• Added: 10th of October 2008
• Area: Hampstead
• Category: Restaurants

London NW3 1PX
020 7794 2828

joslyoung said
"I wouldn't, it's not very nice"
This place is just a standard, high street sushi chain and therefore, in all fairness, expectations should not really be all that high, but I felt sufficiently bemused by the meal I ate there this week to write about it.

The menu carries no surprises - ramen, sushi, sashimi and sets - and the quality is low to average. Put it this way, I ordered seafood ramen and wasn't sufficiently surprised to even be disappointed that it came with crab sticks. Crab sticks - those well known seafood items. The noodle bowls are, at around £6-8 each, a cheap enough eat given the location, but still represent quite a considerable mark up when you consider the cost of the ingredients used.

Anyway, what made this an interesting lunch was the fact that there was a noodle dish on the menu that attracted my attention as I hadn't seen it before (I must confess to not being able to remember what it was now!). I asked the waiter what it was, and he replied, "Erm.... well... yah, it's sort of vegetable, but I wouldn't order it because it's not very nice".

Cue stunned silence from my partner and I. The waiter then went into an explanation of sorts, which I quickly interpreted as "It's quite 'Japanese', and quite an unfamiliar flavour to the European palate, so I don't think you should eat it". And to be frank, it annoys me when waiters do that. Firstly, it's rather patronising to assume that the only dishes I'm interested in are the 'tame' ones that are tailored for UK tastes (why would I be in a Japanese restaurant if I didn't want to sample Japanese flavours?) and secondly, it actually puts one in the strange position of looking obtuse and stubborn if one orders against what the waiter thinks you should have... In his (unsolicited) recommendations, the waiter told me that "you should have the chicken teriyaki, or the grilled salmon". Yawn. We both felt strangely pressured and ended up ordering completely different food to what we would otherwise have done, and true to promise, it was all bland, unimaginative and highly disappointing.

So not great marks for the kitchen, but particularly poor marks to the waiter, who did the very opposite of what a good waiter should - if the chef at Hi Sushi is reading this and wonders why his customers are all so frustratingly dull and safe in their menu choices, now you know....!!!

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

London W1T 1DB
020 7323 9130

joslyoung said

S'funny, because years ago when I used to come here a lot (I had an expense account then - those were the days) this was always somewhere I thought of as quite expensive, and yet on a recent visit after a long absence, I was surprised to find that the prices were actually quite palatable. I suspect that that's because everywhere else has just caught up...!
The food at Bam Bou is excellent. It doesn't necessarily leap out at you from the menu as being different or better than any of the other asian restaurants that have proliferated around it in recent years, but what they do Bam Bou just simply does better. Its duck dishes are particularly good, and the salads (though it seems a little dour to order a salad with so many other mouthwatering dishes on offer) are really worth a go. They're unusual in flavour and really inspire you to try different flavour combinations at home in your own cooking - to me, a restaurant that inspires you to try and recreate dishes at home is absolutely on a winner.
The coconut rice, similarly, is the best I've ever had, and goes brilliantly with the poultry and ginger main meals on offer. The portions are not enormous but this is to be expected and isn't resented; Bam Bou is very far from the pile it high, sell it cheap philosophy of the Gerrard Street fare not too far away, and is all the better for it.

• Added: 10th of September 2008
• Area: Newcastle Upon Tyne
• Category: Restaurants

Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1UF
0191 261 1525

joslyoung said
Newcastle's finest
This is one of my favourite restaurants, which as a non-resident, I sadly only get to visit on the odd occasion that I visit Newcastle. So I have to confess that this review dates back to a meal I had here some time ago now - I hope things haven't changed and I'm giving a false impression.

Basically the clue's in the title with this restaurant: it specialises in simple, fresh and locally sourced ingredients, and the cooking is superb. The menu involves a lot of good, local meat, cooked beautifully, and the puddings are delicious. The cheeseboard was, on my last visit, a particular favourite - containing as it did local Northumberland cheese which you so rarely see on a menu. This is a real 'food hero' type place; it sets out to be a high quality local restaurant using interesting and well-sourced regional ingredients, and it doesn't disappoint. The staff, when I last visited, were LOVELY, really friendly and relaxed, which helped to make the meal.
A lovely addition to Newcastle's really rather good restaurant scene offering, I only wish it were closer to where I live...

• Added: 10th of September 2008
• Area: Old Street
• Category: Restaurants

London EC1V 9LA
020 7729 8662

joslyoung said

Judging by the number of reviews, Cay Tre is a hidden gem no longer. Basically, the Old Street area is awash in Vietnamese restaurants, of which Cay Tre is the best. Unfortunately, on recent visits, it's also been the busiest, particularly at the weekends (then again, Old St is usually best avoided at weekends anyway for any reason if you're not into crowds of braying meeja folk). The food is very good indeed although not ALWAYS exceptional - there are some duff notes in the menu, which I suggest you avoid by steering away from the more predictable items. The point is that they do have interesting things on the menu that you might not see elsewhere, particularly by way of fish, and you can get in and out and extremely well fed and watered for under £20 a head. You really can't say fairer than that.

• Added: 10th of September 2008
• Area: Belsize Park
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London NW3 2QX
020 7485 2112

joslyoung said

Terrible, terrible pub, with rude surly staff and zero atmosphere. It's a shame really, because a friend of mine who took me there said it was once quite fun, friendly and lively, and because its location near the heath would make it otherwise perfect for a Sunday afternoon pint. Luckily there are lots of other pubs within a few feet of here that do fantastic food, serve good beer and are friendly (three of which have fabulous beer gardens - I'm not going to name then for fear of mistakenly coming across as shamefully partisan - I'm not). A real loss.

• Added: 10th of September 2008
• Area: Liverpool Street
• Category: Restaurants

London E1 6AG
020 7247 2252

joslyoung said

Considering that their speciality is sausages, I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed on my first visit to this place. I had the traditional pork sausages, which were finely ground and tightly packed, feeling as if they had just a little bit too much fat and gristle in them. What's more, the mash was not as good as the mash we make at home. It was lumpy, which is inexcusable!
The service is fine, and the food is perfectly decent, but as a specialist I expected more.

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

London W1W 5QB
020 7631 3131

joslyoung said

It's interesting to read such mixed reviews for Villandry, because it's one of my favourite places and I've always found it to be of an exceptional standard, both in terms of food and service (the latter seemingly being quite a persistent problem where other people's experiences are concerned). For what it's worth - and I don't dispute the possibility of service being a problem because they're a laid back bunch at Villandry, which could easily spill over into lacksadasical - I've never had any issues and always had a good meal.
The most recent occasion I ate there was only a month or so back, when I went with my partner. I had a really fresh and lovely salad to start, and calves liver with mashed potato and bacon, crispy sage and a light gravy. Very nice, simple food, well cooked. No real surprises, but that's not what Villandry's about, to me: it excels on the quality of its ingredients and their freshness. It also scores points on the relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant and indeed throughout - other areas in the place are great for coffees, meetings and lazy brunches.
It's true that Villandry isn't cheap: you could top £100 on a lunch for two without trying too hard, which is steep by most non-expense-account-holder's standards. So I'd say it was a special occasion place, really, one that I always enjoy.

• Added: 10th of September 2008
• Area: Barnsbury
• Category: Food and Drink

London N1 8LU
020 7226 3963

joslyoung said

The best fish shop in the area. Always busy, always a queue - if you want something specific you'd better get there early. The staff are all good boys who know their fish. I don't go anywhere else.

• Added: 10th of September 2008
• Area: Marylebone
• Category: Food and Drink

London W1U 4EW
020 7935 0341

joslyoung said

It really is one of the best. While I still use Neil's Yard when I'm in the West End (I just find the staff there really friendly and helpful), the north London shop is ace and I use it frequently. Like all proper cheese shops, it's not cheap, but the range is fantastic, and the enthusiasm is faultless. You can't call yourself a cheese lover and not shop here, even if it's just the once.

• Added: 10th of September 2008
• Area: Piccadilly Circus
• Category: Restaurants

London SW1Y 4SP
020 7930 1885

joslyoung said

Nobody who's lived in London for more than 5 minutes goes to Tiger Tiger, really, and if they do, they do so (or should do so!) knowing exactly what to expect. So overpriced drinks, dizzy drunk secretaries and boys in cheap suits? Of course! Offhand bar staff and below par food? Of course!
It serves a purpose, and serves a particular crowd, and does so exactly as one might expect. And, I am assuming, highly profitably. So well done them. It is, however, irredeemably horrible.