Latest reviews by nopstar

Troubadour Cafe

nopstar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:51:48 +0000

Rating: 3.9

Location: 263-267 Old Brompton Road, SW5 9JA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7370 1434

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

Tags: cosy, top food

Damn Good BurgerOne of the best burgers I've had in London. I'm tired of all the places that try to dress up their burgers, you can put as many toppings or sauces on burger, doesn't make it a good burger.

Troubadour has a thick hand formed patty, (yes it matters) excellent mix of ground beef,juicy but not too greasy. A simple but good quality roll, with a little salad and shoe string chips.

As I was walking out I saw someone digging into a massive steak... next time!

Tower Paintball

nopstar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 09:43:36 +0000

Rating: 1.0

Location: 68 Tooley Street, SE1 2TF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0845 643 9568

Website: http://www.towerpaintball.com/

Tags: Paintball

Sewer PaintballAs much as I enjoy paintballing, I donâ¬"t think I could recommend this place to anyone. Itâ¬"s quite simply foul... granted there arenâ¬"t any windows, ventilation and it is under a bridge. The first thing you notice when you walk into the place is how dank and mouldy the place smells.

The place is massive, and they have 3 main settings... (main arena, rural village, and apocalyptic London) the place was completely drenched with standing water everywhere. In itself that doesnâ¬"t sound so bad, but the water smelled like toilet water. It makes you wonder what water is seeping in from the top of the tunnel?

As we left, my friend commented that we could have stepped in dog $hit and smelled better than we did.

M Manze

nopstar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:22:00 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 87 Tower Bridge Road, SE1 3DD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7407 2985

Tags: cheap eat, mash, pie, british

Personality goes a very long way.Ever since I was kid living in the States Iâ¬"ve always been into diners. Even as a kid I think I realized these places were free of pretention. Just comfort foods enjoyed by all walks of life. Fast forward 25+ years I find myself in London searching for the same experience.

Today a friend of mine took me to a M. Manze a pie and mash shop which has been around since the late 1800â¬"s. Stepping into the shop you immediately get the feeling this place is the real deal. Old school bench seating and a menu thatâ¬"s so refreshingly simple, itâ¬"s kind of funny.

I ordered the 2 pies and 2 mash plate with a cup of hot Sarsaparilla. Yes Sarsaparilla! As my friend remarked it tasteâ¬"s â¬SOlde Timeyâ¬

Phat Phuc Noodle Bar

nopstar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:37:19 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 151 Sydney Street, SW3 6NT, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 07976 276 808

faux phoI went looking for Pho and found a little hipster noodle bar owned by some nice Thai kids.

Nice spring rolls, and a decent noodle salad in a cute outdoor venue. Not really feeling their interpretation of Pho, with carrots and chinese cabbage...

Taqueria

nopstar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:22:41 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 139-143 Westbourne Grove, W11 2RS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7229 4734

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

Tags: tacos, taqueria

Satisfying my carnitas fix!Since leaving San Francisco earlier this year, I have been suffering serious taco withdrawal. My lunch repertoire included a weekly visit to my local truck for some carnitas and carne asada tacos. Iâ¬"m happy to report that Iâ¬"ve finally satisfied my taco fix.

I stumbled across this little gem this past week. For those looking for an authentic taco experience, I whole heartedly recommend you get to cool Chiquita Taqueria. They serve up good â¬Sstreet styleâ¬

The Jolly Gardeners

nopstar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:04:29 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 49 Black Prince Road, SE11 6AB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7582 3814

Website: http://zeitgeist-london.com/?page_id=3

Tags: independent pub, Schnitzle, German, different pub food

German Food in the Heart of LambethThis is my Friday lunch spot. The pub is run by a German Couple kicking out hearty, satisfying, sleep inducing German food. The menu is fantastic, and a good value. Schnitzel, and roast potatoes and a drink for about Â£5.

The only thing Iâ¬"ve stumbled across that I didnâ¬"t like was the roast in beer sauce? The above picture is the Jager Schnitzel, mushroom gravy and chips.
Simple and Satisfying.

Sirena Restaurant

nopstar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:15:32 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: Black Prince Road, SE1 7SJ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7587 0683

Tags: italian, family & home feel, pizza, good value, crowded, lively

Hole in the wallSirenaâ¬"s is located in the basement of the southbank house a non-descript office building in between nowhere and nothing interesting. That being said if you work near Vauxhall and youâ¬"re into thin crust pizza, this is the place for you. Iâ¬"m giving this place 4 stars, but the rating is only for its pizza. I think the food is about a 3.

The other fare is decent with generous portions... the place is as loud and boisterous as its waiters. (Word of warning... if youâ¬"re an attractive lady youâ¬"re getting snogged by owner)
The pizza is off the hook... go with the signature Sirena (artichoke, tomato, parma ham and sausage)

Pho

nopstar — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:35:15 +0000

Rating: 3.8

Location: 3 Great Titchfield Street, W1W 8AX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7436 0111

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

Tags: lively, Pho, cheap eat, good value, vietnamese

Faux Pho?If you go to the Pho Cafe website theyâ¬"ve got a quote that sums it all up... â¬SPho is much more than breakfast in Vietnam: it is the soul of the Nation. A contribution to human happinessâ¬

New Tayyabs

nopstar — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:03:37 +0000

Rating: 4.6

Location: 83-89 Fieldgate St, E1 1JU, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7247 9543

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

Tags: lively, cheap eat, good value, crowded, expensive, indian

Tired of being hassled on Brick lane?If you find yourself near brick lane, then keep walking another few blocks. Youâ¬"ll find yourself at the doorstep of Tayyabs. Itâ¬"s a tasty Indian restaurant; oh for our Muslim friends Tayabs is also halal.

Make reservations! I made a reservation and was shuttled passed the 20+ person queue... I was aghast by how packed this place was. Normally when you see a place this packed itâ¬"s only full of tourists, it was reassuring to see loads of Indian people filling up on the food.

As the other reviews state, the service is ridiculously fast... they food is inexpensive so they need to make it up in turn over. Youâ¬"ll be rushed, but donâ¬"t take it personally their just trying to get in as much business as possible.

The lamb chops for a started are pretty good. They came out suspiciously fast though, like theyâ¬"ve got dozenâ¬"s already on the grill. , The Chicken Tikka was dry... order the seek kebab really hard to mess those up. Skip the Mango Lassi, itâ¬"s tasted more like sherbert lassi...

The place is packed and itâ¬"s loud. Youâ¬"re not going to be able to hold a substantive conversation as the place is roaring. Youâ¬"re also packed in pretty tight, but then again youâ¬"re there to enjoy the eats right?

Abdul's Fast Food Restaurant

nopstar — Thu, 15 May 2008 17:42:55 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 133-135 Oxford Road, M1 7DY, Manchester, United Kingdom

Phone: 0161 2737339

Tags: kebab, late night eats, seek kebab, cheap eats

Try it sober.Youâ¬"re going to have to trust me on this one, but the place is legit. Iâ¬"m not talking dining, letâ¬"s be honest this is grubbing. Itâ¬" has the feel of any old fast food joint/chip shop.

Youâ¬"ve got to try the seek kebab wrapped in Nan, itâ¬"s exceptional. Itâ¬"s sort of a no brainer really but naan always trump pita doesntâ¬" it? Get there earlier as itâ¬"s get is fair share of drunk uni students.

If youâ¬"re up in Manchester this is little treat you shouldnâ¬"t miss.

Best Mangal

nopstar — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:34:05 +0000

Rating: 4.1

Location: 104 North End Road, W14 9EX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7610 1050

Tags: turkish, cheap eat, middle eastern, good value, crowded, kebab

You canâ¬"t rush a good thing. Iâ¬"ve just recently moved into the neighbourhood, and I have to say that best mangal is the only good thing going down in West Kensington.

Itâ¬"s hands down the best kebab/grill place Iâ¬"ve been to in London. The place isnâ¬"t much to look at, seating is a little tight and the waiters a little to flirty... When Iâ¬"m eating kebab, I almost always stay away from chicken, time and time again it comes out dry and bland. The chicken kebabs at Best Mangal are moist, well marinated and flavourful.

All of their meat is well marinated; and grilled in front of you. You canâ¬"t really go wrong with the Mixed Grill, or the Special House Doner.
Well worth the trip... if you going on the weekend book ahead or be prepared to wait.

Feng Sushi

nopstar — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:43:08 +0000

Rating: 3.0

Location: 101 Notting Hill Gate, W11 3JZ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7727 1123

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

Tags: japanese, good value, crowded

Okay... but you get what you pay for.Iâ¬"ve recently moved to London from San Francisco, and Iâ¬"ve been craving Sushi. I though the prices were fine bordering on inexpensive. The quality of the fish particularly the salmon was better than I was expecting.

I packets of wasabi and ginger have to go though... I understand offering that to your take out customers but your eat in clientele deserve better.

My major complaint was with the sushi rice... maybe it was a bad batch, but then they shouldnâ¬"t have been serving it. The consisitency was too soft and mushy. It was as if they had overcooked the rice and didnâ¬"t bother with the rice vinegar.

If youâ¬"re in the mood for sushi and youâ¬"re already in the neighbourhood I would say stop by.