Latest reviews by fabiodebe

Santo

fabiodebe — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:10:43 +0000

Rating: 5.0

Location: 299 Portobello Road, W10 5TD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8968 459

Website: http://www.santovillage.com/

Tags: good value, family & home feel

Finest mexican food in town...Santo is a very nice Mexican restaurant and lounge bar which serves delicious food and great cocktails. The minimal look and the great care of every detail makes it a very enjoyable place where to dine and have a drink. Lunch and weekends' brunch are also very nice. Everything I had was really good so I find it hard to recommend anything in particular. Avocado is awesome and incredibly fresh, coming straight from Mexico! Also fresh juices are great and are the perfect complement to a 360Â° Mexican food experience. Burritos are very nice (either prawns and carne asada) and last night I had a very tasty enchillada de pollo. Starters are not huge but main dishes are very generous. I suggest to have a starter and a main dish each if you're hungry... even better if you share starters with your mates. All the crew is very kind and treat you with kid gloves. The best thing is that all this pampering comes at the right price! Despite many other trendy places (often only pretentious...) Santo's prices are definitely in the right range. I'm not saying cheap but I've never been disappointed by the bill.

Koba Restaurant

fabiodebe — Sat, 10 May 2008 16:18:37 +0000

Rating: 3.5

Location: 11 Rathbone Street, W1T 1NA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7580 8825

Website: http://www.koba-london.com/

Tags: good value, korean

Don't wear your favourite shirt... :)Koba is a very nice Korean place, not expensive and the food is very good. You can't go there without eating some of their awesome grilled meat or tasting their starters, but the place is incredibly smelly! So don't wear your fave outfit and forget about going anywhere else for a drink (not even think of a club, they will bounce you at the door for sure!) after dining!
My tip is to take different starters and main courses and share them.
The bill is reasonable even if you add the dry cleaning for your clothes... :)
All in all a nice place to go, I'd recommend it.

Barrafina

fabiodebe — Sat, 10 May 2008 16:03:29 +0000

Rating: 4.5

Location: 54 Frith St, W1D 4SL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7813 8010

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

Tags: lively, spanish, crowded, expensive

Nice wine and startersBarrafina is a nice place. It was too busy to eat when I went so I just had some good red wine and a few starters... stuffed olives and ham (the famous jamÃ²n serrano).
The bill said Â£31 for the 2 of us... I wouldn't call it cheap but you can't demand too much if you go in a pretty trendy place in the heart of Soho, can you?

Ikeda

fabiodebe — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:26:20 +0000

Rating: 4.7

Location: 30 Brook Street, W1K 5DJ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7629 2730

Tags: expensive, good value, japanese

Great raw fish in a spartan placeAs pointed out by many other people the sushi and sashimi at Ikeda is among the best in London. The place is pretty simple and spartan, but if you want a fancy and glamourous place just go to Nobu... if you want great sushi and reasonable prices go to Ikeda.
The waitresses are lovely and professional.
The only odd thing is that when I called to reserve a table the woman remind me that the minimum spend per person is Â£30... strange either because it was the first time I heard it and also because you can hardly stay below that threshold anyway.
The bill... Â£110 for one delicious shrimp tempura to share, a portion of black cod and an amazing bowl of rice with a chef selection of fish of the day and a nice bottle of Chardonnay. Not bad considering the overall quality and the pleasant night out. Great value for price if compared to Ubon in Canary Wharf.
Will definitely be back again.

Eagle Bar Diner

fabiodebe — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 22:49:21 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 3-5 Rathbone Place, W1T 1HJ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7637 1418

Website: http://www.eaglebardiner.com/

Tags: burger

Burgers! Of all kinds...Nice place located just off of Oxford Street.
Great selection of burgers... including exotic choices like dundee, ostrich, bison, etc.
I had a traditional burger with cheese, fried egg and bacon with fries and brownies with ice cream for dessert.
The bill... Â£53 for 3 persons. Not cheap but not bad at all considering the generous shares.
Instead of eating in the crappy tourist places around that area, Eagles is a good pick.

Meson Los Barriles Numero Uno

fabiodebe — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 22:43:34 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 8A Lamb Street, E1 6EA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7375 3136

Tags: crowded, good value, spanish

Great tapas and wineNice place and good food. Best of all was the red wine we had with chicken, chorizo, prawns, octopus, paella, mushrooms and other nice spanish dishes.
The location is good too, just minutes away from Bricklane and next to Spitalfield market.
For 20 quid each we had good food and superb wine.
Definitely worth a try.

Ubon By Nobu - CLOSED

fabiodebe — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 22:08:25 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 34 Westferry Circus, E14 8RR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7719 7800

Website: http://www.noburestaurants.com/

Tags: expensive, japanese

Great expectation and a bit of delusionI was excited to go to Ubon in Canary Wharf.
The famous river view is quite impressive, even if you are only at the 4th floor so you don't see anything of Canary Wharf that - personally - is quite amazing at night.
The place is not as chic as I thought and not as much as the bill would suggest.
The food was good, not delicious but good. Except for the spicy tuna roll that tasted like... nothing at all! Shrimp tempura is definitely good though.
The bill... Â£115 for 2 persons is not that fair. Considering that we had tempura for 2, 6 pieces of sushi, some sashimi, dessert and 2 glasses of wine I find that the place is definitely overpriced. And they don't even bother to serve you water in a glass bottle...

Bistrotheque

fabiodebe — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 10:35:55 +0000

Rating: 4.3

Location: 23-27 Wadeson Street, E2 9DR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8983 7900

Website: http://www.bistrotheque.com/

Tags: value for money, glamourous, french cuisine

Very nice French food and glamourous atmosphere!Bistroteque has only one glitch... it's located in the middle of nowhere and it's not so easy to find!
Now the good news! They serve French food and it taste really nice. They have a good selection on wines and the place is absolutely cool.
It's the right place to go with friends or even with your partner.
For some things they are bit too much "nouvelle cousine" but it's nothing major. You can see the kitchen where the chefs will create your meal and that gives me a good feeling... Everything is nice and clean and - again - food and wine are very good!
The bill... well, not very cheap but not particularly expensive. If you are around 30 quid per person (including wine) you're almost sure you will be full and satisfied.

Panificio F.lli Luini

fabiodebe — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 03:30:34 +0000

Rating: 3.5

Location: via S. Radegonda 16, 20100, Milan, Italy

Website: http://www.luini.it/

Tags: take-away, fast eat, panzerotti

Famous panzerottiLuini is a kind of icon in Milan. Although its status I'm not a great fan of panzerotti in general, but if you like them Luini is the place to go!
They also do other kind of bakery, focaccia, pizza, etc.
I read that they opened in London as well, so if you're not planning a weekend in Milan you can enjoy real panzerotti also in the City!

Trattoria Toscana

fabiodebe — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 03:12:40 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: Corso di Porta Ticinese, 58, 20144, Milan, Italy

Tags: restaurant, toscana, tuscany, aperitivo, trattoria, meat, trendy

Fashion meets foodTrattoria Toscana is quite a trendy place to go, both at the bar and at the restaurant. But despite many "fashionable" places turn to be totally disapproving as far as food is concerned, I always had great food here. If you like meat go for the Tagliata, but anyway all the menu looks and tastes good!
The bill... the place is not cheap but neither expensive. With a starter, a main course, dessert and a bottle of wine you are around 25-30 Euro each.
Well, if you go there for the aperitivo and drink a couple Negroni before you start eating the bill will be higher... but hopefully you'll end up dizzy enough not to bother!! ;-)

Giulio Pane e Ojo

fabiodebe — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 02:58:24 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: Via Ludovico Muratori, 10, , Milan, Italy

Phone: 02 5456189

Website: http://www.giuliopaneojo.com/

Tags: italian, typical, trattoria

Roman traditional cuisine in the heart of MilanGiulio, the owner of Giulio pane e ojo (which means bread and oil in Roman dialect) serves tasty food and offers a very nice atmosphere! The place itself is quite small and packed but nice and you always find nice people of all ages eating there.
I've always been there for dinner, but I know the place is pretty packed for lunch too (just ask Yahoo! Italy guys whose offices are on the other side of the street).
When you go there don't even think of getting a table straight away... count at least a 15-20 minutes queue, but it's not that bad because in the meanwhile you can socialize with other people waiting just as you while drinking a glass of white wine offered by Giulio!
The food is typical from Rome and the region of Lazio, so the first courses are literally superb and portions are above the average!
Second dishes are very nice and typical as well but I have to admit that most of the times I opted for some pasta and then straight to the home made desserts. I've always ended up satisfied and my wallet was happy too!
My favourite dishes are simple but - believe me - great and genuine and are spaghetti cacio e pepe (cheese and black pepper) and my first pick is bucatini alla gricia... for those familiar with italian food the gricia sauce is like amatriciana sauce without tomato (and for those not familiar with italian food bucatini are thick piped spaghetti).
The bill... first dish, dessert, wine and water for 2 will cost you around 40 Euro. Good value for money for sure.

Quattrocento (400)

fabiodebe — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 19:37:00 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: Via Campazzino, 14, 20141, Milan, Italy

Tags: Romantic, Good value, chic, fusion

Magic atmosphereI have few things to say about this place. One above the others... it has a great atmosphere and the food is delicious.
Located out of Milan center is a great place to escape for a dinner with friends or - preferably - your partner.
Great selection of wines and very nice waiters.
All the food is great and the portions are not too small (they serve sophisticated food that in too many places means you'll get out hungry and a bit angry!).
The bill... 2 persons spend more or less 80-100 â¬ (55-70 Â£) for 2 courses each, dessert and a bottle of wine.
A place to go!

Chili's Grill & Bar

fabiodebe — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 19:20:11 +0000

Rating: 2.0

Location: Cabot Place East, E14 4QT, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7363 5678

Website: http://www.chilis.com

Tags: American, Cheap Eat

Good burgers and good location, but...I've been several times at Chili's in Canary Wharf. More for the location (just above the shopping centre) than for the food. Burgers and fries were ok most of the times but even a lot disappointing other times!
They do a pretty good Chicken Caesar Salad and also their chicken dishes aren't bad.
And that's all for a fair price... I've always spent 25-ish Â£ for 2 persons.
What annoys me most (and that's the reason why it's a while that I don't go) is that your table is ALWAYS pretty dirty and sticky! The other thing is that the place is rarely crowded and waiters are probably more that necessary, but anyway they are pretty slow in taking your order and serve you the food.

Koi

fabiodebe — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:28:23 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 1E Palace Gate, W8 5LS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7581 8778

Tags: stylish, sushi, japanese, expensive

Trendy and posh but...I went twice to Koi in South Ken and to be honest I was a bit disappointed. Sushi was good both times but for the price we paid... mmm, I guess I'm not coming back again.
The place is very nice, especially if you are seated downstairs.
If you want good sushi and are not bothered by the price then go there, otherwise think about it twice...
There are a few tables where they cook your meal just in front of you and it's pretty amazing (despite the smell you'll bring back home).
It could easily be a 4-star except for the fact that I came out hungrier than when I got in! The bill... it really depends on what you eat, but for a decent dinner with wine forget to stay below £30 each.

Itsu

fabiodebe — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 22:59:25 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: Level 2, 15 Cabot Sq, E14 4QT, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7512 5790

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

Tags: japanese, good value, sushi

Best (affordable) sushi in Canary WharfItsu has more than one place in Canary Wharf and my favourite one is in the Jubilee Place. It's near Wagamama, so if you fancy Jap food that is not sushi go there, but if you are looking for sushi Itsu is the place to go. Prices are good if compared with the quality of the food. Portions are not huge but are definitely satisfactory. If you're not a take away person you can enjoy the stylish table area.
Teas and juice are also particular and tasteful.
If you like sushi and don't want to spend your salary at Ubon then Itsu is a perfect fit. Casual and with a good value for money.