• Added: 22nd of August 2008
• Area: Loughton
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Loughton IG10 4LF

Prosaic said
NICE MEALS REASONABLY PRICED
I've eaten here both alone to grab a quick lunch and as a celebratory type event, and on both I can say Cafe Rouge is very nice
The whole French theme is actually quite convincing, and when you're inside you can forget almost that here you are in the heart of essex and any moment now you expect to pop outside and see the Eiffel Tower! ok maybe not, but anyway

The food is very nice, main courses are around the £8 mark each - soft drinks tend to be more expensive than alcoholic ones but I guess that's pretty usual at most places now

I tried the salmon which is really nice and my friend had chicken which again was very tasty. The staff were very accomodating and friendly, and there was no rush for us to leave the restaurant. Cafe Rouge are also very good for the occasional 2 for 1 meal- the telegraph recently offered vouchers for there so it's one to keep an eye out for as you can save a few pounds eating there and one of you can eat free with a voucher!

Cafe Rouge gets my vote for a nice clean and well run eating place. Will definately be going back

• Added: 22nd of August 2008
• Area: Charing Cross
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London WC2N 5DJ
020 7839 6548

Prosaic said
Nice place for a date
This place has find memories for me, I took my now-wife here for our first date several years ago. i recently revisited it and it's lost none of it's appeal

The drinks are reasonably priced- not tourist driven at all, infact on a par with other places, and the inside bar is a nicely decorated place to sit and have a quiet drink. Next door is a nightblub area over the weekend and from my experience that tends to attract more of a tourist element, who are no doubt keen on the boat setting and its location smack bang opposite the London Eye

If the weather is nice it's lovely to go out onto the deck and sit and enjoy a drink and take in the Thames, with a nice view of the houses of parliament and watch the world go by

I haven't yet tried the food there but have friends who say the bar food they tried there was ok. From my visit it didn't look like they served food in the evening, so maybe a meal first somewhere then finish up there for a drink. Nice way to spend an evening- you might even get married out of it!

• Added: 22nd of August 2008
• Area: Waltham Abbey
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Waltham Abbey EN9 1EJ
01992 700113

Prosaic said
NICE FRIENDLY CAFE
I like to visit this place. There is a pretty good market on once a week in Waltham Abbey and I co-incide the occasional visit to the market with a stop in the cafe here. It's a pleasant place, very tidy and clean and the staff are always vey polite and friendly when I visit.
The menu is standard cafe fare really and its impossible to elaborate any more than that. Its convenient for the market square if you're using the public transport route nearby and the prices are very reasonable. if you fancy a good old fashioned healthy(!) breakfast of bacon and egg roll for example, you can get stuff like that plus a hot drink and walk out with change from a fiver. Now in this day and age that's not to sniffed at!

• Added: 22nd of August 2008
• Area: Epping
• Category: Restaurants

Epping CM16 4BL

Prosaic said
It's a Wimpy!
Thought I'd give the poor old wimpy a review as it's like a throw back to the 70s, before Ronald McDonald invaded and before most Wimpys disappeared to make way for Burger King

Its like being a kid again, you can sit in there, the order is taken adn brought over to you on a plate rather than chucked on a tray in a polystrene container as you mgith find at McDonalds. ok it's not gourmet cuisine, but you get what you pay for and if the kids are playing up it's food they will like and they will get some crayons etc to keep them amused. Been a while since I went into the Epping wimpy but the back of the restaurant had a smoking area- almost quaint to see that in thse days of the dreaded health and safety and no smoking political correctness

I hope this places lives on, sure i wouldn't wnat to ask EXACTLY how much meat is in my burger for fear of being disappointed, but there's something nostalgic about a Wimpy that McDonalds and the other fat food places don't have. I dare say next time I'm blowing down Epping high street and fancy a quick coffee and maybe a teacake I'll pop in

To be fair to Wimpy they seem to be promoting a new healtheir menu now too so the worry over too many chips etc can be easily got around now I suppose

• Added: 22nd of August 2008
• Area: Epping
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Epping CM16 4AE

Prosaic said
too small
One thing Epping doesn't lack over the last few years is a coffee shop or two..come to think of it, it doesn't lack an estate agent or two either but that's another story
Euro Cafe opened up along the High Road just opposite Tesco and I've eatn in there during the day a few times. The food is ok, nothing wronmg with it at all, and I suppose price wise it's on a par with other simialr places, selling sandwiches, cold lunches etc etc

The trouble with it is that it's divided into 2 small halves through necessity because of the building layout and one half is a wine-bar type of affair, and the whole place strikes me as not really knowing what it wants to be.

The cafe is far too small for the amount of seating they have squeezed in there and sometimes if a few people go in there you can feel like you're sitting on the next table's laps! Meanwhile the other half of the premises sits empty and you have to corss into there to pay..seems daft. the wine bar side i couldn't imagine anymore than about 10 people getting in there before you were sniffing each others armpits

All in all i haven't gone back. If it's breakfast/lunch time cafe stuff you're after I'd try Cafe Mio across the road

• Added: 22nd of August 2008
• Area: Epping
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Epping CM16 4DA

Prosaic said
Drinking House
Don't expect jukeboxes, a-la-carte menus and themed stuff if you go to the Black Lion. This is the oldest pub in Epping, small with a low ceiling and it is what I would call a good old fashioned drinking house. to say it is spit and sawdust is a bit unfair, but if you find the george across the road a little too posey frull of essex boys and girls on maybe a Friday night then walk over the road and visit the Black Lion , where you get what you pay for. Usual pub drinks, black wooden furniture and wooden floors. No frills whatsoever, and I guess this can sometimes lead it to becoming an old boys pub, where the serious drinkers get from lunchtime onwards. I've spent a few hours in the black lion before moving on elsewhere and it's a nice little pub to sit and have a chat before moving on. There are quite a few regulars get in there, and another added bonus is that when you come out the cab office is right next door! Give it a go, it's ok

• Added: 22nd of August 2008
• Area: Epping
• Category: Restaurants

Epping CM16 4AP

Prosaic said
Not bad
Only trouble is with this place for me is that I will always have fond memories of what this place used to be - the lovely Thatched House pub and B&B which was a ncie old fashioned genuine pub with low ceiling and friendly staff etc. Still, in it's place comes the Epping branch of Prezzo

Staff are friendly, although fromy visit they were all eastern european and some didn't seem to have a great grasp of English when we were ordering. the restuarant is nicely laid out and the prices are very reasonable, on a par I'd say with places like Old Orleans, or any of the big chain restaurants. I had a pasta dish last time we went which was very nice. Throughout the time there the staff were very attentive and we were made to feel looked after so for that reason i'd probably go back. If you like pizzas and pasta dishes this is a good place to go out for an eveneing. I'd say it was suitable for couples and groups. Not child friendly though particularly, although they will accomodate kids if you happen to have one or more with you!

• Added: 22nd of August 2008
• Area: Sawbridgeworth
• Category: Restaurants

Sawbridgeworth CM21 0AJ

Prosaic said
Nice food but pricey
I've been to this place twice now, it's the ideal place for an anniversary meal, or birthday or some special occasion in my opinion. The restaurant setting is quite cosy & intimate, log fire going as you walk in, somebody taking your coats etc and all in all they staff are very accomodating and make you feel very welcome

This is not a cheap restaurant. Some starters will set you back over £60, so it really depends on how much you want to spend. Being of modest income we settled for a set meal on the men which was very nice so I suppose it's fair to say they can accomodate what i suppose migth be the 'economy' end of the market!

There were groups with young children in there the night we last went. I'm not sure it's ideal for them, it doesn't seem to be it's target audience really and I can imagine little ones getting bored which could make things a challenge for the parents

We had a nice meal in nice surroundings and chose the lower end of the menu which set us back just over £60 so as I said not the cheapest place in town but a nice place to go for a birthday or other special occasion

• Added: 22nd of August 2008
• Area: Epping
• Category: Food and Drink

Epping CM16 4DA
01992 578833

Prosaic said
Recommended take-away
I regularly use this takeaway and I know people who travel up to 10miles to come and get a takeaway from here. The food is always tasty, freshly prepared and the delivery service is very efficient- don't think I'ev ever waited longer than 30-40 mins for an order, and in 5 years of using this place they've never messed an order up

I've ordered late on a Friday night when you would expect things to be hectci and a little slow on delivery, but this place has never disappointed. From the certificates on display inside it looks as though they've won their fair share of awards and based on my experiences with the food & staff here i'd say those awards were well deserved

Give this place a try if you like Indian food, very nice menu and you won't be disappointed

• Added: 22nd of August 2008
• Area: Epping
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Epping CM16 4AQ

Prosaic said
Nice pub but let the families in
Eaten at this puba few times, it's situated right on the high road, and I'd be fairly confident in saying it's porbably about the nicest pub in Epping. It's part of the Enber Inn chain, so has a corporate look to it, but it is very roomy, large lounger area and patio beer garden at the rea with parking spaces

the menu is very nice and reaonably priced, we ate there a few times prior to becoming a family and therein from a personal view lies the problem. It's a ncie roomy pub, along the lines of a Wetherspoons, but they still insist no Under 14s at any time. I can understand and even agree with this in the evening but there are no local pubs for families during the day in epping and I think with a large venue like this they are missing a trick. Perhaps it's not where they want to be business-wise, which is a shame because we can't and don't visit now and I wonder if they are now just interested in the Fri & sat night crowd who are off to the 195 club over the road at chucking out time

having said all that, that's a personal bugbear, but as mentioned this is the nicest laid out pub in epping and well worth a visit- just don't take the kids!