Latest reviews by sizemore

Coach & Horses

sizemore — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 12:14:08 +0000

Rating: 3.7

Location: 29 Greek Street, W1D 5DH, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7437 5920

Tags: pub

Real London HistoryEven though I live in SE1 and The Coach and Horses is in Soho, I'm fast coming to see the place as my 'local'.

It's known as Norman's Coach & Horses (there are at least two other pubs within walking distance with the same name) after Norman Balon, the previous owner who became famous in his own right for barring customers regularly. He came into the public eye via the many journalists who drink here. Norman stepped down in 2006, but his legacy is on every wall. This Greek Street boozer is much more than a Soho institution, it's a London legend.

While it still gets its fair share of old school journos, recently the pub has become a haven for writers more at home with laptops and is now something of a geek hangout thanks to the new landlord's acceptance of new media. The Coach & Horses now has free and fast wi-fi throughout and it's upstairs dining room has been used for some very high profile online gatherings.

Somehow this influx of new blood hasn't changed the essential charm of the place. While a lot of London pubs have the occasional 'character' the Coach & Horses has collected an entire cast. So any night you pop in will probably be memorable.

As an example of an old school institution that has managed to adapt to survive without 'breaking' anything, well I can't think of a better example. Plus there's a new website on the way :)

If you're simply looking for a friendly boozer then the staff will warn you that pints of Hoegaarden are a tad expensive and they're quite happy to chat away with you (or ridicule you in a nice way to prove the spirit of Norman is alive and kicking - "real men don't have lime in their drinks" was the upshot of one bar wide debate the last time I was in). Plus it's a good place to spot the occasional celeb - just don't go trying to shake anyone's hand.

And to top it off, the food, while being a simple selection of traditional pub grub with pies a plenty, is really good.

Forbidden Planet

sizemore — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:26:04 +0000

Rating: 4.2

Location: 179 Shaftesbury Ave, WC2H 8JR, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7420 3666

Website: http://www.forbiddenplanet.com

Tags: tv film geeks comics events signings drwho toys dvds tshirts boo

A Mega-City StoreGrowing up as I did on 2000AD in the bleak North of England London seemed as distant as Judge Dredd's Mega City One, but Forbidden Planet was at least reachable according to the small ads in the comic each week. Interestingly they also seemed to host signings with the people whose work I was reading. As a kid Forbidden Planet represented a place where comics were taken seriously.

Now I live in London it's easy to forget what a mecca Forbidden Planet still is for sci fi geeks. I'm a big fan of a lot of London's smaller independent comic shops too, but FP is still a place you can take your girlfriend without her being looked at like an oddity. And with shelves groaning under the weight of not just comics, but also books, DVDs and toys there's a very healthy mix of people in there. Hardcore nerds mixing with brand new Torchwood fans has got to be a good thing.

They also run a series of events that allow you to meet not just writers, but a lot of the folk you grew up watching on TV :) Where else are you gonna run into Christoper Lee, Peter Davison and Simon Pegg?

Camel & Artichoke

sizemore — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 05:30:07 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 121 Lower Marsh, SE1 7AE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7633 0270

Tags: pub, functionroom, helpful staff, events

Nice friendly spaceLower Marsh is tucked away near Waterloo and full of interesting places that never seem to be open when I'm passing. Although I'd walked past this pub many time I'd never been in - so perhaps its old name, The Elusive Camel' was appropriate. It's now under new management and I got the chance to pop along as part of a London Bloggers Meetup group.

There's a nice size bar downstairs and then extra seating available upstairs. With events such as the one this evening the first floor is either half or fully booked depending on the expected numbers. So basically if you can get together 20 or 40 people you can have a large slice of the pub all to yourselves and with no silly booking fee.

The atmosphere downstairs in the regular bar seemed really nice and the staff were certainly helpful. After a quick chat while ordering drinks, myself and a friend were invited to look at the newly renovated beer garden. A little while back it was overgrown and not used, but now they've created a great little space for another 20 to 40 people to hang out once the weather improves. The barbecue is an added bonus. Expect this place to be packed in the summer.

Pretty standard selection of beer, but a nice little place that I'll be going to again.

Shaws Booksellers

sizemore — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:26:02 +0000

Rating: 5.0

Location: 34 St Andrew's Hill, EC4V 5DE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7489 7999

Website: http://tinyurl.com/2s4x3u

Good food, quirky billing :)I met another TrustedPlaces user here for lunch and to catch up, both being what Bill Hicks would have considered "readers" we headed for Shaws...

And what a great little place. Not too busy considering the time of day, with speedy service. The menu was pretty varied for a city pub and as a veggie I was actually spoiled for choice for a change.

I had a salad and sweet potato curry and we got through a charming bottle of red.

The finishing touch was that the bill arrives tucked away inside an old book... very nice :)

The Hide Bar

sizemore — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:17:52 +0000

Rating: 3.8

Location: 39-45 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3XF, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7403 6655

Website: http://www.thehidebar.com

Tags: singlemalt coffeebeer

Seek out The HideI like The Hide because it's a good way to hide from sports fans when every other pub in London seems to be showing some kind of match. It also serves coffee flavoured beer (and a chocolate one I have yet to try).

Best of all though I can walk in after midnight on a Friday night, find a seat and good conversation while drinking an old single malt recommended by the friendly bar staff who all seem to know their stuff.

And I like the ceiling. It's like drinking inside a giant egg box.

5th View Bar & Food

sizemore — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:09:34 +0000

Rating: 3.4

Location: 203 - 206 Piccadilly, W1J 9HA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7851 2433

Website: http://www.5thview.co.uk

Tags: cocktails

Nice view but the cocktails are betterIt's atop Waterstones which is handy, but the prices are a tad steep.

The cocktails are great though, and most come with a literary theme.

Well worth a single drink (or two if you feel plush)

The Ten Bells

sizemore — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:19:24 +0000

Rating: 3.4

Location: 84 Commercial Street, E1 6LY, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7366 1721

Shabby... like meI really like the Ten Bells. It gets crowded and noisy and is looking a little worse for wear, but it has a nice friendly atmosphere and is perfect for a pre-curry meetup on the way to Brick Lane. Plus the walk up from Liverpool Street is nice.

Monmouth Coffee Company

sizemore — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 22:27:07 +0000

Rating: 4.6

Location: 2 Park Street, SE1 9AB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7645 3562

Website: http://www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk/ourshops.htm#theborough

Tags: cosy, amazing brew, crowded, quick bite, lively, cultured

The ONLY place for coffeeSurprised it took me so long to get around reviewing Monmouth. Maybe I want LESS people to go so I don't have to queue. There's also a stall in Borough Market itself and another store (the original?) in Covent Garden, but this is MY store. Love it.

Laughingly there are a few Starbucks within spitting distance - with the emphasis on spitting. How they have nerve to call that crap 'coffee' when the real deal is so close by.

Sometimes I just go to LOOK at the beans. I've sat outside in the pouring rain and that coffee still kept me warm.

The London Transport Museum

sizemore — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:10:46 +0000

Rating: 4.5

Location: The Piazza, WC2E 8BE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7379 6344

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

Tags: cafe, transport, museum, shop

Â£22milion Face LiftWhat a difference a little money makes :)

I remember the old transport museum as being a tad old fashioned, but the new shiny version is a pleasure to visit.

It still appeals to older people of course who remember some of the older exhibits when they ran the roads, but from November 2007 it's very much a family museum. There were kids everywhere! And the exhibits are filled with things to push, pull and ring at kiddie height level (meaning a lot of curious adults had to stoop a little).

The new space is filled over three floors filled with old rolling stock, buses, carriages and even a vintage costumed Bobby. Plenty to see and photograph for visitors to London and locals alike.

Well worth the Â£8 ticket, but the new shop and cafe overlooking Covent Garden are free to get into. The cafe is reasonably priced too and offers a nice vantage point to check out the markets. Best of all the cafe seats are upholstered in 'classic' underground seating fabric.

A fun day out and money well spent. Should really bring one of London's most overlooked museums back into the light.

Andalucia

sizemore — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 13:34:34 +0000

Rating: 5.0

Location: 4 Panton Street, SW1Y 4DL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7930 9950

Tags: lively, good value, spanish, crowded, tapas

Tapas on tapHidden away between Haymarket and Leicester Square Andalucia is a fun little place. Kind of small and tucked away under the street it can get a little noisy, but mid week it's easy to get a table and the service is fast.

I've had just about every veggie option on the menu and have never been let down. Pretty cheap night out of you take a few friends... just go easy on the sangria.

Apple Store

sizemore — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:21:53 +0000

Rating: 4.3

Location: 235 Regent Street, W1B 2EL, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7153 9000

Website: http://www.apple.com/uk/retail/regentstreet/

Tags: computers, iphone, ipod, macintosh, apple. mac

MactasticI was a Windows user for years, but converted to Apple earlier in the year. I'm not a full cult member yet so don't hang around the Apple Store for the fun of it like some seem to do, but I do enjoy shopping there.

If you're after an iPod, iPhone or a Mac then this is the place to head. You can probably get some of the peripherals cheaper elsewhere and the place can be heaving at the weekend, but it's a fun place.

The central glass staircase poses a problem for girls in short skirts or men in kilts (McMac users?), but aside from that you can't really fault the design of the place.

A genius bar to fix your problems,free wifi and friendly helpful staff who know what they're talking about. If it wasn't for the weather you could pretend you're in San Francisco.

Tohum

sizemore — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:48:44 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 54 Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QE, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 0207 812 1333

Tags: delicatessen, healthy food

Nice & dryGot to Exmouth Market just as it got dark and began to rain. Seeing the welcoming lights of Tohum and not having been before we nipped in for a quick coffee.

It's a small deli with a nice family feel and once inside we couldn't resist trying some of the food too. The salads were huge and lovely and both the hot chocolates and coffee got thumbs up from our little group.

Oh and they sell oats milk too. Bonus!

Six Wines Eight

sizemore — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:30:38 +0000

Rating: 4.5

Location: 100-102 Tower Bridge Road, SE1 4TP, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7231 4477

Website: http://www.sixwineseight.com

Tags: unique, hip, wine

A new way to enjoy wineSix Wines Eight is a truly unique wine buying experience, located just off the top end of Bermondsey Street on Tower Bridge Road.

The store has been open for a month now, but the website has been providing a service for much longer. It was the great looking site that lead me to check out the new store and I'm so glad I did.

I popped in for a quick look and ended up chatting to one of the owners for quite a while. He explained the concept behind Six Wines Eight and immediately put me at ease despite me knowing next to nothing about wine. The idea is that the store will feature six wines in eight different styles and the wines themselves will rotate from time to time. This means if you become a regular customer you are in for a real treat.

But please don't be put off by the minimalist style of the place - it's quite small and basic, but prices start at just a fiver and level off at Â£20. There are recommendations for everyone, no matter if you're planning a dinner party or simply want something to go along with your takeaway :)

I left with a Â£10 bottle from their 'purple' range that was just as spicy as advertised and did wonders for my evening.

If you live nearby they also do FREE local delivery on 12 bottles or more which is perfect with Christmas coming up. They also have regular tastings where they pick a style and open every bottle in that range.

This is EXACTLY what this part of Tower Bridge Road needs to bring it into line with the oh-so-hip Bermondsey Street, but the website is also a joy so no matter which part of London you live in you should really check them out.

Crobar

sizemore — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 14:24:40 +0000

Rating: 4.0

Location: 17 Manette Street, W1D 4AS, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7439 0831

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

Tags: music, metal, rock, friendly

My favourite bar in LondonCrobar! If the place was reduced to rubble and all that remained was the jukebox I'd still rather sit there than anywhere else in town. CHEAP and EVIL cocktails, spirits splashed everywhere and sometimes in your glass, tattoos, hot girls and LOUD music. Come on!

Plus the walls are covered in 2000AD meaning at the end of the night when you are under a table you have plenty to read.

Mildreds

sizemore — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:09:48 +0000

Rating: 4.3

Location: 45 Lexington Street, W1F 9AN, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7494 1634

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

Great veggie eats and the room upstairs is one of the best secrets in London!