• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Restaurants

Birmingham B17 9NS
0121 4272560

kachika said
Fantastico!
Valentinos is a really nice local Italian restaurant in Harborne, Birmingham. It's been there for years and is a real favourite among local residents, including myself!

It's tucked down the bottom of the High Street, near to Iceland. Maybe not the most amazing location, but once you're inside, everything changes.

The interior has a very fresh feel about it, with white and blue colours and mirrors to make it seem bigger.

The staff are really friendly and answer any questions you may have about the dishes.

I've been there several times for the lunch set menu, which is very good value at £8.95 for two courses. The dishes on offer vary, but there is usually fish, pasta, chicken, salads and soups involved.

I've always been impressed by the food. It fills you up without being stodgy, and is always beautifully presented.

The prices in the evening are quite a bit more than for the set meals, but it's such a lovely place that it's worth it for a treat.

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Restaurants

Birmingham

kachika said
Filling grub
I've been to Urban Pie quite a few times, but only after 5pm, when all the pies and some beers are reduced to half price!

You can get a pie, mash and gravy in a box for about £3.50 if you go after 5pm, which is good value in my opinion.

There's a good variety of pies, including quite a few vegetarian ones. Usually I've had the chicken and asparagus pie, which is lovely. I recommend the mash too.

The pastry used for the pies is really tasty, and the fillings are generous and taste quite good quality.

Your food comes in a box, which folds out into a plate.

Urban Pie has a good atmosphere and plays some decent music, but not so loud that you can't have a chat.

One thing I don't like about the place is the seating. It's all high stools, which aren't very comfortable.

There's a toilet there, which has always been clean and pleasant. It makes a change in such a small place.

Overall, I would recommend Urban Pie, especially when you're really hungry and need some substantial grub to fill you up!

• Added: 3rd of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Restaurants

Birmingham B3 3HJ
0121 233 2484

kachika said
Authentic Moroccan dishes in a friendly setting
Zagora has been around for a few years, in Fletchers Walk, which is close to the library. It's not in the nicest passageway, but once you get inside it's lovely.

It's not a fancy classy restaurant, but a friendly, relaxed place.

I have Moroccan family and was hoping the food at Zagoras would be as good as the homecooked stuff. I'm happy to say it was.

My partner and I had the £10 special, which is a starter, main course and a glass of wine.

I had an aubergine salad with bread for my started, which was unusual but very nice. My partner had garlic bread with cheese: not very Moroccan but he was happy!

For the main dish, I had Moroccan style paella with chicken, lamb and prawns. It turned out to have no prawns in it, but was satisfying and had authentic, interesting flavours. A nice generous portion too.

My partner had a chicken Tagine, which was served in the tagine itself. I had a taste of his and it was delicious. The chicken was so tender and juicy and tasted similar to what my Aunty makes.

It was a week night when we visited, and we were the only people eating there, but it had a nice atmosphere all the same. The chairs are very comfortable, and I enjoyed the Arabic pop music.

The staff were friendly and helpful with any extra requests. I'd definitely go back again, perhaps at a weekend when it's busier. You can take your own wine with you, which is an added bonus.

• Added: 2nd of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Take Aways

Birmingham

kachika said
Best fish and chips for miles
The Frying Pan is a really good local chippy next to Summerfield Park.

There's always queues and you may have to wait a while, but that's testament to how good their food is.

Most of the fast food places in the area just serve awful limp "fries" and greasy chicken, but the Frying Pan is a good old fashioned British chippy that sells proper chips.

It's run by a Greek family and the staff are always friendly and helpful. It's been there since the 70s and is really well known, and has won awards.

The best thing to order is of course, fish and chips, but they also have burgers, chicken, naan bread, kebabs, sausages and all the usual offerings.

If you ask, they'll give you a bag of scraps (of batter)for free. I think they're gross, but some people like them!

The chips are cooked in a different sort of oil to usual chip shops and they taste great.

It costs about £4 for fish and chips, or you can get small chips for 80p.

• Added: 2nd of September 2008
• Area: Leyton
• Category: Food and Drink

London E10 5NH

kachika said
The busiest Asda ever
Asda in Leyton is very popular and busy, possibly because it's close to a tube station and on a retail park.

The location means it's easy to reach, with lots of buses and tubes going there.

There's all manner of dodgy characters hanging around outside the store. Whether you want some counterfeit cigarettes, knockoff DVDs, or to have all your money conned out of you in some hustle involving three cups and a ball, it's all there.

So just to get in the store you have to get past all these folks.

There are two entrances to the store, and the one most people use is the one closest to the street. But then after entering, you're at the wrong end of the store, and have to push your way through crowds of people to get to the start of the store.

The shop is ridiculously busy. You have to queue for ages. The self scanners accept up to 20 items, but people are often seen with full trolleys going through there.

As for stock, it's much the same as any Asda, and the staff are ok. It's not their fault that so many people go there.

• Added: 2nd of September 2008
• Area: Covent Garden
• Category: Health and Beauty

London

kachika said
Scary hairy
I went to Hairy Fairy after admiring my sisters' new haircut she had done there.

It's in Covent Garden, and you don't need an appointment. A standard cut and blow dry is £13, which is very cheap for central London...but this is WHY it's so cheap:

My hair was washed. The hairdresser then yanked a brush through my wet hair, rather than gently combing it as you are supposed to.

I was having a lot of hair taken off, and was quite anxious about it. I didn't feel as though any care was taken over it, the cut literally took two minutes.

My hair was then roughly blow dried with no product or brush used to style it. The hairdryer was on the hottest setting and practically burnt my ear off.

My hair looked a state and had no shape to it. I was in and out in ten minutes.

I felt quite upset immediately, but once I had styled my hair at home myself, I liked the cut.

I wouldn't go back again though. I felt a bit intimidated by the staff and it seemed like a production line rather then somewhere they actually care about how the customer feels and looks.

• Added: 2nd of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Restaurants

Birmingham B1 2HJ
0121 643 5577

kachika said
Around Brum in a few plates
Foggs is the latest buffet style restaurant to have opened in Birmingham. It's in the middle of Broad Street, where Ipanema bar used to be.

I visited in the daytime and had the lunchtime buffet, which is £7.95 for eat all you want.

The decor is lovely, with huge prints on the walls of rainforests and statues. I like the floor to ceiling windows as well so you can people watch.

Our waitress wasn't very impressive. She didn't give us any explanation of how the buffet worked and generally didn't seem very happy.

Toilets were very nice.

The food is Italian, Indian, Thai and Chinese, with a few long counters, and one counter with a chef who cooks up raw ingredients chosen by you.

The selection was quite good, especially salads and starters. The curries weren't great. A chef made us some fresh naan bread, which was fantastic, all warm and soft.

I chose some raw ingredients and gave them to the chef to cook in a big wok. Unfortunately, he made it so spicy that I couldn't eat it. I couldn't taste anything except heat, so I had to waste that plate of food.

The dessert table was impressive, although a greedy table next to us hogged all the chocolate cake so there was none left. But there was cheesecake, fruit, Indian style rice pudding, and Mr Soft style ice cream that you dispense yourself.

Overall, I thought Foggs was ok. The daytime menu is quite good value. 80 dishes is a bit of an exaggeration though!

• Added: 2nd of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Birmingham B5 4EG
0121 632 6756

kachika said
Cosy indie venue
The Sunflower lounge is a nice bar just around the corner from New Street station. It tends to play indie and alternative music.

There are bands and DJs almost every night there, with bands often playing the downstairs room. It can get quite hot down there!

It's a small place but popular and friendly. The drinks are pretty cheap for a city centre pub and there are often special offers on.

It's been open for a few years now and is popular with students and young professionals.

Entrance is sometimes free, sometimes a few pounds depending what's on. There's all sorts of events there, from 60s music, to scratchy old records and dance nights.

• Added: 1st of September 2008
• Area: Cambridge
• Category: Restaurants

Cambridge CB2 3AR

kachika said
Not very impressive
I visited Wagamamas in Cambridge on a Saturday evening recently. It was busy, but we didn't have to wait for a table.

It was very noisy and I struggled to have a conversation.

Our food came quickly and was satisfactory.

However, I felt as though we were being hurried along by the staff. As I was finishing my meal, I was being watched by a staff member and felt under pressure to finish up.

It wasn't especially cheap, at about £8 for a bowl of noodles with prawns and chicken.

I think Wagamamas is all right when you have a voucher but the customer service isn't great.

• Added: 1st of September 2008
• Area: Birmingham
• Category: Events and Entertainment

Birmingham B1 2JA
0121 643 5858

kachika said
Affordable and intimate theatre
The Crescent is a lovely small theatre just behind Broad Street.

Tickets are cheap compared to larger theatres, and usually cost between £5 and £12.

The theatre is quite small, which means you can see no matter where you sit.

It hosts a variety of productions, from traditional, to Christmas pantos, to modern dramas and youth theatres.

The Crescent has its own theatre company and youth theatre. As well as the main house, there is the Ron Barker studio theatre for smaller productions or dance performances.

There is a nice cafe and bar in the theatre. The walls often have displays from local artists and children, which is a pleasant touch.

Many of the workers at the theatre are actually volunteers who keep the place going. I'd really recommend it.