• Added: 14th of May 2008
• Area: Aldgate
• Category: Restaurants

London E1 6DW
020 3116 2000

anise said
Went downhill as it got busier
My goodness the staff here are chirpy - one wonders what they put in their coffee. We went here for dinner on a balmy Tuesday evening in May because we were too lazy to go home and cook. The starters were nice enough (chicken and vegetable dumplings and potato wedges were popular) - fairly predictable for this kind of venue but they arrived hot and fairly promptly. The waitress also worked out immediately that we were going to share them around generally, rather than each 'own' a plate and she offered to go and get us side plates, so that was great (I am used to going to the branch of Canteen next door where you may, on a bad day, need to ask for a knife to spread the butter onto your toast. That is if they remembered to give you butter. But that's another story.).

We ordered hamburgers for the main course and this was where it started to go wrong. The accompanying onion rings were cold and the burgers were dry. Not that they had been cooked to death (in fact they were nicely pink), it was just that the meat was not juicy at all. The dryness also extended to the buns. To add insult to injury, the presentation made the burgers so tall they were impossible to eat so we had to dismantle them - taking out the tomato slice and (optional extra) mushroom just to be able to give our poor aching jaws a chance of biting into them. All a bit disappointing really as the point of optional extras is that you want them to be part of the burger. The chips were fine though.

• Added: 31st of December 2007
• Area: Spitalfields
• Category: Restaurants

London E1 6DZ
020 7392 7662

anise said
Pasta in a buzzy, modern environment
This place gets very busy during the usual peak hours and so if you have not booked a table, a short wait may be inevitable. Once seated however, the busy-ness is useful to allow you to eat and drink at a leisurely pace (although there are though plenty of waiting staff around if you want to catch someone's eye to push the pace along more).

The wines here are well chosen and the food good. The specials are certainly worth looking at (today's starter was roasted peppers with grilled mozzarella and rocket. Very tasty it was too).

The menu is split into pastas, mains etc as you would expect. In particular I recommend the sautéed mushrooms and garlic with pappardelle, the texture of the pasta is lovely and the garlicky, mushroomy butter dresses it to perfection. My companion on the other hand loves the lasagne. We both loved the dessert wine with biscotti. I deny all charges of drunkenness.

• Added: 31st of December 2007
• Area: Spitalfields
• Category: Restaurants

London E1 6DW
0845 686 1122

anise said
Breakfasting old stylee
We ate here on a quiet morning (ie not Spitalfields market day) for breakfast. The service was relaxed but attentive, the menu was small but perfectly formed and the decor was simple but stylish. And I am not just saying that because I was enchanted with the Peugeot cruet set.

My orange juice was freshly squeezed and the bacon, eggs and bubble and squeak was great - with the eggs beautifully cooked (not overdone) and the bubble and squeak well seasoned with a slightly herby flavour.

My companion chose the Welsh rarebit which had a good strong-flavoured cheese and excellent sunflower seeded bread, with neither of these potentially dominating flavours out-doing the other (in fact for those who would like more tang, extra Worcestershire sauce was available on the table).

We were only sorry we were so full (portions are ample), as we would like to have stayed for toast and tea, but as it is, we will just have to settle for a return visit - perhaps to try the rather delicious looking mains and desserts (gingerbread and pear anyone?).

• Added: 28th of October 2007
• Area: Barbican
• Category: Restaurants

London EC3V 1LR
020 7623 1818

anise said
Fun and lively
This place is great for group nights out (office parties I think make good use of it) - tapas is obviously suited to this sort of night and Ortega's location in the heart of the city means it is easy to get to, and there is plenty of activity (bars and taxis!) about the place.

So very hard to choose the best things to recommend from the menu here, the spiced potato was very good, as were the chicken kebabs and fish dishes. First place however goes to the blue cheese and mushrooms with garlic and cream, which caused general rolling of eyes and blissful countenances from all present. I would not hesitate to recommend this place if someone was looking for a loud, buzzy night out after work.

• Added: 28th of October 2007
• Area: Upper Walthamstow
• Category: Restaurants

London E17 9NJ
020 8509 2144

anise said
I'd give it 4.5 stars but the system won't let me!
We have been here a few times now and have enjoyed our visits. The food is reliable - interesting enough for you to return - and the service is friendly (if sometimes, esp. on Saturday evenings, overstretched). Weekend lunchtimes are quieter.

We have enjoyed some lovely, beautifully cooked steaks and fish here - not too dry, moist inside with a good seasoned outside. The beetroot and mushroom salad starter is very nice indeed - a sweet but tangy dressing really brings out the earthiness. Soups are generally good and sometimes even reach the heights of shining tasty things.

Wines here are well chosen and suit the general standard. The cheese plate is hilarious though. I have never seen so many haphazardly arranged crackers. It was a veritable mountain. Still, it's good to end the night on a smile.

• Added: 28th of October 2007
• Area: Stepney
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London E1 6EU
020 7247 4906

anise said
Fabulous cakes and pastries, service not so much
I had a perfectly fine, creamy mellow latte and buttery croissant here on a Saturday morning a little while ago, before ordering some of the *beeootiful* cakes to take home.

So far so decadent, and what a wonderful way to spend a lazy Saturday morning - but, considering it was not overly busy, the service was a mess.

As I was not in a rush it was no major matter, but nevertheless it is a little off-putting when trying to enjoy a relaxed coffee and then pay for it, if the (apparently incredibly) rigid staff-duty rules mean that the person you speak to in order to pay has to call someone else, (who then calls someone else) to check what you have ordered to allow a bill to be generated and then you have to pay it at a different work station altogether (and all during the pantomime you are watching the to-ing and fro-ing rather bemused, telling anyone who will listen that it was a latte and croissant and can you just give someone some money...). Good job the cakes are nice.

• Added: 25th of August 2007
• Area: Upper Walthamstow
• Category: Restaurants

London E17 9NJ
020 8521 5279

anise said
Busy, friendly and filling!
Went here for breakfast on a sunny Saturday morning and sat in the courtyard garden out the back. I do not recognise at all the 'unfriendly' comment - even though the place was really buzzing, we were looked after very well by enthusiastic and friendly serving staff.

The food was good - the spelt waffles were light and fluffy, the eggs (something places get wrong a lot) were obviously fresh and still hot when they arrived and the selection of mixed fruit juices and smoothies was extensive (I recommend the strawberry, honey, yoghurt one). Lovely mellow cappuccinos rounded off an incredibly filling meal.

Atmosphere-wise we did not feel rushed at all and other customers took time to read the papers or write vast quantities of text in spiral bound notebooks (what *was* that?). It was also family friendly, a blackboard in the garden was popular with the younger customers and a couple of magnetic doodle boards are even provided so children can express their artistic impulses on a smaller scale. We will certainly return.

• Added: 6th of August 2007
• Area: Tower Hill
• Category: Hotels and Travel

London EC3N 2BQ
020 7233 3700

anise said
Never again
Firstly, the compulsion to deal with the claim of 'unrivalled views of the City':
- Guoman (previously the Thistle) Hotel by the Tower of London, is on the River Thames. A number of rooms therefore have (requestable) views of Tower Bridge so you can see it being raised and lowered as river traffic dictates.
- The Novotel Euston looks south from north(ish) of central London to take in the Post Office (BT) Tower and a number of other high-rises across the Cities of London/Westminster.
- Finally (in my experience, but I have no doubt there are many others), the Great Eastern has rooms which view the NatWest Tower, the Gherkin and so on.

It is therefore impossible to imagine how one would get an unrivalled view of the City from the rather unimposing Grange Hotel - situated as it is in a building nestled in amongst a number of other mid-rise modern office-blocks and hotels.

Outrage at the claims made on views aside, actual experience was unfortunately little better. Room service arrived very late more than once, (even after multiple promptings to the kitchen), items were missing, and for goodness sake do not order poached eggs unless you like the vinegary tang of pickled eggs.

The room, which was not cheap by anybody's standards (and I stay in some expensive places - got to love work expenses), was small, the bedding was very average (none of the fresh crisp sheets of more luxurious hotels) and the furnishings were extremely dated.

Service otherwise was no more than adequate (and I am being polite, the price charged should have yielded a great deal more). In addition, although any personal or out of the way requests were met with initial agreement, when it came to the follow-through, well, it didn't.

All in all, this was a really disappointing experience and I can only hope that it was atypical - either way, I am mighty glad I wasn't paying.

• Added: 6th of August 2007
• Area: Upper Walthamstow
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London E17 9LP

anise said
Relaxed local pub
Nice airy, modern pub with friendly inhabitants. Also a Bookcrossing centre/venue/whatever-people-call-these-places where you can leave old books to be read by others and, in your turn, pick up a tome to read yourself.

• Added: 6th of August 2007
• Area: Upper Walthamstow
• Category: Restaurants

London E17 4SA
020 8520 7836

anise said

Cheap and cheerful (foodwise, no idea about the shop itself) Chinese - and to a lesser extent Japanese - food. It is by far the best of its kind in Walthamstow (although some might say that's not saying much). Delivery of orders is reliable.

In particular, the salmon teriyaki is usually quite good and served with beansprouts (we usually order extra beansprouts in soy sauce to go with it and they are happy to do this even though it is off-menu).