.pingpongdimsum.com

Tags: lively, chinese

So it's not the most authentic chinese dim sum restaurant it's more asian fusion and caters to western tastes. The decor is always cool and the service is great. The dim sums are fairly hit and miss...a bit overpriced for what you get. The jasmin tea with the opening flowers is pretty cool. It's a classier joint that your typical chinatown dim sum restaurant.

Malmaison Newcastle - review by ellieb3

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:49:54 +0000

Malmaison Newcastle - review by ellieb3

Rating: 4.5

Location: 104 Quayside, NE1 3DX, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Phone: 0191 245 5000

Website: http://www.malmaison.com

Super away from the bustle of newcastle quayside sanctuary, malmaison is a quirky eclectic,colourfull place to put your head down for the night or several. The hotel bar area often gets busy with people just popping in for a drink, it attracts a variety of clientel from your suited buisness types needing a drink after work to the local football team. Great cocktail and drinks list. Ive stayed att he hotel twice and ate in the restaurant once, food was nice but service wasnt the best, we were kept waiting for ages and it wasnt so busy. Hotel rooms are nice, showers great and mabe not to everyones taste but i loved the dim mood lighting. I believe they had a gym or sauna mabe in the basement but we never ventured down there. Id def stay again!

The Morgan Arms - review by fairy600

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:02:54 +0000

The Morgan Arms - review by fairy600

Rating: 4.2

Location: 43 Morgan Street, E3 5AA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8980 6389

Website: http://www.geronimo-inns.co.uk/themorgan/

Tags: cool, excellent pub food, cool & smart, traditional pub, pretentious, trendy, relaxed, posh

A very cosy old authentic pub. The Morgan situated on a corner close to Tredegar square in Bow offers a fantastic food menu- the roasts must be tried. The bar food is just as impressive offering selections of hoummous, mozzarella balls, dips, bread , oils etc. The interior has been carefully designed and you could spend hours just admiring the decor. The prices are fairly steep -Â£16 roast and alcohol is not cheap. However, the quality of the food and service does justify these prices and I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed. The only down side is that the crowd can be slightly pretentious but I suppose thats what you tend to expect at higher priced pubs in London.

Noodle Bar - review by nbw1

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:56:26 +0000

Noodle Bar - review by nbw1

Rating: 4.2

Location: Grenfell Island, 56-58 King St, SL6 1DY, Maidenhead, United Kingdom

Probably the fastest restaurant in Maidenhead to be seated, served and pushed out the door. Although not the most of comfortable of seating, the quality and range of rice and noodle dishes sure does make up for it. Food portions are enormous considering the low cost of each dish and works out at about Â£10 per person including drinks. This place can get very busy due to its location but staff are very efficient and you are usually in and out within 45 minutes. If you take away your food they offer a 10% discount off your complete order including drinks.

The Hobgoblin - review by samking

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:44:53 +0000

The Hobgoblin - review by samking

Rating: 3.7

Location: 2 Broad Street, RG1 2BH, Reading, United Kingdom

Phone: 0118 950 8119

Tags: pub, weird pub, The Hobgoblin, reading

Having discovered this by accident - I was very pleased with the find. It is the smallest pub I've ever been in. It has a weird interior - all the walls and ceilings decorated with beer mats that the pub has served over the years. There are also wooden alcoves where you can sit (only a few people on a table). If there's a large group of you I wouldn't bother coming here as you would fill the pub.

The selection of ales on offer is great - and apart from the atmosphere and the strangeness of this pub (it is a good experience coming here). I would definitely pop in - it's so convenient as it's on the high street opposite the main entrance to the Oracle. Pop in for one and you'll probably end up staying for a few.

Starters 'n' Puds - review by parisianskies

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:08:35 +0000

Starters 'n' Puds - review by parisianskies

Rating: 4.0

Location: 2-6 Shakespeare Street, NE1 6AQ, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Tags: brasserie, gastro pub, family & home feel, good value

A gorgeous little restaurant down some stairs just around the corner from the Theatre Royal in Newcastle. The Starters n Puds idea is to choose as many starter sized plates of food as you wish, for yourself or to share as a group, then still have room for a dessert. I visited with a group of friends on a busy Saturday night and although it took quite a while to be seated (even though I'd booked a table in advance), the lounge area is lovely to wait in. We chose quite a few different starters among the group and then some side plates to share too - the sweet potato wedges are a must! We also liked the chicken breast strips seasoned with cayenne pepper and served with aioli, the spanish meatballs and the Thai spring rolls. Then came desserts, and after trying some of each person's around the table, we thought that the best were the Baileys creme brulee with homemade shortbread and the sticky toffee pudding - well worth a try!

The Cluny - review by Kaemi

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:33:17 +0000

The Cluny - review by Kaemi

Rating: 4.7

Location: 36 Lime Street, NE1 2PQ, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Tags: live music, cool & smart, live, young professionals, independent pub, young and fun, students, trendy, friendly, relaxed

The Cluny is well known locally for the fantastic content of their live music programme, and the wide variety of artists they stage. There is live music most nights, and a very relaxed, friendly atmosphere. The Cluny is not somewhere that the passer by would generally seek to venture into, and therefore remains the domain of the locals and the students. It does seem to primarily attract a younger crowd, however all seem very welcome. Being slightly off the beaten track keeps this pub hidden, although it is clean and comfortable. I have even seen a wedding reception held here! The area is currently regenerating, and I would expect this to be one of the next places to be in Newcastle.

Ping Pong Dim Sum - review by AndrewS

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:49:23 +0000

Ping Pong Dim Sum - review by AndrewS

Rating: 3.3

Location: 45 Great Marlborough Street, W1F 7JL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7851 6969

Website: http://www.pingpongdimsum.com

Tags: chinese

Food tastes OK, but not fresh, food like you buy in supermarket,then put in microwave......

Il Gusto Corn Stores - review by funki_munki

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:37:04 +0000

Il Gusto Corn Stores - review by funki_munki

Rating: 4.0

Location: 10 Forbury Road, RG1 1AX, Reading, United Kingdom

Phone: 0118 951 2340

I have been to the restaurant upstairs in this establishment but never to the bar downstairs. Itâ¬"s a deceptively big room upstairs which made it seem rather quiet on the evening myself and my partner arrived. It turned out it was actually quite busy but there were only 2 members of staff on. Despite this, the service was fairly good, although we were left without cutlery and given the ridiculously large pepper grinder to use ourselves â¬ I had to stand up to use it!

The food was good but nothing out of the ordinary. Strangely for an Italian restaurant, the best dish for us was the Greek, stuffed vine leaves!

Il Gusto Corn Stores - review by pingu

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:26:32 +0000

Il Gusto Corn Stores - review by pingu

Rating: 4.0

Location: 10 Forbury Road, RG1 1AX, Reading, United Kingdom

Phone: 0118 951 2340

Tags: excellent pub food

This is one of the best italian restaurants that I have been to.

The food is excellent and the portions are very generous. I love their pepper grinder!! Food came switly and it was very tasty and very authentic.

The restaurant's deco was very nice and it was very original as well. the tables, chairs and everything seems to fit very well together and kin of reminds you of an osteria.

waitress was very helpful and have a lovely smiling face, which makes it a very nice experience dining there. any additional orders came swiftly and the choice of wine is great.

Highly recommeded.