• Added: 9th of February 2008
• Area: Maida Vale
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London W9 1NJ
020 7624 2602

GreenHippo said
Full of tasty food and young professionals
I love the Elgin. It is the quintessential corner pub that has transformed itself from a stuffy, smoky, old man's hangout to a contemporary, relaxed but lively gastropub.

The decor is modern and the flat screen TVs are avidly watched by sports fans during the big sporting events. For those people without a sporting interest, the large windows give a good view on the street outside.

The food is wonderful - general pub food (salads, sandwiches, pasta, burgers) but all very nicely done and presented. The cappuccinos are excellent - as I discussed with my friend today, they are probably the best I have had in a pub.

Generally the staff are friendly and responsive.

Free wifi is the icing on the cake.

• Added: 5th of December 2007
• Area: Aldgate
• Category: Restaurants

London E1 6DW
020 7375 0880

GreenHippo said
A bit of Indian glamour in Spitalfields
When I was told by a friend that he had booked an Indian restaurant in Spitalfields I was not overjoyed by the idea. A combination of being in East London (!) and serving Indian food did not sound good to me - but I am a West London girl and the last time I went to India I was pretty sick! However, I was pleasantly by Scarlet.

It is one of the "new" restaurants in/near Spitalfields market. All of these restaurants are large, spacious, furnished with modern designs and pretty good. Scarlet is exactly that - red. With a bit of black thrown in for food measure. The cocktail list is good, even if the cocktails are a bit on the sweet side for my taste.

The food is Indian and quite spicy. It is also plentiful so go easy on the side dishes! The prawn dishes are excellent - very tasty indeed and the lentil dahl and aloo sag are also very good.

Service was a bit hit and miss. It is difficult to establish who is looking after you and even if you do manage this, we found that it was hard to catch our waiter's eye. It was one of those occasions where you feel that they are doing you a favour by letting you order something! Anyway, this could not detract from what was a pretty good meal and a huge step up from some of the more established Indian places in the region.

• Added: 5th of December 2007
• Area: Piccadilly Circus
• Category: Restaurants

London W1B 4DJ
020 7734 4040

GreenHippo said
Best steak place in London
I had heard of Gaucho - something about steak and being not bad so my expectations were not that high...

However, I experienced this place last week when I took a client for lunch. Let me start with the greeting - the girl on the door was fun and had a real sense of humour. I was greeted by name when I went upstairs (so I guess the door girl was efficient too!) and shown to a "quiet" table (something I had requsted at the time I booked).

The decor is cool - cowhide on the walls and a preponderance of wood and leather....but swish too.

They had a good cocktail list - and the mojitos were fab - so good that I found myself ordering two (even though this was lunchtime!).

But you come here for the steak - and the choice was pretty substantive. Various choices of cuts, side dishes, etc. The waiter explained the choices in detail which was much appreciated as some of the cuts were Argentinian and not that familiar. Personally, I thought the food excellent - decent in quantity and quality.

I will definitely come back....

• Added: 11th of September 2007
• Area: Paris
• Category: Restaurants

Paris 75004

GreenHippo said
Great for car-watching!
Le Lounge Bar is ideally placed for watching the hustle and bustle of one of the busiest roundabouts in Paris. With no lines on the road and about 6 "lanes" of traffic negotiating this hazard, the number of near misses is quite substantial!

Only a stone's throw away from the Seine and in the heart of the popular Marais district of Paris, this cafe/bar/restaurant is completely opened up in the summer - allowing the flimsy purple curtains to blow gently in the breeze and to let people sitting inside feel as though they are also sitting outside at one of the street tables. The menu is simple for food but quite ambitious in terms of cocktails. They have a good range of mojitos and champagne cocktails which are quite reaosnably priced compared to the extortionate bars in the 8th and 1st districts. I also enjoyed a great Irish Coffee, which had a lot more whiskey in it than is sensible to drink on an empty stomach! Service is efficient and friendly.

And best of all - the wifi is free! You just need to ask for a password from your waiter.

• Added: 22nd of July 2007
• Area: Mayfair
• Category: Restaurants

London W1K 6ZR
020 7491 9988

GreenHippo said
A piece of France in London
Truc Vert is a wonderful cafe tucked away on North Audley Street, only a minute's walk from Selfridges.

The wooden tables add to the ambience and the cafe is light and airy. There are a few tables outside for the occasional day that allows you to be seated outside.

Service is friendly and informal. Sometimes it can be a bit tricky to actually find someone to pay the bill, but on the whole I have liked the service.

The menu varies daily and is a decent mixture of salads, soup, fish and meat - all french in design of course!

• Added: 1st of April 2007
• Area: Holland Park
• Category: Restaurants

London W8 7LX
020 7727 0004

GreenHippo said
Steak is not the only story
This is a steak place. Or is it?

I have a number of friends who love coming here because of its steak - the restaurant chain was apparently established to provide Londoners with the opportunity to buy good steak at decent prices. Well, in that they have succeeded.

Anyway, I do not eat steak (being a seafood-eating vegetarian) and normally go for the goat's cheese salad (which is tasty and relatively healthy). However, last time I went to this restaurant, I tried the grilled prawns. Wow! This is a lovely dish - a generous helping of prawns (in their shells), grilled and topped with a tasty topping of garlic butter sauce. Definitely not the healthy option but worth every calorie!

I would not bother with the desserts here - they are a little boring. However, the starters are good - the flowering onion is worth a try, as is the artichoke dip with tortilla chips. Just save room for the steak or the prawns!

In the summer, the front of the restaurant opens out and it is a good place to hang out on a Sunday lunchtime, reading the newspapers and grabbing some lunch.

• Added: 1st of April 2007
• Area: Paddington
• Category: Restaurants

London W2 6EY
020 3214 3000

GreenHippo said
Tranquility, trend and taste
This is a new place in Sheldon Square that only people in the know could ever find! It is hidden in Paddington Central - only a few metres from the main Bishop's Bridge Road but very tranquil as it is right on the canal front.

In the summer it is possible to sit outside, sipping one of the sake cocktails and people-watch. In the winter, the large floor to celing windows enable you to do the same thing.

The service is not bad, but the staff are not particularly charming. However, any shortfall on service is made up for with the food. I loved the pizza sushi but, as one of my favourite foods is pizza, that is not a surprise!

It is worth saving room for the prawn dish on the list of main courses - it is just delightful and I could not go to this restaurant without having it. It is one huge prawn, grilled and flavoured and is delicious.

There is a neat bar downstairs, which never seems very busy but I expect that it is popular for private parties. Personally, I would prefer a table upstairs with the view.

• Added: 29th of March 2007
• Area: Vancouver
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Vancouver V6E 1B5

GreenHippo said
Best Italian in Vancouver?
This business-casual Italian restaurant is based on the trendy Robson Street. The entrance to the restaurant is quite hard to find - since the restaurant is upstairs and there is a small doorway with some steps leading to the upstairs entrance.

The bar is in the middle of the restaurant and is quite well-stocked with a small but inventive range of cocktails. I had a French 75, which is a gin-based martini and found it to be good but pretty strong.

The kitchen is semi-open so it is possible to see the staff hard at work at preparing your food. Decor is Italian (which is what you would expect in an Italian restaurant!) but is quite sophisticated and trendy.

I had a small green salad (I was trying to watch my calories!) but the special house dressing was very tasty and the leaves were fresh and full of flavour. Throwing caution to the wind, I then progressed onto a wild mushroom and truffle pizza, which was thin crust and delicious.

Passing up the dessert, I instead had a glass of port - Dow's 1985 - which was one of the best glasses of port I have ever had. At CDN $18 per glass it was by far the most expensive on the menu but was worth every cent. I am very fussy about my cappuccino - this was excellent even though I ordered the decaf version.

Cin Cin's is quite loud and not really a romantic restaurant. It is perfect for a group of 4 or 6 people and the atmosphere is buzzing.

The menu came with a list of accolades that this restaurant has received - including best italian in Vancouver. I have been to a few Italian restaurants in the city and agree that this is the best that I have experienced. This does come at a price - tonight's experience cost about CDN $220 including service, two courses each, port, coffee and three cocktails each.

• Added: 28th of March 2007
• Area: Vancouver
• Category: Restaurants

Vancouver V6E 1B2

GreenHippo said
Is it worth the wait?
This is right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Robson Street. Less than a stone's throw from Banana Republic, HMV and many other fab shops it is a decent place to stop for lunch or dinner - if you can get a table!

There are a couple of prized tables outside, deserted in the rain but incredibly popular in the summer. Inside, there always appears to be a wait - whatever the season. I have been here for lunch and dinner and have had to wait 15 to 30 mins for a table both times. Reservations are not allowed and so you always end up on a waiting list, being promised a 5 minute wait that seems to last more like 30 mins. There is a small bar serving quite decent cocktails - I rather enjoyed the Pomegranate Cosmo.

The ambience of the place is quite happening - lots of local people grabbing a bite with friends. It is pretty laid back and relaxed and the staff are all incredibly attractive - which might explain the large number of men in the place!

The food is a mixture of asian flavours with some mexican/american food thrown in for good measure. We shared the potato wedges with cheese as a starter - not very exciting but then what do you expect....

We both had fajitas - I had the portobello mushroom version and my friend had the beef version. The soured cream, cheese, lettuce and tortillas arrived in large quantities and the mushrooms/steak came to the table sizzling, along with beans, peppers and onions. I quite enjoyed it but for the price (the mushroom fajitas were about CDN $16) there was something lacking.

The service was quite good - although a little neglectful. I think that the waitresses had their hands full entertaining the male clientele!

Overally, I would go there again, but would reduce my expectations and probably have a reasonable time.

• Added: 27th of March 2007
• Area: Duesseldorf
• Category: Restaurants

Duesseldorf 40221

GreenHippo said
In search of truffles!
I used to work near this place and have had lunch and dinner there quite a bit. It is in the harbour area of Dusseldorf so is a bit of a trek if you are in the old town, exploring the sights, but it is well worth the 15 minute walk or the 5 minute taxi ride.

From the outside, the restaurant looks unremarkable. Inside, it is relaxed and small - although at lunch you do get a fair number of people in suits as it is a great place to take business colleagues.

The specials are all marked on a blackboard and change daily. I am not sure that I have ever ordered from the main menu - something always catches my imagination on the blackboard.

The starter of mozzarella and tomato is splendid - simple but with excellent quality cheese and a very tasty olive oil, this is everything that this dish should be.

My favourite dish here is the truffle pasta (normally taglioni), where the pasta is simply cooked with a little olive oil and then the truffle is grated (in front of you) over the top. I am a fan of truffles and I have never had so much truffle in one meal! The portions are exceptionally generous.

Prices are reasonable (although not cheap).

In my opinion, this is the best place to eat near the harbour (and one of the best in Dusseldorf). Do not let yourself be tempted by the flasher-looking places in the vicinity - I have been to them all and this is the best!