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Fire & Stone - review by RR123

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:35:40 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by RR123

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

Tags: pizza

I know people who rave about this restaurant, but whilst I liked that they were trying to do something a bit different, I think they over-did it here.

The pizzas are certainly different, but I felt as though there were so many flavours that it was a bit over-powering. It was certainly an interesting experience but not somewhere I would be desperate to go back to.

If you do decide to go there though, do check out their website as they have various deals including two pizzas for Â£10 if you book via the internet.

Fire & Stone - review by Suzieee

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:18:13 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by Suzieee

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

The idea of pizzas with toppings from different worldwide dishes isnâ¬"t very nice; Iâ¬"d recommend you to stick to the sensible choices.

It was a very busy Tuesday night and obviously they were rushing around trying to avoid eye contact with dinners to prevent more work, although they did seem nice whilst serving.
However, when it came to paying! I found it VERY CHEEKY that the OPTIONAL service charge of 12.5%! was included in the total without any subtotals to tell you how much it would be without the service charge.

And to add to this! Before I was able to ask for this to be removed from my payment, the lady took my card and went off with it to their till without a word (a card should never leave its ownerâ¬"s sight as you would never know what they would be doing with it, they could be copying down your card details and you would know until you find money missing from your account! And I wasnâ¬"t too happy about that). I was expecting it was a chip and pin, but she came back with a receipt I had to sign for my card payment with the optional service charged included without asking!

I ask her if the 12.5% service charge was optional and she replied â¬Syes!â¬

Fire & Stone - review by tapdancingcat

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:43:48 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by tapdancingcat

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

Tags: cheap eat, international

The new spin on the old classic is great, I had a heisin Duck pizza was lovely, and my partner's traditional pepperoni was superb, so even if you want a normail pizza this place is a winner, the only downside is the size of the pizza - if you have a big appitite this isn't a place for you!

Giraffe - review by sjsoutherner

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:55:00 +0000

Giraffe - review by sjsoutherner

Rating: 3.4

Location: The South Bank Centre, SE1 8XX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7928 2004

Website: http://www.giraffe.net

The only two words that describe how I feel about this restaurant are: LOVE IT! I've read through other reviews and I agree that this place can sometimes be a little pricey and is definitely more of a family themed restaurant than relaxed trendy place to go for a long lunch. However, for good food and a great atmosphere I thoroughly recommend it. I've been many times at all times of the day and enjoy there casual atmosphere for brunch, lunch or dinner. I love their evening cocktail combinations and value menus for dinner. Thoroughly recommend a visit for a weekend brunch also as their breakfast menu is delightful (especially when topped off with one of their gorgeous smoothies). It can sometimes be a little noisey and often at main meal times there is a queue to be seated. However, I've always found the wait worthwhile.

A big thumbs up to a great restaurant in a great location ;0)

Fire & Stone - review by realalelass

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:59:13 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by realalelass

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

I agree with Tanzanitelilac entirely as we had the same experience at Fire and Stone. The pizza was delicious, the 'fusion' menu inspired, but the service ruined the evening.

I went here with some girlfriends and our waiter was one of the most arrogant people we'd ever had the misfortune of encountering. He was really full of himself and even tried to encourage my pregnant friend to have a glass of wine.

The starters and pizzas were lovely but the service left a bad taste in our mouths. The low point of the evening came with the bill, when we asked him to remoe the 'discretionary' 12.5% service tip, since we felt that we had hd bad service. We were interrogated as to why we wanted to do this, told he was on a low wage and needed the service etc etc.

I would not go back here if I was paid to!

Giraffe - review by arcantara99

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:01:37 +0000

Giraffe - review by arcantara99

Rating: 3.4

Location: The South Bank Centre, SE1 8XX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7928 2004

Website: http://www.giraffe.net

Tags: lively, family & home feel, crowded

This chain is marketing itself as a friendly family restaurant. Friendly it may be but it is definitely for families so I wouldn't go there if you don't want to be surrounded by kids and babies. This one is in a great location so you can sit outside by the river and it's very popular â¬ there are often queues to get a seat. However it is also noisy, busy and on the occasions I've been the service has been particularly slow. The food has always tasted quite fast-food like even if it sounds healthy on the menu which is a shame. The menu is admirably wide ranging â¬ from burgers to stir fry â¬ but this is one for the children rather than a sophisticated night out.

Fire & Stone - review by fakelvis

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:50:41 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by fakelvis

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

Looking for something a bit different than your typical pizza restaurant? Then Fire and Stone is for you.

The typical complaints are that it's expensive and not very 'Italian'. Well off course it's not Italian: it's in the middle of Covent Garden and is a chain! It's about as Italian as Pizza Express. As for the price: I'm not disagreeing on this point, but check the restaurant's website and grab one of there always-on deals: this makes it well worth the money.

So, what about the food? The pizza is well cooked, tasty and is quite extraordinary. Roast potato pieces on a pizza? No problem. More ingredients than you thought it was possible to fit on a piece of dough? No problem. Tasty? Always.

The restaurant itself is quite a sight too, with a large pizza oven coming up from the basement kitchen as the centrepiece, the decor is modern but not generic.

Lovely!

Fire & Stone - review by blondie_wandie

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 11:13:05 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by blondie_wandie

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

Tags: lively, international, good value

We went along here with a group of friends for my birthday. Liked the look of the menu and the place itself looked very urban and cool- great location so close to the Covent Garden Bars etc.

The staff were really friendly and the food was amazing- the range of pizzas was so different to the usual pizzarias. I had the Canberra which had roast chicken, roast potatos, rosemary, garlic and sour cream which was absolutely superb, boyfriend had a lamb roast dinner on a pizza which he was really chuffed by. Great range for veggies too which is always great.

Service was excellent, everything arrived quickly. Loads of great offers on their website which helps- the Sunday offer is excellent. Check it out, its a really great place that makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

Maze - review by vexille

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:33:40 +0000

Maze - review by vexille

Rating: 4.5

Location: 10-13 Grosvenor Square, W1K 6US, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7107 0000

Website: http://gordonramsay.com/maze/

Tags: romantic, expensive

It's great, but not, um, amazing.

It's all you would expect from a restaurant run by a great chef, situated in the 'sophisticated' part of town. You don't even need to have been here to imagine exactly what it'll look like. Everything is prim and proper yet remains convincingly unpretentious.

Service is good, at one point we had 3 different waiters cleaning the table, seriving us wine and taking our order. You'd almost expect them to spoon feed you so as not to crease your shirt or dirty your hands.

The 7 course meal was very very tasty, but incredibly rich. I've eaten in many places and this was the only one where I came out of still feeling peckish, but completely satisfied. The scallops are to die for.

It's just missing something that makes me want to go again, lacks soul perhaps?

Good for an experience / date but if you're looking for better I'd goto Fifteen...

Fire & Stone - review by tanzanitelilac

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:32:02 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by tanzanitelilac

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

Tags: italian, good value, crowded

To echo previous reviews, the service is appalling, yet I keep going back for the pizzas. I love the different toppings available - of course they aren't authentic Italian but that's not what it is about. They are innovative and nice to share with friends as you swap your different choices and argue over who has chosen the nicest topping. I am definitely a sucker for the New Yorker but my favourite is probably the Bombay or the Marrakesh.

The reason I go here is for the frivolity of the food, not the service as I have never experienced anything other than what can be described as indifference as best.

The last occasion that I was there, we had asked for another bottle of wine on several occasions. It finally arrived about 15 minutes after we had finished food. This is one of those restaurants where they will clear your plate relatively quickly but then will ignore you whilst you are trying to grab their attention for the bill. Suffice to say, we didn't really want the wine (after having waited for a long time for our booked table in the first place).

As the majority of us were paying on card, we decided we would ask for the 12.5% 'service charge' to be taken off our bill and we would pay that in cash. However, when the bill arrived the 10% loyalty card discount had not been applied and when we pointed this out the waiter was very rude and begrudgingly recalculated the bill. Asking for the OPTIONAL service charge to be removed from the bill was met with immense hostility and repeated enquiries as to why we did not want to pay it.

As I mentioned before, we were going to (despite the lack of wine, the incorrect bill) but this gave us a reason to not bother and we spent the money saved on a round of drinks.

Still, I am sure this won't put off another visit next time we're in the area but be warned, you are going there for the location and the food, not the service!!

Tesco - review by cricketer

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:20:57 +0000

Tesco - review by cricketer

Rating: 3.0

Location: 100A West Cromwell Road, W14 8PB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7853 7100

Website: http://www.tesco.com

This store is a very good branch of tesco. It has a great isle of cheap bargain products which i use regularly!
It has a specialist meat counter which regularly feeds my family!
The staff are very helpful and always direct me to the relevant isles when i get lost in this large store.
There are always BOGOF deals and many discounts across the store. The store even sells electornics and i picked up a bargain of a TV last week!
There is ample parking for all the shoppers and its a very easy store to locate so i whole heartedly reccomend this store!

Fire & Stone - review by DanniLou85

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:01:01 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by DanniLou85

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

Tags: italian, cheap eat, good value, lively

Wow, wow, wow!

Pizzas are amazing and the variety of toppings are fantastic. Try the 'Camberra', 'New York' - they were my favourites! Roast potatoes on a pizza?! Amazing!

We went before the theatre and have gone back several times - each time the service has been quick, food fantastic and really reasonable in price!

Recommended 100%!

Fire & Stone - review by sophiestar

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:12:38 +0000

Fire & Stone - review by sophiestar

Rating: 3.2

Location: 31/32 Maiden Lane, WC2E 7JS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7257 8613

Website: http://www.fireandstone.com

Reading other people's reviews, I must have been lucky when I went to Fire and Stone.
Lots of people have commented on the service being slow and bad however I did not find this at all. I most certainly would have noticed if it had of been slow as both times we have eaten here before going to the theatre.
I enjoyed the atmosphere of the main restaurant and everything was very clean and modern. I do seem to remember the sloping mirrors in the toilet made me a little bit dizzy though!
The pizzas themselves I found to be good value - we went using one of their offer deals. We didn't go expecting anything amazing but certainly weren't expecting rubbish, we were perfectly satisfied with what we were served.

Tesco - review by deadleg21

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:07:23 +0000

Tesco - review by deadleg21

Rating: 3.0

Location: 100A West Cromwell Road, W14 8PB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7853 7100

Website: http://www.tesco.com

Tags: mediterranean, brand bargains, helpful staff, bargain, delicatessen

This truly is a one stop shop for all your needs in London, and like most people i do my weekly food shop at tescos. This store is exactly the same as any tesco dotted around the country, and they truly are becoming a global brand. This is where the warning comes into play - the more you shop at tesco's like this one, the less revenue goes to local shops which have their own unique qualities. We could end up with hundreds of towns with the exact same shops etc which would be a great shame.
The pricing at tesco is very reasonable and there are plenty of deals that you come to expect from a supermarket like "buy one get one free" or "three for two". However i do believe ASDA prices are on average cheaper.
The customer service is also very good, with assistants who will help you find any item you desire - very useful if there are lots of different brands and you are looking for a specific one.

Maze - review by IcenSue

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:20:23 +0000

Maze - review by IcenSue

Rating: 4.5

Location: 10-13 Grosvenor Square, W1K 6US, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7107 0000

Website: http://gordonramsay.com/maze/

Tags: lively, good value, expensive, french

My husband and i visited Maze for our 2nd Anniversary, it was the 2nd time we had been, we went for our first anniversary and had such a speical time we decided to book again.
The staff are extremely friendly, highly professional nothing is too much trouble.
We went for the tasting menu, everything is cooked to perfection, my husband had the assiette of sandwiches as one of his dishes, the BLT in a glass was excellent, i will definately order this the next time we visit. The scallops as usual were extremely succulent.
When we had finished our meal we sat at the bar, a cake was brought to us which said haappy aniversary, my husand and i both thought each other had ordered it, but we hadn't my huaband mentioned that it was our anniversary when he booked the table, obviously this had been noted at the time of the booking a nice touch.
We will definately be booking again.