• Added: 19th of May 2008
• Area: Marylebone
• Category: Food and Drink

London W1U 5JW
020 7486 6154

VictoriaR said
the (French) staff of life
Despite being a Belgian chain with branches in New York, Le Pain Quotidien feels tres francais. It's like Paul's more rustic, filling boulangerie cousin: same great French approach to fresh bread, delicious croissants and decent coffee in bowls, but with heftier open sandwiches and salads on the menu. It also has the benefit of free wifi and a great breakfast menu - the porridge will fill you up till way after lunch, and only those with iron self-control will be able to resist the sticky jars of praline spread that appear with the baguette. Service is swift and charming (and definitely included on your bill).

All branches are buzzy, with a large communal table, as well as smaller tables, but the Kings Road branch is particularly good for people-watching, packed as it is with chic continental locals enjoying a taste of home, yummy mummies and shoppers. For a solo coffee & newspaper moment or a bigger lunch with a glass of wine, Le PQ makes a refreshing change from the usual coffee chains.

• Added: 17th of May 2008
• Area: Battersea
• Category: Restaurants

London SW11 4NP
020 7924 3999

VictoriaR said
great food, but sloooooow service
If you're in the mood for a serious steak or juicy burger, this is the place to come: the meat's displayed in the shop in the front, along with a selection of other good-looking deli favourites like fat brownies and tomatoes on the vine, and is served in decent portions, cooked with care. Burgers are worth a trip - nice and juicy, and with the gherkins, tomatoes, onions and lettuce served alongside, rather than in the bun, so you can compile your own mix, instead of fishing around trying to remove any unwanted bits. Other meat grills are good, and while it's not cheap, the quality is very high.

however, don't bother if you're in a rush, because the service operates with all the urgency and warmth of glacier creep. I've been three times now, and each time has taken longer than the last. The first visit was Bonfire Night - the location makes it a perfect pitstop for Battersea Park's annual extravaganza - and I put the hour delay between ordering and glimpsing the first starter down to the crowds. Subsequent meals have proved this to be the standard pace. It's a "loud" room even when half full, and we found, to our gradual despair, that slow service + kid-friendly menu = bored children and a LOT of noise for other diners. If they could chivvy the staff into friendlier and more efficient table-waiting, I'd be a regular customer. Till then, it's a good example of why a great menu alone isn't quite enough.

• Added: 2nd of March 2008
• Area: South Kensington
• Category: Health and Beauty

London SW3 3XB
020 7584 3888

VictoriaR said
perfect pedicures for the already well-heeled
Bliss Spa, for me, is always going to be a triumph of heart/purse over head/budget. For one thing, even by expensive London salon standards, it's at least 20% more expensive than it should be - its facials START at over £100, and having visited the New York Bliss spas, I'm all too aware that the services cost the same in dollars as they do in pounds, in some bizarre reverse exchange rate. The telephone manner of the sales staff takes 'brisk' to heights that verge on rudeness, and the pun-matic catalogue is verrrry irritating.

But, on the other hand, it's still a very cool 'location spa', the facials are American (ie, they're not afraid of extractions and will tackle your blackheads until you're squeaky clean - literally) and the waxing (hot and cold wax) is professional and thorough, ideal for the first time Brazilian. The massage is expensive, but gets rave reviews and Keshia is a top manicurist for perfect nails that'll last all week. If you want to treat yourself, or someone, it's the smartest gift certificate in town.

• Added: 2nd of March 2008
• Area: Mayfair
• Category: Restaurants

London W1J 7LT
020 7499 3292

VictoriaR said
fantastique
I can only echo the previous lovestruck reviews - this is a gorgeous gem of a restaurant, in one of those hidden corners of Mayfair that make you feel as if you've stumbled back into a more romantic era of London altogether. Food and service are deliciously French; my steak was perfectly rare, and the frites were divine. It's quite a crowded room, but that only adds to the buzzy atmosphere. Highly recommended.

• Added: 2nd of March 2008
• Area: Jedburgh
• Category: Shops

Jedburgh TD8 6AF
01835 862448

VictoriaR said
a proper gentleman's outfitter
This is a really REALLY useful men's clothing shop, the like of which you'd struggle to find in Central London these days. Not only does it have a full selection of hard to find formalwear bits and pieces - dress shirt, studs, bow ties - but also the more arcane Scottish formalwear business of kilts, frilly jabots and sundry white formal regalia. At the other end of the spectrum it has a creditable array of jeans (Levis/Bench/Diesel, etc) and casual shirts, as well as warm pyjamas and proper outdoor shirts.

Upstairs is a smaller selection of clothing for ladies in the 45+ bracket, plus a good section of serviceable underwear, and some black tie hire clothing.

Staff are friendly and very helpful. Full marks all round.

• Added: 2nd of March 2008
• Area: Chelsea
• Category: Restaurants

London SW3 4HP
020 7352 4441

VictoriaR said
Worth every penny
It's hard to over emphasise just how good this restaurant is. Not just the food and wine, which speaks for itself, but the flawless service, charming front of house and general sense of well being which settles itself on you like a cashmere shawl for the rest of the day.

The secret of extracting this much money so willingly from diners is the way in which every diner is treated as the most important table in the room. Whether you choose the gastronomic heights of the tasting menu at £115, or stick to the astonishingly good value set lunch menu at £40, the attention is just the same. Service is very French - lots and lots of immaculate waiters shimmer up to do everything from taking your order to bringing you the truffle of the day to admire - but you never feel 'bothered', and staff can read tables well. If you want the full flourishing experience, it's yours; if you'd prefer a lower-key meal, you'll barely notice the magical way plates appear and disappear.

And the details! The explosion of flavours in the amuse bouches, the strawberry ice cream chocolates on a cloud of dry ice, the little silver tree of truffles... Admittedly, options on the set menu are limited if you're a veggie, but that's about the only drawback I can think of.

My boyfriend and I reward ourselves with lunch here as often as we can persuade ourselves we really deserve a treat. It might end up costing the same as a cheap European minibreak, after he's had a go on the astonishing winelist, but by the time we leave, Chelsea has taken on a rosy glow that makes us feel as if we ARE abroad. In short: the most expensive place we eat at in London, but the only one that I come out of feeling it's been money well spent.

• Added: 2nd of March 2008
• Area: Notting Hill
• Category: Food and Drink

London W11 2DY
020 7229 6446

VictoriaR said
frustrating
Manhattan has been in the vanilla-flavoured grip of cupcakemania for a good five years now, led by the Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich village, where the Sex in the City girls pretended to eat cake, and its spin-offs Sugar Sweet Sunshine, Buttercup bakeshop, etc. The Hummingbird Bakery is the nearest London has to the New York cupcake experience, and it certainly delivers an authentically American selection of flavours. Red Velvet cake - bright red sponge with a light chocolate taste and cream cheese frosting - is delicious, as are the pies - pecan, pumpkin, lemon meringue, Mississippi Mud, and more. Everything looks fresh, and the coffee isn't bad either.

BUT (always a but, huh?) the super sweet cakes are let down by a couple of less than sweet details. For nearly £2 a throw, the cupcakes are veeeerrry small, and didn't we abandon silver ball cake decorations back in the 70s, in the wake of a thousand birthday party teeth accidents? Service at the Portobello branch is fairly fast moving, but twice now I've gone into the South Ken branch on Old Brompton Road, only to leave fifteen minutes later, unserved and frustrated by the shambolically crowded shop, total lack of queue organisation and unbelievably casual service behind the counter. Don't bother popping in if you can see more than three customers in there already; do think about ordering ahead and getting a box for a special treat.

• Added: 2nd of March 2008
• Area: Mayfair
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London W1J 9HA
020 7851 2433

VictoriaR said
If there was a 3.5...
The name of this place is rather misleading, since the 'view' is really only visible if you're on one of the five or so tables by the long windows; even then, it's not THE most spectacular one in London, being mainly over the back of a lot of buildings, with some landmarks somewhere in the distance. If you manage to get a table at all after six o'clock, you're doing pretty well - the crush can be mighty between six and eight, after which it thins out, but since the bar shuts at ten, it's not a place to settle into for the evening.

That said, 5th View is a very handy bar to know about in this part of town, especially as a base to meet friends for a quick drink before moving on elsewhere in the West End. It's smart without being off-putting, service is quick, and being off the tourist radar, it has quite a cool 'in the know' vibe. The cocktails are good and aren't bad value for the area. Plus, if you're early, you can browse amongst the art books. I've never eaten here, so can't comment on the food, but the wine list has rarely disappointed.

• Added: 6th of February 2007
• Area: St. James's
• Category: Restaurants

London W1J 9EB
020 7499 6996

VictoriaR said
All style, some substance
To wade in on the Wolseley debate...

yes, it's a bit pretentious. You do get the feeling, when you're being eyeballed by the black-clad section heads, that they'd really rather give your table to someone with a more expensive handbag. Service is not of the 'what can we do for you?' variety: to keep that busy-busy-busy vibe going, the staff run around constantly, seemingly attending to everyone but you. And maybe there's some management rule about not smiling at the clientele.

HOWEVER, that said... I've been here for tea and breakfast, several times, and couldn't fault the food. Tea comes on a traditional stand, with plenty of sandwiches and delectable little cakes, good tea in large silver pots and warm scones. Breakfast is similarly excellent, particularly the eggs. It's FAR from cheap, but not as ruinous as you'd expect, making it nice for a post-shopping treat, or a cheaper-than-springing-for-lunch meal out. (With the tea, at least, you won't want to eat again for days.)

And the setting is glorious: it was a spectacularly lovely car showroom. Somehow I doubt we'll be seeing The Hyundai any time soon, but then again, I bet there'd be a bit more friendliness.

• Added: 6th of February 2007
• Area: Hereford
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Hereford HR4 9AA

VictoriaR said
The Church of St Illy and the Blessed Cheesecake
If you're in Hereford and in need of a cup of tea and some peace and quiet, pop into All Saints Church. Yes, really. A million miles away from the mental image you're probably conjuring with right now - plastic chairs, Rich Tea biscuits, tea urn, right? - Cafe @ All Saints is actually a very modern take on an old idea: while the beautiful old church still holds services for the tiny congregation in the lady chapel, the rest of the arching, ancient space bustles with activity as an organic cafe, serving locally sourced products and main meals cooked on the premises. All the food is vegetarian, though meat-eaters won't really notice the lack, such is the variety and quality of the cooking: typical lunch time fare would be roast pumpkin, spinach and little Hereford (cheese) quiche or Field mushroom and Ale pie, with cheddar mash, all served with salad, potatoes or their famous 'health bowl' mixture of lentils, vegetables and herbs - much more delicious than the name would suggest and a light lunch on its own. Snacks, cakes and scones are also available, and after 4pm, prices drop to bargain levels. Until 11am, the best hot buttered toast in the area is only 40p a slice.

The vaulting overhead space has been sensitively exploited by installing a floating mezzanine, which makes a peaceful upper level in which to read or work, while enjoying the Illy coffee and a slice of homemade cake. Getting such an unusual perspective on church architecture along with your latte is a real bonus! Regular art exhibitions are also held in the church, and the kitchen holds more formal ticketed dinners, where three or four courses are offered, often to the accompaniment of music. The cafe is closed on Sunday, to allow full services to take place, but opens at 8.30am - 5.30pm weekdays and Saturdays.

It's not a place to go if you're in a rush - service can be idiosyncratic and somewhat slow, and queues often snake back into the street - but the atmosphere is restful and the surroundings are, naturally, beautiful. Staff know regulars by name, and there's a much more community feel to proceedings than in a faceless chain. Prices are reasonable, if not bargain basement: a large cappuccino is 1.85, brownies 1.60, a main course around the 6 mark. When so many churches are falling into disrepair, it's good to see one being kept alive in a sympathetic, yet practical manner.