Latest favourites and wishlist by jennipenni

Mosaica @ the Factory - review by blackpenwriter

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:48:06 +0000

Mosaica @ the Factory - review by blackpenwriter

Rating: 5.0

Location: The Chocolate Factory, N22 6XJ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8889 2400

Website: http://www.mosaicarestaurants.com/

Tags: romantic, international, good value

What a strange place to have such a fine dining and high quality restaurant! Based in a factory you really would not expect it! I think perhaps it initially put me off but once you are inside you would have no idea where you are eating! The staff are fantastic and so they should be â¬ it would have taken you weeks to get a table so first impressions are everything, and they really do make you feel welcome. The menu has lots of different choices so all tastes will find something they enjoy, there isnâ¬"t a huge choice for veggies, but who cares about them?!

Mosaica @ the Factory - review by tightwad

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 22:23:32 +0000

Mosaica @ the Factory - review by tightwad

Rating: 5.0

Location: The Chocolate Factory, N22 6XJ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8889 2400

Website: http://www.mosaicarestaurants.com/

Tags: romantic, international, good value, crowded

I can't rave enough about how fantastic Mosaica @ the factory is! We had such a fantastic time! Usually i find that when something is overhyped, the reality never ever lives up to the hype. However, for once i was proven wrong and Mosaica did, in bucket loads. I was shocked at how delicious the food was. We had to wait an absolute age however in order to make a booking - weeks in advance. I'm usually the type of person that just turns up somewhere because i fancy a particular meal. You certainly can't do that here - you'll never ever get it! The food is made by gods and the service, even though its by students, is impeccable

The River Cafe - review by foodexplorer

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:37:03 +0000

The River Cafe - review by foodexplorer

Rating: 3.9

Location: Thames Wharf Studio, W6 9HA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7386 4200

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

Tags: italian, business, pretentious, crowded, expensive

I have to admit i was drawn into the hype and took the plunge of going to the River Cafe. Unfortunately as with most things, the real thing never lives up to the hype. This is the case with this restaurant as well. There is a not too bad selection of meals and specials, but clearly the emphasis is on quality and not quantity. And thats to say the least. I think the staff have also got caught up in the hype as i found them a little obnoxious and snooty. It must be such a shame for them to have to deal with the customers! Thats how i was made to feel anyway. The food is very expensive and i won't be going back!

Mosaica @ the Factory - review by jackmale86

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:17:07 +0000

Mosaica @ the Factory - review by jackmale86

Rating: 5.0

Location: The Chocolate Factory, N22 6XJ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8889 2400

Website: http://www.mosaicarestaurants.com/

Tags: romantic, british, family & home feel, expensive

When we went into the industrial estate, i never expected to find such a wonderful restaurant, especially not in a chocolate factory! When you walk through the door it is like stepping into another dimension! Mosaica @ the factory is probably the perfect place to take someone you love on a date - its so romantic and the atmosphere is intimate. Although the waiting staff are a little young, they are friendly and do the job perfectly. The food here is diverse, you do get a wide choice of specialities and the dishes we had were cooked to perfection. I'd agree with the earlier review that the steak was amazing!

The Anchor Bankside Bar & Restaurant - review by Jamesarama001

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:51:43 +0000

The Anchor Bankside Bar & Restaurant - review by Jamesarama001

Rating: 2.9

Location: 34 Park Street, SE1 9EF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7407 1577

Tags: relaxed, pub chain

Another riverside pub with great views of the river thames. If your walking along the southbank then pop along for a drink, and if its sunny sit outside on the terrace.

The pub is as normal as any other pub. It can get busy at times, although there is plenty of bar and bar staff to keep things moving. The food was not great, however the last time I went they'd installed a fish and chip shop which seemed to be popular but expensive.

Generally the Anchor is a tourist trap, but if its not busy, then it makes a good place to have a drink after work. I'd go for a drink and the riverside terrace and views but i'd pass on the food.

Tootsies - review by Foodie_319

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:17:39 +0000

Tootsies - review by Foodie_319

Rating: 2.2

Location: Hotham House, TW9 1EJ, Richmond Upon Thames, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8948 3436

Website: http://www.tootsiesrestaurants.com/tootsiesrestaurant/richmond.html

Tags: american, expensive, lively

Bearing in mind my fondness for Tootsies in Chiswick, this branch is very dissapointing.

I was really pleased when I found out they had opened near another of my favourites, The Slug & Lettuce virtually next door.
It has a fantastic riverside location, five minutes from the town centre, two or three minutes from a bus stop for those fancying a drink. The building the restaurant is in is beautiful...and that's about it.

The service was poor and the food was average to poor. We had booked a table for six of us for 1400 on a Wednesday (hardly a busy time and there were no more than five covers in the whole place) but no table was ready when we arrived. A few square tables were hastily pushed together...they weren't even wiped down. We were handed food encrusted menu's by one member of staff and we ordered some drinks from another - nothing complicated as it was lunchtime, just soft ones. We ordered our food, of which the starters turned up with yet another member of staff before our drinks did. We asked for the drinks again. Some appeared some didn't. We asked again. Finally, everyone had refreshments. It was roughly another 35 minutes after we finished our starters until the mains arrived, well all but one of them did anyway. After waiting nearly 10 minutes until the last meal arrived we tucked in. I tried one of the french fries and they were cold - almost fresh from the fridge cold. I sent them back, another 10 minutes gone before they came back. Everyone else found their food very average, certainley not worth the asking price on this occasion, based on portion size and quality.
What annoyed me most is why the service was so badly organised and executed - we had at least four different members of staff including the floor manager attend our table. We rasied our issues with whichever member of staff was serving us at that time, but there were so many staff trying to serve us they simply confused the issue and got in each others way. The fact we kept getting asked if everything was alright when clearly it wasn't was an annoyance.
The fact it was somebody's birthday kept our mouths shut - we did not really want to make the person feel like it had been pretty rubbish (which they later commented on anyway). In hindsight we should have argued the toss with the bill anyway.

So to summarise; Service stunk, food average to bad, atmospehere dead, location brilliant. Ah well, one out of four isn't bad...

The Anchor Bankside Bar & Restaurant - review by damo1977

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:13:32 +0000

The Anchor Bankside Bar & Restaurant - review by damo1977

Rating: 2.9

Location: 34 Park Street, SE1 9EF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7407 1577

Tags: pretentious, beer garden, traditional pub

This pub gets trade by being old.

The pub has been on the site for a long time, and as such panders to the foreign tourist trade.

There is a large outdoor seating area where you can eat if you can get a seat, however I am yet to manage that. The service at the bar is poor and there is a very poor choice of drinks available.

The pub is linked to the Premier Inn hotel behind, which would be useful if you are staying there. However, there are many other pubs in the area which deserve your custom a lot more.

Avoid.

The Ritz Restaurant - review by beckyfox

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:22:16 +0000

The Ritz Restaurant - review by beckyfox

Rating: 4.0

Location: 150 Piccadilly, W1J 9BR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7493 8181

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

Tags: french, expensive

I have been to the ritz restaurant a few times for lunch with my mum. If you want to be treated like a princess for the day then this is the place to go. My mum and i both love it. The food is delicious there is a set menu and a la carte the cuisine is french. the set menu lunch is a great choice i think it is around 37 pounds for 3 courses and coffee. the staff are very attentive and friendly. Once it was my mum's birthday and i told one of the waiters and after desert they brought over a ritz birthday cake for my mum. it really made her day and shows the special treatment you get there. The setting of the hotel is great perfect if you have something special to celebrate!

Chiquito Restaurant Bar - review by kathlane

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:33:53 +0000

Chiquito Restaurant Bar - review by kathlane

Rating: 2.4

Location: 20-21 Leicester Square, WC2H 7JX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7839 6925

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

ChiquitoIs a national chain of mexican restaurants, we went in here primarily because it was good value, lunctime special of two for 8 pounds in leicster square is incredible value. We sat upstairs where it turned out we were the only dinners. The portions were massive and I had trouble finishing mine, I only managed it as it was really nice chilli. The decor is bright and cheery and mexican themed, its clean and the service was very speedy, this could have been as we were the only ones in for some reason though! The prices are a lot higher in the evenings but I can recommed this as a inexpensive place for lunch. The menu is quite inventive too with a variety of wonderful mexican dishes, the lunchtime offer is limited to a smaller choice though

Chiquito Restaurant Bar - review by me123

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:28:49 +0000

Chiquito Restaurant Bar - review by me123

Rating: 2.4

Location: 20-21 Leicester Square, WC2H 7JX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7839 6925

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

Tags: crowded, good value

The food is good and is a reasonable price. I have only been to the one in Leister Square on Saturday nights and itis always very busy and there is a very long wait for food.I got told that they had no seats upstairs so should have a drink in the bar and the pager they'd give me would go off when a seats ready. Sat down in the bar and straight away the pager beeped which was a bit wierd. The food is well presented and overall the restaurant is well kept with a strong mexican feel to it.

The Ritz Restaurant - review by vexille

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:01:18 +0000

The Ritz Restaurant - review by vexille

Rating: 4.0

Location: 150 Piccadilly, W1J 9BR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7493 8181

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

Tags: pretentious

Well, I think my age will show here, but I found the whole Ritz experience incredibly tacky. Perhaps I'm not destined for high society or I just lack basic etiquette, but it was uncomfortable and just a bizarre experience. But enough about that!

I must say, service was, as expected excellent. From guiding you to your table to serving the meals, it was impecable. Didn't like the way the waiters were almost too imposing.

Food was very much average, it didn't seem like it'd be made from a chef that gave a damn. Yes, it tasted good, but then, so does a dirty kebab and chips. It didn't make me want to turn around to the next table and shout 'you MUST try this', it was just 'meh'.

It's not all that expensive, in comparison to say Maze, or Fifteen which offer a far better experience. But then, I guess to most having 'done the Ritz' will be greated with greater envy than saying 'done Fifteen' which will probably be followed with 'fifteen what?'...

Annie's - review by Ludovic

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:44:24 +0000

Annie's - review by Ludovic

Rating: 3.2

Location: 36 White Hart Lane, SW13 0PZ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8878 2020

Website: http://www.anniesrestaurant.co.uk/barnes/

Tags: french, international, family & home feel, good value, brasserie

There's strangely an un-explored niche in the Richmond dining area: good places for brunch.

What's in a brunch? To me, a good brunch is informal (need to be able to bring the kids), good value and offering a range of options, not just a cooked breakfast.

We went to Annie's this Mothering Sunday and liked it. We've been there before and liked it: the decoration is warm, the uncovered oak tables inviting but the chairs are cosy rather than too pub-like. They do offer a brunch menu: full English Breakfast, but also a few eggy versions (Benedict, Florentine, with smoked salmon, etc...), all between Â£8 and Â£9, kiddies go full English for a fiver (one is enough for two sub-7 fairies).

I really like it at night too: it's a classic brasseie menu, not too extensive and fresh. Dishes are between Â£10 and Â£15 -now I wonder why we don't come back more often? I guess the wine list could be more researched, but it would be adequate for most.

The Anchor Bankside Bar & Restaurant - review by emily051

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:36:18 +0000

The Anchor Bankside Bar & Restaurant - review by emily051

Rating: 2.9

Location: 34 Park Street, SE1 9EF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7407 1577

I went in for a nice evening with friends and it was totally ruined by disgusting service. Some members of staff there are a disgrace.
We ordered a Â£3.75 Fougasse garlic bread with sauces, But a tiny piece of normal garlic bread toast arrived instead, which we thought was a side to our other main meal. When we told the staff our Fougasse didn't arrive after waiting for it for a while, they came back saying it'd ran out. so we wanted to return the garlic bread toast (which was outrageous for Â£1.99 and it didn't look like they should even charge for it) and we wanted a refund saying that's not what we ordered. Then the whole drama started. The staff who took the order finally came to our table only to say there's nothing they can do and they can't refund because we touched the toast already. Then he went on to lie that he told us that the Fougasse ran out when we ordered. Then he went on arguing that this was also a garlic bread so we should eat what they gave us. He was absolutely determined not to take any notice of whatever we said and left us almost smirking, giving us his final word 'there's nothing we can do about it'
Finally we called the manager, who only repeated the three different arguments the staff went through with us - and only to show his determination not to refund this Â£1.99 for this pathetic toast we didn't order.
After a long argument, he finally said he will refund it and walked off red faced. Then he never came back with the money...! We never got that Â£1.99 back!
We expected simple apologies and refund for this small money as a matter of principle, instead we had to argue with the staff and manager over our dinner and feel disgusted and stressed.
I don't know if they treat everybody in this pub as a tourist and have some sort of strict no refund policy because they think these people will never come back anyway so it's better to take the money ... well that's the impression we got.
The main meal we ordered was horrible anyway, so we'll certainly never go back.

The Ritz Restaurant - review by candyshop

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:01:29 +0000

The Ritz Restaurant - review by candyshop

Rating: 4.0

Location: 150 Piccadilly, W1J 9BR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7493 8181

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

The Ritz Hotel is very grand and the service is also of a good standard so why then was i let down by the Ritz restaurant? The starters were good admittedly (well mine anyway) but what follows, of course the main meal, Mine was served lukewarm and only average in taste and my mothers inedible, the whole of her main was covered in truffle oil, something of a particular taste and something my mother is unable to eat, so you're asking well why order it then? Such an overpowering and main ingredient wasn't mentioned on the menu. We didn't stick around for dessert as we were fighting to keep awake, the music not relaxing or atmospheric but depressing, think of when the titanic is sinking and the string quartet start playing then you've got it. The service not as good as in the rest of the hotel and it is not myself or my mother being picky. I have eaten in some of the best restaurants around the world and especially my mother who makes it her perogative to dine in the top class and michellin starred restaurants around the world. If you really want a top class meal head for Le Gavroche. Sorry Ritz but the restaurant is living by its name and not standard.

Chiquito Restaurant Bar - review by Rhydster

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:36:29 +0000

Chiquito Restaurant Bar - review by Rhydster

Rating: 2.4

Location: 20-21 Leicester Square, WC2H 7JX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7839 6925

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

Tags: american, gastro pub, crowded, lively

The good: the spicy food here is on par with some of the better Mexican you can find, as well as some Amercian type steak and sandwich options. The staff are friendly and try their best with the busy hours and it's entertaining when the Tequila girl comes round with a smile. Itâ¬"s located right in Leicester Square, making it easily accessible from the many nearby stations.

The bad: you can wait for much more than half an hour for a table and sometimes they'll just queue you at the entrance door which is not very organised. It's very noisy if you get a table downstairs due to the lively bar, so if you're planning to have a good chat over dinner