• Added: 4th of May 2008
• Area: Fitzrovia
• Category: Restaurants

London W1W 8AX
020 7436 0111

Coffeegeek said
Great new noodle bar
Pho is a new Vietnamese place on Great Titchfield Street, they make fresh Vietnamese street food.

They specialise in Soup Noodles which are fantastic. The noodles come with a side plate of fresh herbs to tear up and add to your own taste. Really good tasty food. You feel like you’ve eaten healthily but your still very full. The starters are interesting too, we had some great meatballs with dipping sauce and the spring rolls were very fresh tasting.

I spoke to the owner who said the secret is in the stock they make on the premises. It takes 12 hours to cook and keeps all the fresh flavours in the stock. Tastes great.

The décor is fairly basic whitewash walls and a couple of pictures but there is a good atmosphere with a lively local crowd gathering their most nights. Once this place gets into the guide books I expect it’ll be booked up weeks ahead so get in there now while it’s still new and not well known. Expect to pay about £30 for two with some beer.

I’ve been to ‘nam but never had food as good as Phos.

Will be back regularly.

• Added: 4th of May 2008
• Area: Fitzrovia
• Category: Restaurants

London W1T 4JA
020 7636 1813

Coffeegeek said
My local take out and it's great
This is my local take away (and yes, before you ask, people do live in the West End) and as well as being a genuinely nice bunch of people they impress me in two ways.

Firstly the food is great. Strong, rich flavours and more subtle dishes sit side by side perfectly. Crisp, fresh popadoms and warm naans all cooked fresh.

Secondly, The Food Standards Agency gave them 4 stars, which is the same score as they awarded Gordon Ramsey’s at Claridges. The Ivy scored just 3 stars so well done Olives!

I’ve tried all the take outs in the area and Olives has the best food and they rarely get your order wrong. You can eat in and the décor is clean and bright, if a little bland. Still worth it for the food though!

• Added: 29th of April 2008
• Area: Soho
• Category: Food and Drink

London W1F 9AL
020 7734 1546

Coffeegeek said
weird
We had a strange experience here last Saturday evening. We went into the Lexington store, looked at the menu and stood at the counter. The guy behind the counter ignored us and kept chatting to customers (mates?) Then another member of staff came in with some food… and a pair of old trainers on a tray. The same tray.

Still we were ignored but given the food/ trainer combo it meant we could slip out quietly.

Despite the great reviews I can’t think that I’ll be back anytime soon.

• Added: 29th of April 2008
• Area: Soho
• Category: Restaurants

London W1F 9SS
020 7287 1840

Coffeegeek said
Great value in Soho
Cheap eats with well cooked food served by nice people. The food is basic grilled meat/ fish with rice and salad but cooked well and very reasonably priced.

I've eaten here many times over the years and this weekends experience was as good as ever. We got my fave table, in the window, and had bread and olives, two starters, two generous mains and a bottle of gluggable house red. The bill was £32 + a well deserved tip.

A if that wasn’t enough, there’s always a lively atmosphere with a good mix of locals and tourists.

If you want dinner in Soho and don’t want expensive or fancy you can’t do much better than here.

I hope to be returning many times in the future.

• Added: 20th of April 2008
• Area: Oxford Circus
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London W1G 0JF
020 7499 3443

Coffeegeek said
Great after work bar
Trendy, buzzy, chic but well 'lived in' West End bar. Reserve a table if there's a few of you as there's no chance of getting one otherwise.

Cocktails are comparible in price to other bars in the area but somehow they just seem better. Bar staff are skilled and friendly. Go with a fat wallet and leave wth a fuzzy head and you're sure to have a good time.

• Added: 20th of April 2008
• Area: Fitzrovia
• Category: Restaurants

London W1T 2LP
020 7580 6551

Coffeegeek said
Not as good as it used to be
Ten years ago I thought the food here was great, two years ago I thought it was quite good, last night I thought it was little more than edible. In fact, my partners soup wasn’t edible and I can’t remember the last time she didn’t eat something in a restaurant.

Main course was ok but lacked depth of flavour and we were pretty sure the rice had been reheated in a microwave. We had a beef in peanut sauce dish which was uninspireing and a pork dish which was extremely forgettable. As the other reviewers have already said, the décor is barmy but I like it.

It also seemed pretty expensive; two soups, two mains with rice and four bottles of beer came in at over £50 which seems a lot for a place that has paper table cloths and microwaved rice.

On a Saturday night there was only three tables taken, a sure sign that something’s wrong. If the owners read this, please, please up your game and check out your competition. Charlotte Street in crowded with busy restaurants but Josephine’s was empty. Try eating at your closest rivals Rasa across the street or Siam Central a few doors down and you’ll see why.

I really want to love this place but I don’t think I can anymore. It’s a real shame as the owners are lovely people, the staff are polite and attentive and the cooking used to be great.

• Added: 18th of April 2008
• Area: Soho
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London W1D 3SH
020 7437 2525

Coffeegeek said
Basement bar
A good sturdy basement bar under a great indian resturant.

Good decor and a decient DJ make this a pleasent bar for week niht drinks. You can reserve an area for small birthdays and the like.

Like most of Soho, its best enjoyed on week nights as Saturday night see's the whole area fill with out-of-towners,stag doos and brash blonds with L plates.

Drinks are on the pricey side but that shouldn't bother the middle class urban professionals that drink there.

• Added: 14th of April 2008
• Area: Somerstown
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London W1W 6SD
020 7307 9971

Coffeegeek said
trendy welcoming pub
We went to the Crown and Sceptre last Saturday for lunch. It’s a very trendy pub but manages to still be welcoming and comfortable. The staff are friendly and service is pretty swift. They have a wide range of the more interesting beers and a good wine list.

The menu is simple but the food is good quality and well cooked. We had the Burger and Maris Piper chips and cod and chips. The chips were perfect, the best I have had for years! The burger and cod were both well above average.

As it’s one of my locals, I have been here many, many times. Thursday and Friday nights are packed and in the summer there is a good crowd outside. Weekends are quieter and they have board games to play. There’s a quirky mix of 40s – 80s furniture that includes sofas, tables and a rather nice 40’s sideboard.

I think this is probably the best gastro-pub in the area.

• Added: 2nd of April 2008
• Area: Fitzrovia
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London W1T 3PA
020 7323 1228

Coffeegeek said
great pub, just ignore the decor
When empty this pub looks like a dusty old mans pub. However, it has good food upstairs, friendly service and the atmosphere is lively. A genuine London boozer full of the West Ends young and trendy without being in the least bit pretentious. No banging music, no TV, no sport, just people in a pub! What a superb novelty.

It’s a Sam Smiths pub so don’t expect silly prices for fancy cocktails. Its beer, it’s under £2 a pint; so just drink it and enjoy the place. I will be back for more.

• Added: 29th of March 2008
• Area: Fitzrovia
• Category: Restaurants

London WC1E 7DF
020 7299 7900

Coffeegeek said
Reasonable food but too full and noisy
This is one of those places people rave about and there’s often a queue to get in. Once you’re in you get to share a table with noisy strangers and order some basic Thai food. The foods reasonable but it’s hardly authentic and the green curry I had tastes like it’s out of a jar. However, it's not expensive and the food is filling and tasty. The décor and layout is stylish enough if a little cramped. If you’ve had a few drinks and there is a crowd of you I think it would be fun.

If you haven’t had a few drinks and there’s only a few of you, it’s noisy, cramped and the service is quick and blunt. You’re in and out before you know who’s been elbowing you and shouting across your table. There’s better Thai food in London and more fun places for a crowd of people.

Doubt I would go back.