• Added: 4th of July 2007
• Area: St. James's
• Category: Restaurants

London W1J 9EB
020 7499 6996

k_thrn said

Lost for ways to entertain parents or in-laws when they visit you in London? I know, breakfast at The Wolsey. It's sure to impress. Beautiful space with impeccable service and the best chicken soup in London. As I recall, they are also very nice to ladies with morning sickness who happen to be sitting next the gentleman who ordered the pickled herring. Very nice, indeed.

• Added: 3rd of July 2007
• Area: Bloomsbury
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London N1 9BL
020 7837 7758

k_thrn said
This place stinks
It literally stinks of all the things pubs are meant to stink of; beer, fags, old men, and more beer. But we love it yes we do. Mind you, not enough to give it more than two stars.

I'm giving it two stars for two good reasons. At lunch time you have two options:
1. Order you food from the caf across the road. They'll deliver it when it's ready.

2. Phone the Royal Thai (menu's are on the tables) and have them deliver a piping hot pad thai straight to your table.

How good is that?! Surely worth two stars at least?

• Added: 3rd of July 2007
• Area: Euston
• Category: Restaurants

London NW1 1JD
020 7388 0808

k_thrn said
Good for what ails you
I've dabbled with Chinese Medicine a couple of times in the past. By dabble I mean I once spent 60 on an assortment of barks, leaves and roots that were a sure-cure for my raging eczema. Didn't work. Tasted awful.

Snazz Sichuan, however, is another story. With a bad case of conjunctivitis and tonsillitis just on the horizon I braved the unknown and joined some friends for dinner. For those of you wondering why I didn't just stay home in bed, the babysitter was already booked, o.k.?

And HOLY MOLY! Snazz Sichuan was like nothing I've ever experienced before. There was offal, lots of it. But it didn't taste offaly if you know what I mean. Perhaps because this is spicy food. REAL SPICEY. Items on the menu come ranked with 1 - 3 peppers to indicate the heat level. We stuck to level two and cried big tears of agony and ecstasy.

Apparently the sichuan pepper is like no other pepper in the world. This, I think, was what reduced us all to tears. It was like the strongest coriander, chives, lemon grass and black pepper you could ever imagine all rolled into one.

Snazz do set menu's for the indecisive out there, but these looked a bit boring compared to the a la carte options ( as if they were pandering to English tastes). We ordered an assortment of dishes - all designed to be shared amongst the group and washed it down with several bottles of Tsing Tao.

So we laughed, we cried, we ate offal, we tasted things we've never tasted before. And the result? Conjunctivitis and tonsillitis gone. That sichuan pepper must be really special.

• Added: 24th of May 2007
• Area: Kings Cross
• Category: Restaurants

London WC1X 9NT
020 7812 1842

k_thrn said
From Little Acorns
According to the Times' Acorn House is the most important restaurant to open in London in 200 years because it is London's first truly environmentally sustainable restaurant. The restaurant is built from organic and recycled materials, it composts or recycles 100 per cent of its wastes, demands positive animal husbandry, avoids industrial farming, uses green electricity, buys Fairtrade where possible and never uses airfreight. Wow!

I haven't tried it sooner because the prices edge on the higher limit for my lunchtime budget. But I recently discovered they do a lunch deal of soup and half a sandwich for about 6.00. I tried the beetroot soup with cardamom and sour cream and a bresaolo and goats cheese sandwich on brown bread. It being a sunny day I decided to enjoy my meal in a local sunny square so I can't really comment on a full dining experience at Acorn House. But from what I observed the staff seemed friendly and cheery and seemed to be enjoying what they were doing. Service for takeaway could have been a little quicker but I was enjoying looking around. The restaurant was bright and airy and the food was great. The colour of the beetroot soup was rich and bright. I've never seen anything more pink - which I chalk up to the quality of the ingredients. Absolutely delicious! The bresaolo was sweet and musty and went perfectly with the buttery goats cheese. Total bill, with a bottle of water came to a little over 7. My only criticism would be that the portions could have been a little bigger for the price.

Based on this experience I'll definitely check Acorn House out properly soon. So expect another follow up review.

• Added: 23rd of May 2007
• Area: Barbican
• Category: Restaurants

London WC1X 9BZ
020 7278 8176

k_thrn said
Another Kings Cross Gem
I have to totally agree with the previous reviewer. By all appearances Paolina looks like the kind of place that you might be best avoiding - not the cleanest of establishments. However, the food in this friendly family-run local is great. Pad thai is tasty and full of flavour but the Tom Yum Soup is the real killer. A real sinus-opening event! It's great for lunch - although seating is a bit cramped and limited, but they also do take-aways. A great filling lunch for under a fiver!

My only criticism would be a word of warning for anyone un-lucky enough to be pushing a pram (or other wheeled transport) in this part of London. It is practically impossible to get up and through the door and the seating area (with the exception of 1 table in the front window)is on a lower level down a further few steps.

• Added: 23rd of May 2007
• Area: Shoreditch
• Category: Restaurants

London EC2A 4QX
020 7613 5346

k_thrn said
Eyre Brothers, old meets new
Eyre Brothers is possibly Shoreditch's only grown-up restaurant so don't expect your usual hip Shoreditch hangout. The interior of the restaurant just oozes masculinity in all the best ways; low warm lighting, mahogany paneling and leather upholstered seats and banquettes. Like walking into an old world private club, it brings to mind cigar smoking, white linen suits and a certain benevolent gentleman. With large black and white photographs decorating the front-of-room partition the effect is one of nostalgia. However, Eyre Brothers also manages to be urban and modern and very relaxed at the same time. Take a girl here on a date. You won't fail to impress.

>Owned by the same brothers behind the Eagle, London's first gastro pub, Eyre Brothers focuses on modern Iberian inspired dishes. The menu is not extensive but is well selected making it difficult to choose. Revuelto - spanish style scrambled eggs with wild garlic leaves and terragon (8.00) were mouth-watering and inspiring. Breakfast is going to be much more adventurous from now on. This was followed by the grilled leg of spring lamb with batatas velhas -twice cooked potatoes in garlic, rosemary and olive oil. (17.50) The lamb was very tender and well seasoned but the potatoes were a little dry. Unfortunately, we didn't make it to desserts as the portions were very generous. Service was exactly as it should be, friendly and knowledgeable but not intrusive.

This was my third visit to Eyre Brothers and each time the experience has been absolutely memorable. And while the food is impeccable it is always the ambiance that lingers. It is like stepping into an old familiar book or film only you can't remember exactly what happened to whom or when. It is personal and timeless all at once.

• Added: 22nd of May 2007
• Area: Bloomsbury
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London N1 9DU

k_thrn said
Hemp seeds, gotta love 'em
Tony's is a busy vegetarian/vegan wholefood store selling a range of vegetarian foods to eat in or take away. Salads are sold by weight and there are usually a few hot dishes as well as sandwiches to choose from. They are also into hemp in a big way. (Hemp seeds, hemp seed oil, hemp clothing, you name it and they'll hemp it) Four years ago this place was quite a discovery in grungy Kings Cross. I work nearby and found it a welcome oasis from the kebab shops, adult video stores, MSG ridden noodle bars and that Kings X dust that is everywhere. The organic revolution here?! Times, they are a changin' though and Kings Cross is getting a new lick of paint. {We have a Starbucks now, you know?) And frankly, Tony's just doesn't measure up as a health food store, an organic cafe, a juice bar or any of the other hats that the eponymous Tony chooses to wear. Granted you can get a nice fresh salad here and the hot dishes are hot and nutritious. They are also boring, un-seasoned, bland and served with a liberal dose of self-righteousness. I'm not a vegetarian but this doesn't prevent me from loving good vegetarian cooking. Good vegetarian cooking this is not. Sandwiches are made on some kind of weird vinegery hemp seed "bread" that falls apart if you so much as look at it suspiciously. Fresh made smoothies arrive decidedly warmer than room temperature. The service also leaves much to be desired. I'm not sure if they can spot me as a meat eater when I walk through the door but they always seem to have an attitude of moral superiority of their food and are very haughty when you ask questions. Excuse me for not being able to tell my mung beans from my sprouting hemp seeds! Passion is great. I just wish they could put more of it into the food and improve their product. If you're after a nice (if not slightly over-priced) salad and you happen to find yourself in the area then you could do worse. I hear the soups are quite nice and are now accompanied with real bread rather than the [cough]unique hemp-seed variety. Despite my criticisms, I will continue to eat there because you know what you're getting, there are plenty of omega 3's on offer and, well, hemp seeds are our friends. However, it will be interesting to see what happens to Tony's as the Kings Cross refurbishment continues. I'm just not sure it will be able to compete. Did I mention, Acorn House is just down the road?

• Added: 22nd of May 2007
• Area: Barbican
• Category: Restaurants

London EC1R 4QL
020 7837 0009

k_thrn said
Ambassador, you are spoling us
I've been sold on The Ambassador since my first visit soon after they opened over a year ago. It's a regular favourite and I've never been disappointed. The interior is simple, no-fuss, traditional and has something of the 50's with the recent addition of a large red banquette at the end of the room. On a warm day you can't beat booking a table near one of the large open french windows along the front of the restaurant where you are ideally placed for people watching and catching the cool breezes. The food has never disappointed, if you're as regular as me then perhaps there could be more choice in the menu. However, everything has always been delicious with an emphasis on fresh ingredients. My favourites are the fois gras starter, onglette beef, and London sausage sandwich. (Not necessarily in that order.) There's a good wine list and an interesting selection of beers which Clive the owner has always been very helpful in describing. I think the thing that sets this place apart are the staff who make it a great environment for adults and children alike. I go their often with my daughter (a toddler) and the staff have always been very friendly, welcoming and helpful with her. This could be because the owner has a daughter of a similar age but I suspect it's just the general ethos of the place. Highlights of my visits have included: the jugs of Bloody Mary on a Sunday afternoon, turning up in the morning after breakfast but before lunch and having the waitress offer to sort a late brunch out for me which included yogurt, muesli and coffee; waitress offered to make a milk shake (not on the menu) for my surly seven-year old niece who turned her nose up at everything on the menu; and being greeted warmly and familiarly by the staff everytime I go. While the restaurant is hardly running amok with kids it is actually very child-friendly, they have high chairs and booster seats, there's easy access for a pram and they have a table of colouring books and colours to keep little ones entertained. There are no changing facilities for babies, but it really doesn't matter. In short it's a great place for a coffee, a drink or for a long and lazy full on Sunday afternoon session.