• Added: 26th of February 2008
• Area: Notting Hill
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London W2 4TS
020 7229 0323

flashboy said
A (slightly) hidden gem
Nestled in between the noisepots of Notting Hill and Queensway, in the posh residential bits off the main roads, The Chepstow is an oasis of nice in a desert of not-so-nice. Quiet, relaxed and classy, with friendly service and a neighbourly atmosphere, it's a little gem that's great for a post-work chat or a Sunday hangover recuperation (the latter I can vouch for from painful personal experience). Tasty food, nice décor, music that doesn't drown out your conversation and staff who know their drink-making - it's what you want, frankly.

But, you know, don't tell too many people about it. Because then they'll all go there, which would spoil the point.

• Added: 18th of November 2007
• Area: Aldgate
• Category: Restaurants

London E1 6QL
020 7366 4868

flashboy said
One of the best on Brick Lane
A cut above the standard Brick Lane curry fare, largely due to a varied menu filled with a good range of interesting (and incredibly tempting) dishes that go well beyond the usual suspects. Manages the unusual distinction of pleasantly surprising you right from the arrival of the chutneys - they're different from the ones you get everywhere else! (Look, in the identikit world of Brick Lane curryhouses, this is fairly exciting news. What I can best describe as "the red one" and "the brown one" are especially nice.)

No, it's not in a completely different culinary league to its nearby competitors (and the prices are just as reasonable), but the flavours are little more subtle and the dishes a welcome break from the norm. At the very least, it'll take you considerably longer to pick something out from the menu than it normally would...

• Added: 3rd of November 2007
• Area: Soho
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London W1F 9UJ
020 7287 5278

flashboy said
One of Sam Smith's best
One of no fewer than three Sam Smiths pubs along Brewer Street (along with The White Horse and The Duke of Argyll), and probably the pick of the bunch. Seen from the front, with small windows and a tight entrance, it looks like it's tiny, which might put off passing visitors - but it opens up, Tardis-like, once you get past the bottlenecked bar. Several more rooms, nooks and crannies, a downstairs that's nearly as big again (which serves food, at least most of the time) and a courtyard out at the back mean that you stand a good chance of a seat on even the busiest Friday night.

The rest will be familiar to lovers of the Sam Smiths formula. Lovely cheap drinks, cheerful bar staff, proper old pub decor in a pleasing range of brown tones, and a warm atmosphere. If you're one of those strange people who don't like Sam Smiths, then there's nothing here to change your mind. But then, if you don't like Sam Smiths, your mind is a baffling and quite possibly broken organ which utterly defies rational explanation.

Oh, and there's a wonky bar billiards table. Hurrah.

• Added: 3rd of November 2007
• Area: Holborn
• Category: Restaurants

London WC1R 4NA
020 7405 8072

flashboy said
Good quality Indian restaurant
A good bet if you get a curry craving and you're in Holborn - the food is good quality, and there's a nice combination of Indian restaurant staples and a few more interesting speciality dishes to cater for various tastes.

We were able to get a table easily on an impromptu Friday evening drop-in, and the service was prompt and efficient. Nothing about Tandoori Raj would make it stand out especially in an area more crowded with curry options - it'd be one of the better venues on Brick Lane, but probably not the best - but its convenient location just off High Holborn makes it well worth remembering.

• Added: 3rd of November 2007
• Area: Bankside
• Category: Restaurants

London SE1 1TL
0207 3786161

flashboy said
Silka Restaurant
Lovely Indian restaurant hiding underground near London Bridge. Elegant design and a smart clientèle (with inevitable elements of City boy) show what sort of market Silka's aiming at. The varied and interesting menu - combining traditional Indian cuisine with Western elements and ingredients - is enough to get your mouth watering before you've even seen a poppadom.

A lot of the cooking is based on Ayurvedic health principles, which is probably a big draw if you're into that sort of thing, but for most customers the appeal will simply be that the food's gorgeous. If you're after one of the Indian curryhouse usual suspects, there's several of them on offer, but frankly, there's more fun to be had exploring the rest of the menu. Baby squid and crab cake starters were deliciously spicy, while mains included lamb so succulent that it would have fallen off the bone, if it had still been attached to any bones worth falling off.

Friendly, if slightly quirky, service (one waiter could best be described as "giggly") and a bill that worked out at under £30 a head for two courses and wine make Silka a great choice, either for a planned meal or an impromptu drop-in.

• Added: 27th of July 2007
• Area: Holborn
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London WC2B 5PW
020 7242 8600

flashboy said

A nice funky place, especially if you get there earlier in the evening when it's less crowded and more relaxed. The happy hour cocktails are good value - they're tasty, although cocktail buffs might not appreciate the quality of the mixing, which is pretty crude. Downside is that it gets rammed very quickly, and that it's yet another place where they turn up the music far too early in the evening, cutting short any conversation you were having. But still, in the early evening it's a nice place for the post-work wind-down; later on, a very decent Latin American club.

• Added: 27th of July 2007
• Area: Covent Garden
• Category: Restaurants

London WC2B 5BB
020 7831 4422

flashboy said

Eating at Wolfe's, you feel a sudden surge of empathy for John Simm's character in 'Life On Mars'. Like Sam Tyler, you appear to be stuck in a strange and confusing world, ripped from vague, unpleasant memories of the tackier side of the seventies.

The decor is stunning, in the sense that it leaves you feeling slightly dizzy and nauseous; mirrors on every available surface (including the ceiling), gold plating and faux marble where they couldn't fit any mirrors. This is all tastefully set off with a display of rude seaside postcards in the gents toilet. You can imagine Gene Hunt proudly taking someone here, on the grounds that it's "classy " and "a bit posh".

But, what's wrong with a little chintzy decor if the food and service are high quality? Well, my cheeseburger was a fascinating combination of three entirely different rubbery textures; a sort of foam rubber for the bread, an almost flubber-like consistency in the cheese, and a proper, tractor-tyre vulcanized rubber in the burger itself. One of my companions, meanwhile revelled in chicken that was so undercooked, the outside was still pink, never mind the inside.

Apart from that, though, there were few complaints. Oh, except for the bit where the waitress threw gravy in my friend's lap. That was well worth the compulsory service charge.

To sum up: No. Don't.

• Added: 27th of May 2007
• Area: Soho
• Category: Restaurants

London W1F 0BN
020 7287 2000

flashboy said

Really rather decent little Thai restaurant (part of a chain, I'm told, although it didn't feel terribly chain-y), and good value for the heart of Soho.

Eating at peak time on a Saturday, we got a table immediately (although larger groups should book, as it was fairly busy). Service was always prompt, unfussy and friendly.

The food was to a good standard - not stunning, but was very solid. The starter dumplings were lovely, although a touch clingy in texture. The Thai green curry was very good, definitely on the spicier side - perhaps losing a little of the subtlety you get in the best green curries, but it was certainly tasty. My friend, however, complained that the stir fry beef was rather bland, which is a shame.

So, not a world beater, but for generally good Thai food in Central London, at nice prices (under 20 each for two courses and drinks) with quick and efficient service, you could do a lot worse.

• Added: 18th of May 2007
• Area: Shadwell
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London E1 0LA
020 7790 1763

flashboy said

Oh, the George. It's a mecca for various East London trendy sorts, which is both its greatest blessing and its greatest curse.

As to the place itself, what you get is a (yet another) high-ceilinged, threadbare, artfully run-down space, with what decor there is being an eccentric, boho mish-mash between original features and... well, other stuff. On the drinks front, there's nothing terribly exciting about the beer selection, but nothing terribly terrible either.

But its the George's association with a wide range of musicians and artsy types that draws the crowds - and there's a varied assortment of live and DJ gigs, as well as other events. This means that it's often filled with a lot of really interesting, fun and friendly people. Of course, it also means its sometimes full of prize pillocks.

Of course, even most of the pillocks are harmless (but sadly, not all). Matriarch Pauline normally does a fine job of ensuring an open and jolly atmosphere - you can have a truly great night here. But whether the George is the place for you really depends on your tolerance for a certain level of pretension, the mood you're in and the company you have with you.

• Added: 17th of May 2007
• Area: Limehouse
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London E14 8BP
020 7987 4396

flashboy said

Lovely riverside pub, with a really friendly atmosphere from both the regulars and the staff. The deck overlooking the river's especially nice, but the whole place has a warm charm to it. Perfect place to plant yourself with a friend or two, be it a cold winter evening or a long summer day.

I'm also reliably informed that they do the best pint of prawns in London, although I'm not able to personally verify this...

As it's not the biggest place, it can get fairly crowded - especially the bottleneck by the bar between the front and back rooms - but sharp eyes can normally guarantee you a table at most times.

Also, it's very dog friendly - there's almost always at least one dog in there - which is probably good if you like dogs.