• Added: 25th of November 2008
• Area: Waterloo
• Category: Restaurants

London SE1 8XX
0845 686 1122

bron99 said
Disappointment
Visited this place just after it opened and put bad service and very dull food down to finding their feet - and they only charged 50% of the bill. Not wanting to be churlish - and having heard good things about the original Canteen - we did go back for another meal. The only difference was they now charge full price.

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

London W1D 5LF
020 7287 6688

bron99 said
I have a new favourite restaurant
Not something I decide lightly. But last night I went to Bar Shu and everything about dinner was magnificent. Started with cold chicken in sesame chilli oil and a salad of tree ears and coriander. Then, vastly over ordering, we had crispy beef shreds, red cooked pork, scallops steamed with ginger shreds, pock marked woman bean curd and dry fried green beans. And rice. Our waitress tried to explain it was too much, then gave up and said we could take leftovers home. Which we did. You should see my lunchbox today. The food was completely amazing - highly spiced, masses of chilli and szchewan pepper but intensely, deeply flavoured. And a nice nz sauvignon blanc as recommended by the waitress. I might like this place more than Anchor & Hope. Actually I do like this place more than A&H - but it's a very close call. Probably 80% chinese, 90% full over 2 floors on a Tuesday night in November. Seriously, seriously, seriously good.

• Added: 3rd of November 2008
• Area: Lambeth
• Category: Restaurants

London SE1 7HR
020 7928 5415

bron99 said
Good food
I have been eating at Ha Noi for years - and though it very occasionally is not as good as it could be, that's a very rare event. It is run by a friendly Vietnamese couple, he is the chef and she is front of house. The menu is full of light and interesting dishes, sizzling platters and sublime crystal spring rolls. The hot Singapore noodles are always good. It's the best place in a bit of a wasteland - just far enough from Waterloo station not to be in commuter hell. They do takeaways and home deliveries if you're local! It's easy to eat a lot but difficult to spend a lot.

• Added: 3rd of November 2008
• Area: Clapham
• Category: Restaurants

London SW4 6DQ
020 7978 1610

bron99 said
Seriously good
Tsunami is a kind of perfect neighbourhood restaurant - it is all that Clapha aspires to be. It is big, light, airy and comfortable with great decor that feels utterly original, rather than a sad attempt at style. The food is seriously good - you can have a quick bite, sharing a few plates and some warm saké or you can settle in for a couple of hours of blissfully good food. And on weekends you can get a bowl of soba noodle soup topped with tempura prawns and vegetables for £6,50 - the ultimate Sunday lunch. Service is knowledgeable and friendly - who could ask for more?

• Added: 29th of September 2008
• Area: Islington
• Category: Events and Entertainment

London N1 0QH

bron99 said
A Beer Fest
Last weekend was devoted to beer in all its guises at the inaugural beer exposed show at Islington's Business Design Centre.It's a great space for such an event with it's domed translucent roof far above the ground, it feels big and airy and conducive to supping a quiet drink. The event was organised to widen the appeal of proper beer - a sort of corrective to the ubiquity of ice cold lager. With around 85 different beers and brewers they certainly had the numbers on their side. They came from everywhere - west country, Wales, Scotland were locals compared to Czech, Cuban, Belgian and French offerings. And of course a beer festival cannot be a beer festival without an Australian offering - in this case the enjoyable Coopers Sparkling, long one of my own favourites.

I confess I am not the biggest fan of bitter but my man is a serious fiend for cask ale so we were a bit of an odd couple at the start. We arrived about half an hour into the evening session and the hall was not very busy, just a low hum of interested chatter and lots of stalls serving a myriad of beers. We collected a glass then started out round some of the stalls. Not knowing most of them I thought it wise to sample a few sips - and some of them I really enjoyed.

I liked the offerings from Brew Dog - a kind of punk upstart that makes good beer with anarchic packaging. Bakalar was a slightly sweeter version of Budvar - another Czech offering - brewed in a massive brewery underwritten by Russian money. The beers we both liked the most were from Country Life in Devon, who produce 15,000 pints a week. I'd never heard of them - and neither had my beer loving boy. So, a definite result.

And you can buy it in Aldi.

• Added: 19th of September 2008
• Area: Clapham
• Category: Restaurants

London SW4 7UG
020 7978 1108

bron99 said
It used to be so good
I have been eating pizza at Eco for maybe 20 years - a long time, certainly. And until recently I never ate less than decently and more often than not ate really well. Sometimes their pizzas were brilliant - a real joy sufficient to bring a contented smile to everyone. Then the last time I went, for lunch Sunday, it was no longer so. Oddly, it was half empty - Sunday used to be a bunfight to get a table. We ordered a piccante and a mozzarella di buffalo and they were, well, adequate. But the cheese was that nasty plastic stuff and the tomato sauce was thin in both taste and consistency. The quality of the rest of the ingredients was also lower than it used to be. I'm really sad about this - it used to be so good.

• Added: 19th of September 2008
• Area: Bankside
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London SE1 1NP
020 7407 4075

bron99 said
A perfect kind of place
The Roxy on Borough High Street is possibly a perfect destination. In essence it is a bar with a full size cinema screen that has a varied and interesting programme and an audience that is interested in what's on and buzzy and chatty the rest of the time. The food they serve is okay, possibly the weakest thing, though both food and bar service is friendly and helpful. If you're looking for something interesting to do when you meet up for a drink check out the programme here.

• Added: 11th of September 2008
• Area: Marylebone
• Category: Food and Drink

London W1U 4ET
020 7935 7788

bron99 said
Brilliant butchers
I've been buying my meat from Ginger Pig at Borough Market for nearly ten years and it has always been utterly brilliant. The meat is of the finest quality, full of flavour and the butchers are almost invariably helpful and knowledgeable. If you need something specific or are unsure about what you want simply ask. They will endeavour to help you any way they can.

And I second the vote for great sausage rolls and scotch eggs - they are a frequent Saturday brunch after the market.

• Added: 10th of September 2008
• Area: Clapham
• Category: Restaurants

London SW4 7SS
020 7622 4248

bron99 said
It's good
Ended up here Saturday afternoon as Eco - the pizza place across the road - was having a power cut. Seriously enjoyed the ribs which was a surprise - was thinking they might be a bit horrible based on the burger/chain/american prejudice that normally steers me away from such places. The beer was utterly tasteless, but the beef ribs were meaty, juicy and very flavoursome. I'd go again.