• Added: 3rd of December 2008
• Area: Soho
• Category: Restaurants

London W1F 9BP
020 7494 4170

Izabel_blue said
Warm atmos, amazing food
I've been to Dehasa twice now - once in the wonderful wonderful private dining room downstairs, and once in the lively tapas bar on the ground level. I've been impressed both times, for different reasons.

When I had dinner in the downstairs room (a corporate evening out) we had plate after plate of wonderful tapas the real standouts were some basics (tortilla, patatas fritas) and also the aforementioned courgette flowers which were awesome. I was seriously impressed by how many great vegetarian tapas there were, and the meaty stuff looked good too. The service was excellent, and we swilled Manzanilla and had a grand old time.

I returned with my own money last weekend to see if it could match the corporate evening out. Me and two friends rushed to Dehasa after a film, hoping to take advantage of their 'no bookings' policy on a busy Saturday night - only to find that the had changed the policy and now take bookings! Oh dear. Out we went onto the pavement, trying to figure out where to go instead - when one of the staff members ushered us back in. "We would be heartbroken if we couldn't find a seat for you"- and hence we found ourselves in the middle of a lively shared table, sitting on (comfortable) stools and occasionally joining in the conversations around us - a very unique experience for London!

The food continued to be stellar - standouts included the scallops on cauliflower puree and some amazing puddings- a Clementine tart for me, poached pears with sorbet for my friends. We left £40 each lighter, but that included lots of tapas, a glass of sherry each, a bottle of wine, and puddings and coffee- so pretty good value - the smallish sizes of the tapas left room for dessert, but I can understand how you could leave a bit peckish if you didn't indulge in a pud at the end.

I'm really looking forward to going back - love the atmosphere and ambiance... and the food!

But forewarned: call and book first if you can!

• Added: 5th of October 2008
• Area: Clerkenwell
• Category: Restaurants

London EC4A 1LB
020 7242 2622

Izabel_blue said
Upscale veggie gets it right (mainly)
I've been here twice now - one for lunch and once for dinner, and have felt *pretty* impressed both times, though I found it a much better destination for dinner.

The food is commendable: the menu is a seriously good take on modern British seasonality (minus the meat) and hence a bit more sophisticated than the global fusion you get at other well-known veggie gaffs, like Manna or The Gate. However, portions are on the smaller size, and you really do need to go for all three courses to have a satisfying meal out - my husband worries that it is a bit too 'set menu' and not flexible enough with the a la carte.

A few examples from their recent menu include a starter 'toasty' with home-made piccalilli and 'deconstructed' lentil dal. Mains are exciting too: mushroom duxelle with mushy peas, goats cheese and walnut backlava with onion puree, beetroot tarte with horseradish custard...

The room is quite formally dressed and modern, with crisp white tablecloths and chandeliers - very trad, quite classy. Front of house is good too: they've brought a chirpy, friendly staff from the original restaurant in York, and you can tell that they care passionately about the food. The only dull note is the 80s' soft-rock and alt hits playing in the background: it seems to compromise the attention to detail with the food, room, and service.

However, the food and service is good enough to compete with any posh gastropub in the area, and the choices on offer will thrill any meat-reducer. Give it a go!

• Added: 5th of October 2008
• Area: Charing Cross
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London WC2N 4JJ
020 7839 4342

Izabel_blue said
Convenient but not stellar
I've been going to the Cafe in the Crypt off and on for about 7 years now, and though I can't fault them for offering good-value dining in a busy area, it's not amazing. The food is very 'school dinners' and tastes of mass catering, and the hot food is always lukewarm.

That being said it's a quiet oasis away from the touristy din of Trafalgar square, and one of the few places in the area where you can get a decent, filling main meal with a glass of wine for under a tenner. The staff is friendly and there is a nice ambience due to the candles and stone walls. Just don't expect a culinary adventure, OK?

• Added: 31st of August 2008
• Area: Soho
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London W1F 9JF

Izabel_blue said
Chilled out Scandinavian coffee and cake
Great coffee and good pastries (especially the super sticky delicious cinnamon buns - as mentioned before) served in a pleasingly scandi - retro surrounds. Note the 70s style wall hanging!

• Added: 31st of August 2008
• Area: Piccadilly Circus
• Category: Restaurants

London W1J 9ES
020 7734 8040

Izabel_blue said
A classy choice for lunch on Piccadilly
My husband and I stopped in here after seeing an exhibition at the Royal Academy across the road. We had a light lunch - aubergine parmigiana for him, pasta with artichokes for me - the food was excellent, especially the wonderful bread which showed up first. Good quality ingredients, simply prepared. Oh, and a nice wine list with some great wines by the glass. Service was slightly haphazard (there were lots of them) but very congenial.

It was a good value central London lunch but note that it's not cheap - I'd think of this as the ideal place to take visiting relatives or to have a bit of a special lunch after shopping or gallery hopping!

• Added: 28th of June 2008
• Area: Kensington
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London W8 5EP
020 7938 2598

Izabel_blue said
Sweet spot, lovely brunch
Popped in here for a random Saturday brunch with my hubby and was really impressed. Friendly service, nice decor (from what could see from our outside table) and simple quality food. I had excellent scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, served with chewy, morish sourdough bread. Hubby had a pile of American-style pancakes with yoghurt, honey and berries - surprisingly light and delicious for such a traditionally heavy food. Wonderful coffee too from the Monmouth Coffee Company.

The table next to us was raving about the club sandwich for lunch, and apparently they are opening in the evening (right now it's a all-day joint only) from July 1st onwards. I will be back!

• Added: 11th of June 2008
• Area: Mayfair
• Category: Events and Entertainment

London W1J 7TY
020 7465 8865

Izabel_blue said
Great cinema in a chi-chi area of town
I am really fussy about where I see films and I loooove seeing stuff on the big screen (screen 1) at the Curzon Mayfair. It's a reassuringly 70s sort of space with a textural concrete interior but there are nice big seats and lots of space - and I promise that your fellow cinemagoers will not be the type to text their friends through the film or throw popcorn around!

There's also quite a nice relaxed bar where you can enjoy a bevvie beforehand. And when you step out into the night you can pretend (just for a minute) that you are heading to your flat on Berkeley Square :-)

Only caveat is that it's not worth seeing anything in any of the smaller screen here - screen 1 or nothing- the others are more of a 'home cinema' experience if you know what I mean.

• Added: 11th of June 2008
• Area: South Kensington
• Category: Food and Drink

London SW7 2HQ

Izabel_blue said
Yummy and not too indulgent!
I have now idea how they do it but a small tub of lovely cold creamy Snog frozen yogurt is a mere 78 calories. I've had both the standard variety and the green tea one now and they are both pretty yummy, especially with fruit on top. It kind of tastes like frozen cream cheese. But better.

The shop in South Ken is really sweet - bright colours and lots of funky toppings (fruit, brownies, etc) to add to your frozen yogurt.

My only caveat is that a Snog ain't cheap - you're looking at £2.85 for a small one, and that's nearly three times the price of a Solero!

• Added: 2nd of June 2008
• Area: Hammersmith
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London W6 9RL
020 8237 1057

Izabel_blue said
Quick, convinient, good food
The space is looking really dated these days but the Riverside Cafe Bar is still serving up some good grub - come here before the double bill at the cinema for good burgers, salads, and resonably priced cocktails and try to get a seat outside overlooking the Thames!

Top tip: the Sunday brunch is especially good - lots of options from a posh fry-up to lovely porridge. Yum!

• Added: 2nd of June 2008
• Area: Knightsbridge
• Category: Restaurants

London SW1X 7RJ
020 7235 1839

Izabel_blue said
Good quality food - but not cheap
The Harvey Nicks cafe is quite a pleasant place to while away a lunchbreak or dinner, with nice service and a lovely view over Knightsbridge and beyond. It's a nice trad brasserie style menu (sandwiches, steaks, pasta) with a few nods to the Knightsbridge set in the form of salads and cocktails. It never gets too busy (in the PM at last) and you are almost guaranteed a nice-enough experience in one of the most exclusive areas of town.

Only caveat is that the bill always winds up being higher than you'd expect, mainly because the drinks are on the expensive side. It's hard to get a *bad* glass of wine here, but equally hard to get a *cheap* one, and the coffees and bottles of water add up too.