Latest reviews by jennufcboss

Roadhouse

jennufcboss — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:04:59 +0000

Rating: 3.7

Location: Jubilee Hall, WC2E 8BE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7240 6001

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

Tags: American, Good value, Crowded, Lively

A fill-up stationRoadhouse is actually good value for its location. Not being a fan of Covent Garden restaurants in general, I didn't have high hopes for this venue, but it did exceed my low expectations. I ordered a selection of 3 small dishes as a starter - the King prawn was prepared to perfection, the Jalapeno poppers were fine (hard to get wrong!), but the chicken teriyaki skewer was a bit disappointing in terms of flavour. For a main course I ordered chicken Fajitas - having seen a few sizzlers go past my table I was optimistic when ordering this dish, but when it arrived, it had ceased to sizzle and was cold, dry and over cooked. The grated cheese was not fresh either. Really disappointing! My partner had ribs which were very good though, and the chips were good too!
In terms of ambience, the place has got quite a buzz, but is a bit noisy for those who enjoy a good natter! I would go back there, but only for a quick meal, rather than an evening out..

Salisbury Arms

jennufcboss — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:09:52 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: Hoppers Road, N21 3NP, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8920 9911

Recently refurbished, The Salisbury Arms is now comfortable, relaxed and inviting. It also apparently has a new slightly odd garden situated out the back where the garages used to be?!
The food here is OK, pretty average pub food really, but certainly very palatable.
There's a good selection of drinks as well, but they don't come cheap. But if you compare to the two other pubs in the area, it's much cheaper, much more relaxed, and certainly less pretentious.

The Minories

jennufcboss — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:01:13 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 64-73 Minories, EC3N 1JL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7481 3397

This is in a great location for people working around Tower Hill and Aldgate.
The food at this pub is really good value for its location, and portions are generous. The menu is not particularly interesting, but the usual suspects (scampi and chips, lasagne, burger, salads, etc) are all there, and all prepared to a very good standard for the price.
Drinks are also reasonably priced, especially their wine bottle specials!
All in all, a great place to have a snack and a few pints after work!

L'Artista

jennufcboss — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:57:00 +0000

Rating: 2.5

Location: 9 Eastcheap, SG6 3DG, Letchworth Garden City, United Kingdom

Phone: 01462 689014

My friends took me here as they live in the area. I wish they hadn't as it's too far for me to travel too from home for a meal out, and it's remarkably good!
The calzone pizza is my personal favourite and I haven't had one elsewhere to come close to it.
The atmosphere is good, and the prices are very reasonable. I just wish they would move to London!

Sargasso Sea

jennufcboss — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:52:10 +0000

Rating: 5.0

Location: 10 Station Road, N21 3RB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8360 0990

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

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

Sargasso Sea - a place to rememberPerfection. Winchmore Hill was never complete until it became home to this superb fish restaurant.
Recently refurbished and with the addition of an outdoor terrace, it seems to just get better and better.
The chef here is a genuine wizard. He makes the simplest ingredients taste like the most sensational delicacies. The seafood platter is breath taking - the kind of dish you dream about from time to time. It keeps you busy for at least an hour picking your way through the wonderful selection of fish and shell fish.
Aside from the fish, they also offer the best Sunday roasts around. The roast beef is remarkably good, in fact, the best I have ever had. With the additional bonus of perfect gravy and imaginatively prepared vegetables, it quickly became a favourite for my family and a number of my friends.
The food is expensive, even the set menus are quite pricey, but for a special occasion, it really is more than worth the money - because you can't put a price on food this good!

Beautiful South

jennufcboss — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:45:37 +0000

Rating: 3.7

Location: 25A Windmill Hill, EN2 7AE, Enfield, United Kingdom

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

Better than its musical namesakeThis restaurant is Meditteranean and the decor is bright and breezy. A particularly lovely place to visit on a summer's day.
The food is I have to admit, slightly overpriced perhaps, but the quality is invariably good. The meal deals are worth plumping for, as they represent a choice of really inviting and interesting dishes, for a fraction of the price. The Sunday roasts are good too!
I would recommend this for couples and families.

Enzo's Ristorante

jennufcboss — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:42:50 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 88-90 Chase Side, EN2 6NX, Enfield, United Kingdom

With a relatively recent revamp to decor and menu, Enzo's has improved vastly.
The dishes are interesting and sensitively planned, and the result is a wonderful combination of flavours and textures.
The live music nights are not my personal cup of tea as I like to natter away with my companions, but I know a lot of people who do enjoy it!
There are good set dinner and lunch deals as well, which are excellent value as the A La Carte is quite expensive.

Studio Pasta Valentinos

jennufcboss — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:38:05 +0000

Rating: 4.5

Location: 828 Green Lanes, N21 2RT, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8364 0276

Tags: italian, crowded, expensive, romantic, lively

This is my favourite Italian restaurant. I have been coming here since I was 5 years old, and it has remained my favourite ever since.
The atmosphere is wonderful, and the staff couldn't be more friendly and attentive. The decor is updated from time to time to keep it fresh and interesting, and I have never known the restaurant to not be busy.
I love the avocado royale (smoked salmon, prawn and avocado) starter, the ingredients are always fresh and tasty, never limp and bland like some restaurants! The filleto al pepe is divine, although limited to me for special occasions as it is quite expensive.
Now, I am not a pasta fan, so you may wonder why I choose to go to a restaurant called 'Pasta Studio' - well, the reason is that although I am not a pasta fan, this restaurant is the only place good enough to enable me to actually enjoy a pasta dish!!! I think the key is the fresh ingredients, the inventive combinations, and the genuine skill of the chef.
If you come to Studio Pasta, you will not be disappointed, in fact like me, you may be converted for life!

Bipasha

jennufcboss — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:19:53 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 12 Nightingale Lane, E11 2HE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8530 4650

Not the best Indian restaurant in town. The food is OK, and the service is OK, but the decor of the restaurant is very poor, and the staff aren't the most attentive around. I would say this is a better place for a takeaway than a sit-down meal.

Gastrodome

jennufcboss — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:18:23 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 17 High Street, E11 2AA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8518 8516

Nice and stylish for a cheap(ish) and cheerful(ish) lunch. The food is pretty good, and they prepare it in an open kitchen which is always a good touch.

Gioberti

jennufcboss — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:16:33 +0000

Rating: 3.5

Location: 117B High St, E11 2RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8989 9989

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

I used to come to this restaurant regularly as a treat. The pizzas are not the cheapest, but are certainly nicer than your average pizza.
The staff are extremely friendly and welcoming, and the restaurant itself, while small and busy, is also cosy and relaxed.
Recently the menu was changed slightly, and my favourite starter - king prawns in a tomato and chilli sauce, was removed from the menu. This was highly disappointing! Also, the pizza I had most recently was nowhere near the usual standard - I am hoping this was a blip though and will probably try the food again, just in case!
I do feel that the restaurant is slightly overpriced, but it retains its popularity, so you can hardly blame them for charging a lot!

Naman Restaurant

jennufcboss — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:08:45 +0000

Rating: 4.5

Location: 157 High St, E11 2RL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8532 2845

Tags: romantic, expensive, vietnamese

The first thing to mention about this restaurant is the decor - it truly is like walking into another world. My whole family were stunned to silence on entering this large and highly dramatic restaurant - it is just so incredibly beautiful!
The second positive to mention is the quality of food. I invariably will order scallops in black bean sauce, which is hugely generous in the number of succulent scallops it contains, and incredibly tasty! The usual suspects are also all very good, such as crispy aromatic duck, prawn toasts, seaweed etc. The only thing that I think is not up to scratch in this restaurant is the chicken. I'm not sure how they prepare the chicken dishes, but I believe they must boil/steam the meat. Unfortunately, this seems always to have been done to excess, and the resulting texture tends to be over dry and slightly chewy. All other meats are prepared to absolute perfection however, and I just tend to steer clear from the chicken dishes!

I recommend this restaurant for couples as the atmosphere is extremely romantic.

Star of India

jennufcboss — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:01:52 +0000

Rating: 2.7

Location: 875 High Road, E11 1HR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8989 4028

Website: http://www.star-of-india.co.uk/

Tags: lively, family & home feel, good value, crowded, indian, romantic

A true 'Star of India'This is an Indian restaurant that exudes class.
The decor is really inviting, rare I think for an Indian restaurant.
The food though is the thing that has to be talked about at this small restaurant in Leytonstone. The food is invariably exquisite, and most importantly it is unique. Many Indian restaurants have the same menus, and the same kind of flavours, but Star Of India, whilst keeping the classic dishes on the menu, prepares them in such a way that they are simply better than anywhere else! The chicken shashlick is divine, the chicken Jalfrezi has the perfect balance of flavours and spicyness, and the onion bhajis are juicy and flavoursome.
On top of this, the staff are very friendly and welcoming.
I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough for curry lovers, or for curry virgins.

Hunters

jennufcboss — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 11:54:02 +0000

Rating: 1.0

Location: 12-13 Heddon Court Parade, EN4 0DB, Barnet, United Kingdom

Oh, it's just so awful. Unless you are really old and have no taste buds left, please do not go here. The food is truly appalling, the staff are miserable, and the decor is laughable. All with the added bonus of being ridiculously expensive. I have been to this restaurant once, and will never return.

La Porchetta

jennufcboss — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 11:48:57 +0000

Rating: 4.6

Location: 265 Muswell Hill Broadway, N10 1DE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8883 1500

Tags: italian, family & home feel, cheap eat, crowded, lively

Pizza for the massesI came here on a friend's recommendation.
This is a large Italian restaurant, primarily serving pizza and pasta at very cheap prices. I ordered an avocado vinaigrette as a starter, which really did not make a good first impression for me. It was simply an avocado cut in half, with what tasted like value salad dressing poured in the middle. I would give that zero marks for presentation and zero marks for taste.
However, I was pleasantly surprised by the pizza. I ordered a vegetarian pizza while my partner ordered a ham and mushroom pizza. He found his a little bland I believe, but how can ham and mushroom pizza not be bland, I ask you?!! My pizza was very nice, with olives, peppers, mushrooms, onion, artichoke and spinach. There was an excellent balance of cheese, tomato and toppings, and the base was cooked to perfection. All in all, a perfect italian pizza for half the price of other italian restaurants.
The house wine was also very reasonably priced, and although the white left a bit to be desired, the red was surprisingly full bodied and flavoursome.
I would recommend La Porchetta very highly, but in future, I will only order the pizza, and skip the starters!