• Added: 23rd of May 2008
• Area: Limassol
• Category: Restaurants

Limassol
+357 25 762030

claypole said
Hidden Gem?
On a recent trip to Cyprus, it took a while to find places I could wholeheartedly recommend, and in particular, good bars and restaurants. Dino Art Cafe is in Limassol's old town, which has seen a major face lift and has lots of new places to hang out since the last time I was here a few years ago.

Where Dino's stands out is in its ability to provide excellent food in a great atmosphere with friendly service. It is a great place for lunch, when the place is buzzing and they have an extensive selection of sandwiches and salads (Jamaican Jerk chicken salad being a favourite) and super-fresh sashimi and sushi. In the evening, the atmosphere manages to be both more relaxed and formal at the same time. The dark chocolate cake is something to behold and reminds me of the first time I had the chocolate cake at E&O in Notting Hill when it first opened. The only bad dish I had was the Wasabi Seaweed salad which was too sweet and sticky, everything else was excellent and we visited Dino's quite a few times once we had found it.

Because of its location in the old town, you can check out a few other places before or afterwards too. Highly recommended.

• Added: 9th of November 2007
• Area: Bankside
• Category: Food and Drink

London SE1 9AB
020 7645 3562

claypole said
Brilliant Coffee
The best coffee I have had anywhere (well, except Laos but that's a bit further afield!). Great location bang in the heart of Borough Market (which also gets 5 stars), there is another Monmouth Coffee Company in the Market itself, which is more like a market stall, great for a quick takeaway. The main one on the corner is open, bustling and makes you realise just how generic the likes of Starbucks and Costa have become, no comparison.

They is also do bread and jam on the long central wooden table (help yourself and pay a flat fee), and cakes and biscuits laid out on a counter. In the summer the jam and cakes attracted quite a few wasps which the staff didn't seem to care about which put me off having anything to eat here, but then that's not why you come here anyway.

One other thing to bear in mind, the double espresso really is the strongest coffee I have ever had, in fact I think that applies to all their coffee. You have been warned!

• Added: 9th of November 2007
• Area: Turnham Green
• Category: Restaurants

London W4 2ED
020 8995 4548

claypole said
Top quality burger action
It does what it says on the tin. Recommended.

• Added: 9th of November 2007
• Area: Hammersmith
• Category: Restaurants

London W14 0QL
020 8741 2507

claypole said
Simple, consistent and damn tasty Thai!
I have been coming here for over 13 years. The décor and ambience are ok, the pub at the front is ok too, relaxed and friendly and always fairly busy. Where Latymers stands out is the food; simple and authentic versions of all the Thai staples such as Tom Ka Gai - chicken in coconut soup, choose spicy; Pad Nam Prik Pao - chicken in a tasty Thai chilli paste - at lunch just ask for No.8 chicken spicy; some great specials, Gai Tord Rad Prik is a big favourite - basically like Thai KFC but a lot fresher and tastier! And the closest I have had to Thai food in Thailand. It is excellently priced, especially at lunch time, service is friendly and relaxed and it's a great place to go with a group of mates or just the two of you.

• Added: 7th of November 2007
• Area: Chiswick
• Category: Restaurants

London W4 5LF
020 8742 2121

claypole said
Ce Magnifique!
I have visited Le Vacherin twice in the last 3 months, having previously been to Racine for the first time (Knightsbridge). On balance I would say the food, efficiency of the service and ironically the price was marginally better at Racine; Le Vacherin makes up for this in atmosphere, serving fantastic traditional french food with very friendly service and in a relaxed typically french bistro setting.

Highly recommended.

• Added: 9th of October 2007
• Area: Barcelona
• Category: Restaurants

Barcelona CT 08008

claypole said
Tapas Tapas Tapas
This place is a staple whenever I visit Barcelona, I have been coming here for over 10 years. I end up here on numerous occasions day and night (it's open from 7:30am until 1:30am Mon-Sun). The tapas is superb, with some fantastic daily specials such as baby squid, it has a nice outside area and the atmosphere inside is great too. There is a real buzz and it feels like a local place, not a tourist trap. On my last trip, and a little worse for wear, I managed to forget how to get here and a group of us spent nearly an hour and a half (no, really) in a taxi trying to find it. And failed. The following day some friends that live in Barcelona took us to their favourite tapas bar... you guessed it. Suffice to say, highly recommended.

• Added: 13th of September 2007
• Area: Leicester Square
• Category: Restaurants

London WC2H 9NE
020 7010 8600

claypole said
Faultless
This is one of the best restaurants I have ever been to, and I've been to most in this class, both in London and abroad.

The decor and ambience was perfect, the service excellent, all the food was outstanding, my favourite being the quail stuffed with fois gras. Our initial wine recommendation was lighter than I had hoped based on my preferences, but did compliment our starters, which were predominantly seafood based. The next choice from a decent, mainly (if not all) French wine list was excellent. After our meal and on contemplating the mayhem of a Saturday night in the heart of the West End, we were directed to a fantastic private bar and were the last to leave at some point early Sunday morning. The cocktails were spot on, the Jamaican Mule being a staple, but there were no bar snacks of any kind, which was unfortunate. The bill was outrageously expensive but along with the company this was a great night out and worth every penny.

• Added: 20th of July 2007
• Area: Holland Park
• Category: Food and Drink

London W11 4UA
020 7727 8243

claypole said

The best butchers I have ever been to (and go to). Their Cornish pasties and kofte kebabs are superb but then so is everything else.