• Added: 7th of July 2008
• Area: Camden Town
• Category: Restaurants

London NW1 1BA
020 7387 2789

Buraco said
It's as good as everyone says
I believe I've just had a perfect Trusted Places experience. I mean, this is exactly what this site was created for.

I had 2 sisters (one eating for two) and their other halves in town for the weekend. The theatre tickets were sorted, just needed a good eatery to round out Saturday.

It was short notice, but I knew I wanted somewhere pretty close to home, good vibe, not a wallet killer and my sisters both love Spanish food. Quick search on TP revealed El Parador. The recommendations from a couple of reliable people spoke for themselves, so I got the number and booked us in.

I would never have found or thought of this place without TP. And it was as good as Mez, soks and all the other reviewers said it was.

My recommendations: chicken thighs are the best thing we had (and we had most of the menu!), roasted sweet potato, chicken liver, meatballs should be ordered.

I would not recommend the grilled halibut, which was very low on flavour. However, I pointed out to the very friendly waitress that the halibut disappointed me, and she promptly insisted we wouldn't pay for it.

All in all a first rate eatery. Totally unpretentious, extemely tasty, swift and friendly service and excellent value (5 people, 3 bottles of wine, about 20 dishes, all for £30 per head).

I'll see you there soon.

• Added: 28th of February 2008
• Area: Camden Town
• Category: Nightlife

London NW1 7JE
0870 432 5527

Buraco said
koko loco
wo.

i got lost. i got hypnotised by a giant inflatable ball. i refused to purchase more than 1 bottle of beer for £4 (ok as i was already very tipsy). i boogied to some old school tunes and some decent new ones. i had a drunken snog. i was able to walk home (although i didn't).

all in all a good saturday night out.

• Added: 6th of February 2008
• Area: Kentish Town
• Category: Food and Drink

London NW5 2AE
020 7267 1267

Buraco said
simply the best
Can't believe I haven't reviewed phoenicia yet. Shame on me.

I'm very happy to say that KT's finest cafe/deli/mini-mart is right on our doorstep and thus takes numerous pounds of my custom. It's simply the RIGHT way to shop. Fresh meats, fruit and veg (shame they stopped the fish though). Loads of interesting and unusual items to purchase, as well as a good supply of standard items. Olives, nuts, sweet treats and more.

The USP however, has to be the unbelievably good value wraps. £2 for a tasty, healthy, filling meal? It's true! Take note McD's. This is real food. They also do some great fresh juices for under two quid. Recommend lebanese wrap with spicy potato, humous and tabouleh, washed down with and orange and carrot juice. That'll set you back £4.

It's just the best. Say no more.

• Added: 5th of February 2008
• Area: Camberwell
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London SE5 8BB
020 7701 8282

Buraco said
Good reason to miss a train
I just realised tonight that this is one of my favourite pubs in London. It's so inconspicuous that chances are you'll never go there, unless you happen to take a train from Denmark Hill.

It has to be the best pub at a railway station in the UK, let alone London and is a brilliant reason to miss your train home.

The place has been refurbished from the original station building. Lots of wooden beams, exposed brickwork and even the original station clock, which is a mighty, magnificent time piece, permanently stuck at around twenty to three.

There's lots of comfy and cozy areas to sit, which give the place a very homely feel. They do fresh juices (I had pressed apple and ginger today) a great range of beers and ciders, very decent pub grub and nuts. The staff are a friendly bunch and the music is usually cool in a chilled out funky way.

It's somewhere to go with a bunch of friends, or to find some solace with a book. In fact the longer I write this, the more I realise there are very few places this good around.

So get yourself to Denmark Hill and check it out.

• Added: 12th of January 2008
• Area: Camden Town
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London NW1 8QU
020 7428 5979

Buraco said
pleasant surprise
what can i say?

i was dead against going in there, largely on the basis that amy winehouse is known to frequent the place, but also there was a queue to get in. i hate queueing.

but uncle soks and uncle obi insisted, and waddaya know? it turned out to be alright. i mean alright as in pretty good actually. very good music, lively atmosphere, busy but not ridiculously crowded and plenty of trendy people dressed like idiots to look at. just a fun place to be on a saturday night. easy walk from our gaff and the bar manager even gave me a friendly 'cheerio' on our way out. very old timey.

i'll be going back if i ever get to london again.

• Added: 24th of October 2007
• Area: Kentish Town
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London NW5 2AB
020 7485 7186

Buraco said
Not bad for brunch in KT
Went here in search of a Cali-style brunch on Saturday. Always knew I would be disappointed (US brunch standards are off the scale) but I did find somewhere local that did crepes and a decent pot of tea. Slightly over-priced I'd say (£8-9 all in) and the spinach, mushroom and cheese crepe was not exactly inspirational, but I'd probably go back. Good alternative to the greasy spoon.

• Added: 20th of October 2007
• Area: San Francisco
• Category: Restaurants

San Francisco 94117

Buraco said
Taste bud treat in The City
Just round the corner from Niko and Sulakshana's place near Alamo Sq, this place is worth seeking out if you're ever in the vicinity of downtown San Francisco. It's pretty new, but has quickly built up a burgeoning reputation. N&S were desperate to take us, and we made it on our penultimate night.

It did not disappoint! Excellent cocktails to start (recommend the wash house and the last word) two very nice red wines, great appetizers and extremely attentive, friendly service. My main was slightly disappointing (lamb shank) which I've had better in England. However the pork chop was spectacular (highly recommended) and the fish stew and burger were very good as well.

Check out the video to soak up the buzzing atmosphere in this place.

• Added: 21st of June 2007
• Area: Tower Hill
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London EC3R 7NL
020 7480 6789

Buraco said
unimaginitive person's choice of bar
I really detest the Auberge in London Bridge. It happens to be near my workplace and as its on the way from the office to the station, is frequented by workmates on Fridays. There are probably worse bars in London, but many many that are better. You generally have to sit downstairs in dark, smokey (not for long!) with rubbish music playing through a crap tinny speakers adding to the poor atmosphere. Go here if you want to get lashed with people you work with, then stagger 20 yards across a road to the station. Otherwise...don't go.

• Added: 11th of June 2007
• Area: Kings Cross
• Category: Restaurants

London N1 9NR
020 7841 7331

Buraco said

Went here last Friday for the latest TP gathering. Still not sure what to make of it so will fence-sit with 3 stars.

Good things - innovative layout and design with a great outdoor courtyard that I forsee getting lots of action post-July 1st smoking ban. Decor is very nice and a standout feature of the place. Tapas we had was generally tasty and service seemed above average I'd say.

Bad things - I had a terrible G&T (couldn't even finish it, which is a travesty) and I'm not really sure how you mess up a G&T, but they did. The mojitos were also a major let-down: glasses too big, plus not enough rum and too much ice = minty water for most of your drink. Aside from very poor drinks experience, my main reservation is that it didn't have much atmosphere. Can't even remember what music (if any) they were playing, but considering this place is run by the Cargo people, I would expect much more in the tunes department to build a little vibe.

Overall, worth a visit on sunny evenings. Definitely a step in the right direction for Kings X area, but a little more work needed to make Camino a superstar venue.

• Added: 12th of May 2007
• Area: New York
• Category: Restaurants

New York 10009

Buraco said
Tasty latin fusion (just don't drink the port)
Sensing a bit of a theme to my NY reviews? I don't think it was intentional, but I did seem to end up in a lot of Brazilian / latin style places. Not normally a bad thing in my experience. Esperanto is definitely a restaurant to check out if you're in Manhattan. The food is 'latin fusion' and very very tasty. Between us we tried the feijoada (very typical Brazilian meat/bean stew) halibut, tuna and carne asada. All were almost perfectly cooked and full of flavour. Even the side orders of greens and coconut infused rice were pretty memorable. I forget what we had for starter, but that was good as well. The bill was unbelievably cheap for the quality of food, coming out to 25 ($50) per person, including starters, mains, pudding, wine and extras (port, which was DISGUSTING - DO NOT ORDER!!). In addition, the atmosphere was great - quite buzzy and normally they have live music, though not when we went - and you have a choice of indoor and outdoor tables. Service was fine, but not memorable and we had to wait a good while for a table (but that was because Tom booked the wrong place) so shouldn't be a problem if you book in advance.