• Added: 1st of September 2008
• Area: Spitalfields
• Category: Restaurants

London E1 6AA
0207 426 0876

beanstar said
Friendly and fun!
Out in London for the day last month, a group of us chanced upon this restaurant completely by accident. It is part of a growing chain but had only just opened in the Spitalfields area.

Large, light and airy lower floor with one wall given to a huge mural of Rio de Janeiro; there is a spiral staircase leading to an upper floor that has views over the market. I wouldn't like to try the spiral staircase after a few jugs of sangria but there is also a small lift to cater for that!

The menu had a wide selection of dishes including a tapas section, which we made use of - our table was heaving with dishes and we could not finish all of them as we were so full!

The drinks menu is also varied and reasonably priced - beers, wines and cocktails, including pitchers of sangria and cuba libre.

The ambience is lively and fun, with samba type music playing low in the background. Service was first rate - our orders were taken quickly once we were ready! Drinks were served quickly and replenished when we were needed them. We were not hurried in any way and spent almost the entire afternoon there. We seemed to get an awful lot of food and drink for our money, so were well pleased.

Overall a great experience and I would not hesitate in recommending to anyone.

• Added: 1st of September 2008
• Area: Whitstable
• Category: Restaurants

Whitstable CT5 1BU
01227 276856

beanstar said
Expensive!
I would be not quite so damning as the last poster but agree with some points made.

This restaurant is in a beautiful setting in "trendy" Whitstable and promises a lot. The ambience inside is sometimes lively sometimes quiet - depends when you go!

The menu is written on a huge blackboard on the wall which is fine if your table is nearby but we usually sit too far away for me to read comfortably. It does mean they can refresh the menu without printing out menu cards but maybe a 2nd blackboard would help.

The food is pricey but this was a London-based restaurant and brought a lot of its clientele with it when it first opened, so they were used to paying the prices, I guess! We have never had a bad meal here but I do think the vegetables are over-priced. I cannot say I've ever left the restaurant hungry and have never been disappointed with the actual meal.

Service is a bit hit and miss. Sometimes we have had very attentive service, other times we have been fighting to get served or get anyone's attention. We have never experienced the table not being cleared but we usually have coffee after dessert so the bulk of our plates are gone already.

If you stay there late in winter, the room gradually feels colder. It can get too hot when the place is full. On a fine day, it's a lovely place to sit and stare.

• Added: 1st of September 2008
• Area: Canterbury
• Category: Restaurants

Canterbury CT1 2JS

beanstar said
Fast food done well!
One of my favourite fast food chains - simple idea but works beautifully.

Until eating in this particular location I had only ever tried Wagamama in London. The Canterbury experience is "the same, but different"!

The restaurant is set in one big room with rows of canteen style tables - you rarely get to sit on your own as tables are always full. There is a handy "shelf" under the table to put small bags - in this restaurant it helps if you get a table next to the window as there is space to put shopping/coats etc. There is a coat rack at the back but it is a "leave at your own risk" affair.

The kitchen runs along the back of the restaurant and you can see food being prepared freshly.

The menu is the same as others in the chain - noodles and rice dishes with various extras. I have been amused to see that knives and forks seem to be added to the tables without being asked for here. I have only ever seen people use chopsticks or the wooden soup ladels in London - a nice provincial touch!

For me this is a reliable restaurant with consistently good food and fast, pleasant service. There is one item which they need to work on - but that's me being picky! I like their gyoza (mini pasty type side order) but in this restaurant the "pastry" always seem raw in the centre but burnt on the outside. Not sure why this is the only thing that suffers but I avoid having them in the Canterbury location!

• Added: 1st of September 2008
• Area: Faversham
• Category: Restaurants

Faversham ME13 7LD

beanstar said
Italian splendour!
Very classy but also very unpretentious Italian restaurant situated in a converted mill just off the town centre and overlooking Faversham Creek.

The restaurant itself is well set out and is bright and airy. Tables are not too close together so there is a sense of intimacy that would make this a good romantic venue, but the restaurant also caters for family groups. There are a handful of tables outside overlooking the creek, which provide a lovely setting on a sunny day.

The menu is what you would expect of an Italian eaterie - pizza, pasta and a nice selection of familiar Italian meals. The food, however, is far from being run of the mill. Everything served is presented with care and attention to detail. Food is absolutely first class. We have eaten here several times and always felt we had value for money.

We have never eaten on a live music night but this restaurant provides live entertainment some evenings and we have been told that this is also first class.

I also know people who have attended Christmas parties here and been delighted with the experience.

• Added: 1st of September 2008
• Area: Herne Bay
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Herne Bay CT6 5EG

beanstar said
Fast, friendly service
Large, corner set "greasy spoon" type cafe, but that is not meant as a criticism! Some outside seating which is nice when the weather is good!

The menu here is extensive and food is cooked to order but always arrives quickly - it is always well presented and well cooked. They also have a lovely range of desserts. Everything on the menu seems to be available all the time. They also have a list of daily specials.

Staff are very friendly and attentive and tables are cleared and prepared quickly.

This is always a very busy cafe but it is always possible to get a seat without too much hanging around.

• Added: 1st of September 2008
• Area: Herne Bay
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Herne Bay CT6 5JQ

beanstar said
Not Wetherspoons best ...
Having eaten/drunk in tons of Wetherspoons pubs over the years, I was surprised at how dark and soulless this one is.

Even the food isn't as good as others I've been in.

I think it loses out by being just one big room with the bar in the middle. The back is classed as a "family" area and the front for general drinking - the back is dark and dismal and never looks clean. We have been in a few times and the tables there always need cleaning - the baby wipes came in handy!

The front seems to be where people sit to look at the seafront or just to not be at the back! No-one has ever looked happy!

• Added: 26th of August 2008
• Area: Canterbury
• Category: Restaurants

Canterbury CT1 2BE
01227 764463

beanstar said
Lovely Italian pizza and pasta place!
Actually part of the Ask chain and only a few steps away from one of those, but vastly different!

The restaurant is in an older building and has lots of different rooms, some small and intimate some larger and buzzier and good for lively groups!

The menu is quite broad and has enough variety to cater for all tastes. I particuarly recommend the calzone. We also enjoyed the antipasti platter which reminded us of our last holiday in Italy. The pizzas are a little bit different and very tasty.

Service is friendly and staff are all very helpful.

Recommend either booking or getting there early on a Saturday as the place fills up fast and they don't hurry you out so you can have a long wait for a table!

• Added: 26th of August 2008
• Area: Canterbury
• Category: Restaurants

Canterbury CT1 2AY

beanstar said

Quite a nice pizza restaurant set out in separate rooms rather than one big "hall" type restaurant. I find the tables a bit too close together and when it's busy the rooms are quite hot, especially in summer.

The menus are brief but varied and there is enough of a selection to suit all tastes. Food is well presented and well cooked, so no complaints on that front.

Service is generally good, although we have fallen victim to some new members of staff not being sure about a few things ... but everyone has to start somewhere so that's not a minus either!

Nice ambience and not too rushed.

• Added: 26th of August 2008
• Area: Temple
• Category: Restaurants

London WC2A 1PU
020 7242 7727

beanstar said

Was not at all sure what to expect from this restaurant!

In the end it was fabulous - lots of detail, down to the cowskin seating to add to the ambience! Service was spot on - not too slow, not too pushy and not too cheesy polite!

The tray of raw meat brought out so you could see what the steaks looked like pre-cooking was an eye-opener but added to the experience.

There is, obviously, a lot of steak/beef on the menu but there are other options including fish and chicken. The meat is cooked to perfection and exactly as ordered.

This is quite an expensive place to eat but the quality shines through. All side orders have to be added to the main course so can be quite expensive - we have found that we prefer to order and share three different sides between us rather than adding, say, potatoes and veg.

Well worth a visit - and having eaten at a couple more in the chain, I can vouch for consistency!

• Added: 26th of August 2008
• Area: Whitstable
• Category: Restaurants

Whitstable CT5 1BJ

beanstar said

The first time we ate in Pearsons I was surprised that a fairly "rough" seeming pub had such a nice restaurant attached. The next time we ate there the pub was rougher and the food dire.

However, the place has reinvented itself following a smart makeover - this however means that the prices have risen considerably. On the plus side, the pub has an over 21 policy and this means that you can eat in the restaurant without feeling as if you are gatecrashing a school disco!

The food is lovely although portions are on the small side for the prices charged. Service is pleasant if on the slow side.

It's not a place I would go to regularly but I would not turn down the idea of eating there any more.