• Added: 11th of September 2008
• Area: Soho
• Category: Restaurants

London W1F 9BN
020 7297 9800

Sami said
Average - but worth it sheerly for the price
Went here yesterday for a mid-afternoon snack and then passed by again at about 8 pm; there was a huge line of people spilling outside of the door, waiting for tables.

I've read so many mixed reviews and really wanted to try it, so I wasn't let down when our food arrived. What you get for 3.50 completely varies for the dish - I had the chicken and prawn dumplings, which were really good. One of my friends had the shitake mushrooms which were all of 4 tiny mushroom caps, but my other dining partner had some sort of meat/noodle dish which was huge for the price. He said that it tasted good but the texture was rather gloopy, which didn't sound very pleasant.

The setting is really nice and there's a lovely patio in Kingly Court if you're looking to sit outside (if the weather is still nice).

If you need a snack on the run then try it, but the service is varied, the waitstaff seem pretty unsure as to what they're doing, and the dishes all come out at different times. That's fine if you're eating at a finer restaurant and everything is fresh and made-to-order, but I can guarantee you that's not the case at Cha Cha Moon.

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Chelsea
• Category: Restaurants

London SW10 9HY
020 7352 8484

Sami said
Brilliant
Absolutely loved this restaurant... the food was super, the prices were reasonable (for Chelsea), the service was friendly and attentive, and the portions were huge. Huge. I would go back every day if I could. Thinking about it now is making me fantasize about the amazing pasta and pizza we had last night; they were fantastic.

Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Chelsea
• Category: Restaurants

London SW10 9HX
020 7352 7572

Sami said
Cute for a drink
I think I'd rather approach this with a list of pros and cons:

- nice wait staff;

- VERY CUTE little "English garden" with patio heaters - yea, I know, they're not environmentally friendly, but it's still nice to sit outside and not freeze your butt off thanks to England's miserable climate;

- decently priced wine list;

- the food isn't bad at all. I don't know if I'd eat there every day, but to share an appetizer over a bottle of wine is perfectly acceptable.

As for its negative points:
- they advertise that they sell their wine at "retail prices...," which is utter false advertisement. Yes, the bottles are cheaper than they would be in various other establishments in London, but to prove a point, a bottle of your run of the mill Jadot Macon-Villages (really nice but perhaps a pedestrian white wine) does NOT cost 12.50 pounds, but more along the lines of 8 or 9. And to further piss me off, this bottle is available in the States for 9-10 dollars (4-5 pounds, roughly)....

- the appetizer servings are not very substantial;

- it's absolutely chock-full of Rahs; I guess this should have been more apparent to me from the outset as I was in Chelsea, after all. If I have to listen to that old boy's club, look-at-me-I'm-privately-educated (I am too but I don't feel the need to publicise it or mount the entire existence of my identity on it) accent, I'm going to lose my mind.

Overall though, I think the family that owns this small chain of southwest London-based wine bars has struck upon a formula that works: good decor, decent staff, decent food (if the portion sizes were a bit bigger)... granted, they're the basics of the restaurant business but it sure seems like many restaurant owners and managers forget these very simple things.

All in all, I'd definitely come back. Perhaps with some ear plugs, though, to block out the Sloane Rangers....

• Added: 5th of September 2008
• Area: Soho
• Category: Restaurants

London W1F 8QE
020 7437 8774

Sami said
Vastly underwhelming
After reading the Time Out reviews, TP reviews and other varied sources we thought we'd come here for dinner - but we were rather let down and much more satisfied by a cheaper, home-ier dinner at Santa Lucia in Chelsea (review to come) than here.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't BAD, per se; but I expected much more from a restaurant that had received so many accolades and banks on its "we change the menu twice a day approach and we have no microwave on the premises." Maybe they should stop doing that as perhaps it would help them perfect the dishes they're serving...

I had a crostino with prosciutto cotto and chicken livers with marinated mushrooms and while it was very good, it's something I could make at home - and I'm no professional chef. My dining partner had a salad of roasted tomatoes and asparagus and mozzarella di bufala; she said it was good, but was dissatisfied with it. Our mains were pan-fried cod, which was very good, and an interesting carpaccio of roasted beef. I don't think I'd order it again. The chocolate cake for dessert was absolutely terrible, but I quite liked my pannacotta.

In a way I almost feel bad complaining about the restaurant, but for the prices and the apparent exceptional quality and friendly staff all of the reviews rave about, I feel let down by our experience there. The waitresses were forgetting easy things, no one came to check on whether we were enjoying our meal, no one came over to pour our wine as should be done in a finer restaurant, and a couple of the staff really could have benefited from a bath.

I'm no food snob and will be the first to tell you about my McDonald's vice, but I really expected something from this restaurant and I feel rather let down. At least they took the crappy chocolate cake off of the bill...

• Added: 31st of August 2008
• Area: Marlborough
• Category: Restaurants

Marlborough SN8 1RZ
01672 841229

Sami said
Lovely little gastropub
While out of the way, I've eaten here a couple of times when it used to be called the Wheatsheaf and owned by family friends - but they have since sold it and I was interested to find out how it had changed since. It's a cozy little gastropub in Wiltshire and as can be seen from the name, popular with the horse-y crowd. The geographic area is a hotbed for racing and horse training in the UK and the pub is decorated with a variety of owners' silks and racing memorabilia and talk is generally centered on whatever race meeting is on that particular week-end.

Anyway - on to the food as that is the most important part. It was always very good in the past and I was quite interested to see how and if it had changed since I had last visited, but I was really quite pleased. The food is all very fresh and it seems that the new owners have tried hard to source what they can from the surrounding areas. While uncomplicated, the food was lovely and to be honest I'd be quite happy eating there on a regular basis, were it not over an hour's drive from London.

• Added: 31st of August 2008
• Area: Soho
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London W1D 4DS
020 7287 2051

Sami said
Happy Hour
While I didn't spend anywhere near enough time there to truly justify a proper review, I was quite the fan of the half priced mojitos (something having to with a Monday and Tuesday evenings special), which were pretty good.

There was plenty of seating which is a pleasant change from the usual jam-packed Soho bar vibe, although the basement did smell faintly like pee......... but the staff were nice enough - more than can be said for most of the surly bar staff I've come across in London.

• Added: 28th of August 2008
• Area: Barbican
• Category: Restaurants

London EC1R 4QL
020 7837 0009

Sami said
Delicious...
Went here with a friend over the week-end and we were terribly pleased with our meal. We started with a cheese plate - lovely, well chosen French cheeses (I can't remember exactly what they were but there was a lovely, creamy goat's cheese, a blue, and a cheese similar to Comte), their prosciutto plate, and a whipped goat's cheese and heirloom tomato salad. All fresh, excellent quality and just generally very tasty.

The lamb we both had as our main was excellent; tender, with rich bits of bacon for flavouring, accompanied by a delicious potato cake. Their wine list seems as if a good deal of thought was put into it, and the service was super. Non-intrusive, helpful, and above all, with a smile.

I've wanted to eat here for a while and I'm glad we did - highly recommended.

• Added: 10th of June 2008
• Area: Chalk Farm
• Category: Restaurants

London NW3 2BF
020 7482 9000

Sami said
I love ice cream
While there is a restaurant inside, the best way to get ice cream from this little shop is to visit the hole in the wall, flirt with the cute French guys serving you, taste-test everything, and finally settle on a couple of flavours - which they will cram either in a cone or a little paper cup for you. Then take a walk up to Primrose Hill, sit in the sunshine and eat your ice cream, and then lie back and enjoy one of the few beautiful days a year the English summer has to offer.

The ice cream is absolutely fabulous and it's about 1.70 a scoop, 2.40 for 2, and so on and so forth. They also sell ice cream in bulk to take home, but eating it outside while meandering about on a lazy Sunday afternoon is probably the best way to go.

Now go, and pick me up some ice cream on your way back home.

• Added: 17th of May 2008
• Area: Bethnal Green
• Category: Shops

London E2 6EJ
020 7613 3636

Sami said
Fun vintage shopping
As Miffy said, Beyond Retro can be a bit hard to find but it's worth a look if you're searching for vintage fashion.

They've got a fantastic array of vintage shoes, all arranged by colour - however, it can be difficult to find a pair of shoes that are both in good condition and in your size; the most of the shoes available are size 4 which can be really frustrating if you have bigger feet!

On week-ends they have a dj playing which is a fun addition, and it can get pretty busy, with girls diving in and out of the clothing racks in search of good finds.

Unfortunately I can't remember where it is, but if you ask while you're in the shop, they have another store in the Shoreditch area which acts as their boutique where they sell their better-quality finds but the prices can be a bit much for what you're buying.

• Added: 17th of May 2008
• Area: Shoreditch
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London E1 6SE
020 7247 9679

Sami said
Great little summer evening spot
Slight grotty but wicked just the same, Cafe 1001 is a really good place to stop over when you're wandering around the Brick Lane area.

Most evenings you'll find it is absolutely packed as it is also a music venue with a variety of different gigs going on; it can get so busy outside the club that you'll have a hard time navigating through the crowds smoking, chatting and standing around and sitting on the numerous picnic tables just outside the front door.

The burger stand and other food available is pretty good for street food, although on the week-ends you are spoiled for choice as you can go right around the corner to the Sunday Upmarket and sample a variety of world cuisine and do a bit of indie shopping as well.

And any place that serves Red Stripe in "tall boy" cans receives extra brownie points in my book!

It's worth a shot to check their myspace to find out what's on in the evening as they don't update their gig listings on their site too often.