Latest reviews by sue's friends

Almirall - review by foodbymark

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:45:44 +0000

Almirall - review by foodbymark

Rating: 2.0

Location: AragÃ³ 625, 08018, Barcelona, Spain

Cafeteria Almirall is in an area of rapid redevelopment also known as the Innovation District (previously known as the Catalan Manchester). With its location very much out of the tourist area, it's very unlikely that you will randomly come across this place by chance.

Lunch is a set menu in Spanish and unfortunately neither of the waiters was able to speak English. As soon as I had ordered my food and bottle of sparkling water a basket and slightly tough bread arrived. First course was spinach tagliatelle with bolognese sauce with accompanying plate of freshly grated parmesan cheese, pleasant and filling. This was followed by Calamares - whole baby squid with garlic butter and a side salad. Another good dish. I chose a Mandarin Tart from the trolley to finish with. Certainly pleasant.

At 10 euros the meal is an absolute bargain especially when I went to pay for my meal and found that my drink was also included in the deal, in addition to a coffee. I was amazed at the sheer value and the food wasn't bad. Not great but good for 10 Euros. You would be very hard pressed to find a comparison in London.

Azzi, Korean & Japanese Fusion Restaurant - review by bellaphon

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 08:00:19 +0000

Azzi, Korean & Japanese Fusion Restaurant - review by bellaphon

Rating: 4.0

Location: 47, Poland Street, W1F 7NB, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7287 0997

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

Tags: lively, korean, family & home feel, good value, romantic

The inclusion of the word fusion that appears on the full name of this restaurant or any other for that matter is enough to deter me from making an appearance. Fusion of different cuisines can only lead to a kankedort. Ermâ¬¦maybe for except Peter Gordon, Nobu Matsuhisa or perhaps Ian Beale from EastEnders.

The impossibly long queues (think Disneyland or the Nemesis ride at Alton Towers) at Cha Cha Moon and Bodeanâ¬"s were responsible for my well-fated destiny with Azzi. Iâ¬"m also well aware that this place is only around the corner from my distraught experience at Ran.

The ambience is bright, airy but most definitely not Japanese, so it must be contemporary Korean. Service was efficient but little English spoken, however the delightful Eastern European waitress assisted no end and avoided any â¬Ülost in translationâ¬" moments with her employers and yours truly. I came here for lunch, so on this account alone Iâ¬"ll only suggest you go straight to the special lunch set menu where everything seems to be under a tenner. The lunch deal to go with your choice of mains includes an amuse bouche of some sort (seaweed omelette on my visit), bowl of dressed salad, impressive display of kimchee, pickled daikon, beansprouts, spinach, more shredded radish and miso soup (bring your vegan friends!). That, folks, is a meal unto itself. My chosen mains of Dolsot Bibimbab (Rice in Hot Stone Pot) was beyond the realms in presentation and taste. My dining companionâ¬"s So Bulggoggi (Marinated Beef) was pronounced â¬Üitâ¬"s alright in all, Iâ¬"m cominâ¬" back for moreâ¬". A token slice of fruit is served to complete the meal. Â£8.50 for the my companionâ¬"s set and 8 quid for mine, together with no cover and service charge this place is worth a patronage; ridiculously good value, ginormous portions and good tasting to boot.

As for the fusion thing, thereâ¬"s no evidence on the menu, although sushi and pork katsu is featured, I think this place is purely and wholly Korean. I like, I like it so very much.

The French House Dining Room - review by DanWilkinson

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:51:40 +0000

The French House Dining Room - review by DanWilkinson

Rating: 4.0

Location: 49 Dean Street, W1D 5BG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7437 2477

Tags: lively, crowded, brasserie, french, romantic

I'm a bit of a Francophile, if I'm honest. I'm generally appreciative of things Italian, Spanish and so on, but it's earthy, rustic French cooking that does it for me every time. The sort of cuisine that says zinc bar, forthright vin de pays, brasserie, noncommittal shrugs, Gauloises. I'm happy to languish in a cliche like this.

I like the way aspects of Frenchness have remained stoically untouched by the modern world - the continuing love affair with rollnecks, the sanctity of lunch and the merry disregard for personal safety once behind the wheel of an automobile.

The French House is like this impression of Frenchness made brick and mortar. Whilst the rest of Soho either went uber-exclusive and expensive, or touristy and expensive, the French House has carried on being friendly, knocking out lager in half pints, and serving great, simple food in a tiny room upstairs, accompanied by an excellent wine list.

The food is generally excellent, robust fare. Think things like salades tiedes to kick off, and carefully grilled beasts to follow, with hearty accompaniments and desserts to excite the child in you. The wine list is predictably Gallic, but unusually diverse for it and exceptionally well-priced. You'll get out of here for about Â£40-50 a head, I reckon. In fact everything, down to the gently self-deprecating telephone system, is so pleasant at this place it's a wonder I'm not there every week.

I should also note that booking ahead is pretty much essential on most nights, and although there's a bit of room between tables, you'll be reasonably well-known to your neighbours by the end of the night. Weirdly though, whilst in some places this is Really Irritating, here it's sort of part of the charm.

Paul A Young Fine Chocolates - review by Niamheen

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:53:38 +0000

Paul A Young Fine Chocolates - review by Niamheen

Rating: 5.0

Location: 33 Camden Passage, N1 8EA, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7424 5750

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

Tags: artisan, luxury, treat, islington, chocolate

This really is an exceptional chocolate shop. A treasure trove of chocolate goodies, from salted caramels to chilli chocolate. It has an air of luxury about it and is a real treat. It's not cheap, but then why would it be? They sell gorgeous artisan chocolates and these come at a price. It's worth going alone for the hot chocolate, I had mine spiced with sichuan peppercorns and it was divine (check out the pic).

I say go and indulge, you'll thank me for it!

Northcote Fisheries - review by chrisp

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:09:36 +0000

Northcote Fisheries - review by chrisp

Rating: 4.0

Location: 14 Northcote Road, SW11 1NX, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7978 4428

Tags: rare finds

Sadly, due to punative rises in rent imposed by Northcote Road landlords, Northcote Fisheries are now operating from a van parked down a side road off Northcote Road itself. Fortunately they still offer the same good selection of fish and crustaceans and although it seemed initially like they were in danger of being overshadowed by the Fishworks newly opened a few doors down, the poor fishmongery and heavy markups of the corporate joint soon saw their regular flock returning.

Sure, it's not the greatest fishmongers in the world, but it's privately owned, friendly, reasonably priced and characterful. So before Wandsworth council finally admit that their plans for the redevelopment of SW11 involve the flattening of the whole of Northcote Road to make way for a single giant branch of Fat Face, it will continue to get my custom.

Hennessy's - review by chrisp

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:52:54 +0000

Hennessy's - review by chrisp

Rating: 4.0

Location: 80 Northcote Road, SW11 6QN, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7228 0894

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

Tags: rare finds, bargain

It may not have the pedigree of Dove's or Moen & Sons, but Hennessey's is an unassuming, straightforward butcher that will sell you decently sourced cuts of meat and poultry without huge markups.

I've never really been that disappointed with anything I've bought here - which is more than I can say about its rivals - and they are generally a cheery lot. It's also the only butchers I know that has a piano.

A Dove & Son - review by chrisp

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:47:17 +0000

A Dove & Son - review by chrisp

Rating: 3.0

Location: 71 Northcote Road, SW11 6PJ, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7223 5191

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

Tags: delicatessen, rare finds

Like many of these "traditional", posh old butchers in posh old parts of London, you really have to know what you're doing to safeguard against ludicrous markups and cynical pricing. The sausages are good enough value and are often very tasty. The bacon tastes nice but is stupidly expensive, but their cuts of lamb are worth trying. I've never thought much of their beef, which doesn't seem to be of a great pedigree, and they needed a lot of persuading to make a decent steak cut, rather than just slicing off a sliver of boring red meat last time I asked.

I usually go to Hennessey's over the road. They may not have a queue snaking out of the door every Saturday, but at least you don't feel like a mug when you ask for 6 slices of bacon and have to hand over a tenner.

M Moen & Son - review by chrisp

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:41:57 +0000

M Moen & Son - review by chrisp

Rating: 4.0

Location: 24 The Pavement, SW4 0JD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7622 1624

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

Tags: delicatessen, rare finds

I have very mixed feelings about Moen and Sons. They do often have a good selection of interesting meats (grouse in season, they sell home-made haggis for Burns night, etc.) and the shop itself is very attractive, all victorian glass and tiling.

But it's just so darned expensive - they seem to have adopted the look and feel as well as the prices of Harrod's Food Hall, and unless you really know what you're doing you can be taken for a ride. On more than one occasion they've attempted to sell me substandard pork (too lean) and the last beef ribeye didn't have a great deal of flavour. To be fair, I have occasionally also struck gold with a brilliant pheasant and you can sometimes find speciality chicken.

All in all, it's better than Sainsbury's, but it's still not quite as good as Hennessey's on Northcote Road. Hennessey's may not have fancy tiled walls and organic bread, but they don't rip you off and the whole experience is a great deal less intimidating.

Restaurant Cal Pep - review by foodbymark

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:48:35 +0000

Restaurant Cal Pep - review by foodbymark

Rating: 4.0

Location: PlaÃ§a de les Olles, 8, 08003, Barcelona, Spain

Phone: 93 310 79 61

Website: www.calpep.com

Tags: lively, seafood, fun, spanish, noisy, tapas

Cal Pep is a favourite amongst locals and highly regarded as serving the very best in tapas in downtown Barcelona and perhaps all of city. It is a short walk from the Basilica Santa Maria Del Mar. There is no menu and everything served is on a day by day market fresh basis. Chef Pep personally goes to the markets in the morning to get the freshest of produce and so for example, if the baby octopus is not good in the morning, you will not be able to order it that day.

We arrived after 9pm on a Thursday night and it took over half an hour to be seated at the bar which is, I am told, the best place to enjoy the food - right in front of the action. You are advised to get a drink and look at what everyone else is eating and devise what you would like to eat. With eyes far bigger than our stomachs we ordered dishes including tuna steak tartare, sea bass, beautifully cooked steak with sautÃ©ed potatoes, chickpeas and baby octopus, fresh clams with garlic butter (almost as if they were plucked from the sea fresh), fried whitebait with a fried egg and more.

Seven dishes with traditional bread lightly brushed with tomatoes, and garlic, a bottle of rioja, a glass of cava, an espresso and a spanish coffee (cognac and coffee shot) came to just over EUR120. The service is fun with constantly joking staff and the wine is fantastic. Locals do still go which is surely a great sign. I look forward to returning to Barcelona on a holiday trip and visiting Cal Pep again!

(edited as I wrote this whilst drunk and it was badly written)

Cafe Demilune - review by oogywawa

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:19:17 +0000

Cafe Demilune - review by oogywawa

Rating: 4.0

Location: Rue Etienne Dumont, , Geneva, Switzerland

Phone: +41 22312190

Website: www.demilune.ch

Tags: cool, late license, gastro pub, excellent pub food, cool & smart, trendy, friendly, relaxed

Located in the heart of the Old Town on a picturesque cobbled hill that houses several eating places, this is a very popular post work watering hole that serves good tasty tapas and more significant hot dishes until 11.30pm and stays open until 2am every night.

There is a real buzz when you first walk in and the emphasis is on being yourself, enjoying the atmosphere and sinking a few alcoholic beverages in the spirit of bonhomie.

There is a selection of tables and comfy sofas to take your pick from and order crisp draught Carlsberg (not the UK brewed rubbish) or well mixed cocktails. A good if a little overpriced Wine List ensures no-one goes home disappointed...or sober !!

Mimo Al Shami Lebanese Restaurant - review by oogywawa

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:58:55 +0000

Mimo Al Shami Lebanese Restaurant - review by oogywawa

Rating: 4.5

Location: 25 Walton Crescent, OX1 2JG, Oxford, United Kingdom

Phone: 01865 310066

Website: http://www.al-shami.co.uk

Tags: lively, international, cheap eat, middle eastern

The Observer listed this as one of their Top 30 UK places to eat for Â£10. We spent an astronomical Â£14 each at this place and had 9 different dishes !!!

This spacious Lebanese favourite of Oxford town and gown gets stupidly busy later post 8pm but my advice is go early and fill your boots ! It opens all day from midday and the food is simple, full of flavour with a vast choice including a significantly large range of vegetarian dishes.

There are over 40 hot & cold starters and the best idea is to order a few and share. For "Mains" we opted for a selection of skewered meats from the charcoal grill and a particularly tasty cod fillet in hot sesame sauce.

Delicious, fresh, affordable, highly recommended...

Melur - review by bellaphon

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:49:41 +0000

Melur - review by bellaphon

Rating: 4.0

Location: 175A Edgware Road, W2 1ET, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7706 8083

Website: www.melur.co.uk

Tags: lively, family & home feel, cheap eat, business, good value, malaysian, romantic

I know itâ¬"s early days yet, but this new Malaysian restaurant located in a basement on Edgware Road what has been Mawar, a Malaysian canteen of great repute is showing great promise. The basement ambience is modern and comfortably lit; unlike the predecessor the dingy character and dampness have all but disappeared. The Singapore Laksa and Mee Hoon Goreng (Fried Vermicelli) were delicious and obviously concocted passionately to retain a high degree of authenticity. When visiting try the de facto Malaysian drink of Teh tarik- this sweet combo of tea and condensed milk (a colonial influence I suppose) goes well with the food.

Like all new places of this ilk I sincerely hope that complacency does not fall prey on the quality of the cooking and superb service. In the meantime, welcome Melur.

Pho - review by DanWilkinson

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:08:15 +0000

Pho - review by DanWilkinson

Rating: 3.8

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

Phone: 020 7436 0111

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

Tags: vietnamese, dodgy beef stock, good value, pretentious, crowded

First off, let me say that I rather enjoyed the lunch I had here earlier in the week. I wasn't really all that disappointed. In quality terms I'd probably put it somewhere around Wagamama, maybe a tiny notch above.

However, if you're alongside Wagamama in the quality stakes, it's probably not that wise to bang on about authenticity and stellar quality in your literature, taking a bit of a holier-than-thou approach and generally being all po-faced about it.

And so it was that, with my appetite for supersonic Vietnamese food truly whetted, and their loving descriptions of 'true' Pho ringing in my ears, I opted for the Pho Tai (beef fillet Pho), hoping to be transported to the far east in no time. Unfortunately, it turned out that I've made better Pho at home, using ingredients from Tesco and a recipe by Gordon Ramsay.

I'm no Pho expert, but I do profess to know stocks, and this was a disappointingly thin, un-beefy concoction, packed with spring onions and shreds of overcooked beef. I can't work out what the problem could be, as making stock is pretty simple really. Overdilution? Underseasoning? Made too quickly? Either way this was closer to flavoured water than proper, gutsy stock and was entirely lacking in flavour, except for the overwhelming burn of the spring onions.

Noodles lurking in the bottom of the bowl were... noodles. I'd eventually tipped the entire plate of accompanying garnish (coriander, mint, red chillis, beansprouts) into the bowl to try to coax some flavour out of it, but to no avail.

So I'm being harsh, because whilst it wasn't an unpleasant experience, and whilst I felt it in itself represented decent value and a pleasant lunchtime diversion, it's nowhere near as good as it says it is, and that really annoys me.

Trinity - review by FoodStories

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:02:41 +0000

Trinity - review by FoodStories

Rating: 3.0

Location: 4 The Polygon, SW4 0JG, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 7622 1199

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

Tags: lively, british

We visited Trinity recently for the 'Sunday Supper Deal', having really enjoyed it the first time we dined there. I love the focus on British ingredients and their style, which is one of sophisticated comfort food. The Sunday supper menu is a lot more rustic than the regular Trinity fare but even the latter, despite being a damn sight more fancy - has a very honest and soothing quality about it.

We first fell in love at The Taste Festival earlier this year, where I must have given them my e-mail address as I have received drool-worthy teasers since, that have worked exactly as intended. Our first real visit, we were a party of six and on arrival, found we had been allocated the chefâ¬"s table, which was a rather pleasant surprise. I remember enjoying a delicate crab and avocado salad and a main of juicy, tender suckling pig - that nightâ¬"s special, advertised as using every bit of the piggy - oink oink.

Just when I was undecided about where to dine last week, another superbly timed e-mail dropped into my inbox. Trinity have introduced a Sunday supper deal. You get three courses - a choice of two starters, a set main course (a whole roast joint or fish, to be shared between a couple or group), a choice of two desserts, a pre-dinner drink, and coffee - setting you back 30 of your finest pounds (sans booze).

There are many things I love about Trinity and this is the first - the bread. Those little rolls are the most adorable angular shape and oh-so cheesy. They are wonderfully warm and when you break them apart and get ready to give them what they want (a good buttering), you get a poof of cheesy steam right up in your face. Fantastic.

To start, we were offered either Jerusalem â¬Üartichoke soup with hazelnut Chantillyâ¬" or â¬Ühand chopped terrine of middle white pork, prunes and pistachios with chutney and warm country breadâ¬". I opted for the terrine, which was bloominâ¬" marvellous. Great chunks of meatiness interspersed with fantastic sweet date pockets and flecked green with pistachios. Great textures too, soft ham, even softer dates and then crunchy nutty fun in between.

The main course for the week was oxtail (â¬

Sushi-Hiro Japanese Gourmet Food - review by sulin

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:53:19 +0000

Sushi-Hiro Japanese Gourmet Food - review by sulin

Rating: 4.5

Location: Uxbridge Road, W5 3LD, London, United Kingdom

Phone: 020 8896 3175

Tags: japanese, good value

Thereâ¬"s a narrow shopfront directly across the street from the Ealing Common tube station that always looks like itâ¬"s closed, thanks to itâ¬"s whited-out windows. Look carefully, and youâ¬"ll see a little display of plastic sushi in the front (and a sign that says Cash Only). Behind that door is an adorable sushi restaurant that serves some of the best sushi in London.

We were looking for a light lunch one weekend when I suggested Sushi Hiro. It has been on my radar for a while and this was finally a chance to go.

We ordered two sushi platters - the first and third sets on the menu (were they A & C?). Together, they came to about Â£17, very reasonable for sushi of such high quality. The fish was extremely fresh and watching the sushi being made was highly entertaining and made the long wait feel much shorter. Mmmmâ¬¦ I love all the silky smooth fish: tuna, mackerel, salmonâ¬¦ Iâ¬"m not fond of the slimy squid though. If I had to complain about one thing, it would be about how they spread the wasabi under the fish - it wasnâ¬"t spread evenly and so sometimes youâ¬"d get a big lump that would cause your eyes to water a lot! Green tea was brought for us to drink and soon after our platters were brought to us, bowls of miso soup were also presented.

Iâ¬"m already keen to go back to try their maki sushi. Thereâ¬"s one with huge lumps of crab meat and another with gorgeous grilled eel (they dab the sauce on so gently with a brush) and thereâ¬"s even futomaki, the giant sushi roll filled with many goodies.

They are closed in between lunch and dinner and last orders for lunch are taken at about 2pm. Reservations are also taken and are recommended.

Photos here: http://tamarindandthyme.wordpress.com/2008/02/22/sushi-hiro/