• Added: 10th of November 2008
• Area: Temple
• Category: Restaurants

London EC4A 2BP
020 7353 6761

Lacrimosa said
Arriba!
I too attended the Trusted Places Halloween party at this new Fleet Street eatery, lured by the prospect of delicious Mexican tuck and the opportunity to wear a pair of sequinned cat's ears.

The first thing to remember here is that your food is prepared very quickly and efficiently in a sort of smiley human production line:

STEP 1. Burrito, tacos or salad?

STEP 2. Chicken, pork, steak or vegetables?

STEP 3. Cheese or sour cream?

And so on, through about six or seven steps involving rice, refried beans, salad, salsa, guaccamole... it's all there, minus the sombrero. This proves a great way of providing choice while, at the same time, steering all us foolish amigos away from the temptation to have a little bit of everything (a phenomenon I like to call 'Buffet Syndrome'). Incidentally I chose a gargantuan pork burrito and the 'medium' spicy salsa, which I found to be pretty darn spicy!

The second thing to remember about Chilango is that, while it has the look and feel of an upmarket fast food restaurant, it can still furnish you with a chilled Mexican beer. Woo hoo!

The third thing to remember is the opening hours. Like many eateries in the City area, Chilango focuses on the weekday lunchtime and early evening crowd (Monday to Friday, 11am to 9pm) and is closed at weekends.

Ultimately a very positive, upbeat experience with fresh, tasty food. I might try a pork salad next time. Mmmm...

• Added: 18th of October 2008
• Area: Putney
• Category: Restaurants

London SW15 1SQ
020 8780 1022

Lacrimosa said
Good value for lunch
I went to La Mancha for a late lunch with friends, having favourably remembered it from a visit a few years back. Arriving at about 2pm on a Saturday, it was pretty quiet the whole time we were there, but that was fine by us as we were able to create our own atmosphere!

We weren't initially happy with our table, which was too close to the open front door and traffic noise, so we moved further towards the back of the restaurant with no fuss or bother. Staff were polite and attentive, not only directing me to the ladies when I asked but checking that I'd found them okay when I reappeared. Meanwhile Amy had spotted that most tapas on the menu were available at half price at lunchtimes, so we decided to be kind to our bank balances and stick to those.

But how many dishes? Always a problem with tapas!

After much beard scratching and narrowing of eyes, we decided to select two each to start with then go for more if we were still hungry. Thus I opted for a squid dish with Patatas Bravas (potato with a spicy tomato sauce), Mish went for ribs and an aubergine concoction, and Amy plumped for olives and Chorizo Rosario. Plus bread for three. This quantity turned out to be perfect and all went down very nicely indeed, with the Chorizo Rosario unanimously voted the star dish.

Intrigued by the notion of coconut ice cream served in a half coconut shell, Mish alone went on to order dessert. (Gosh! Has she never been to an Indian restaurant?) Not exactly ground-breaking desserts available here, then, obviously.

The bill, which included a couple of glasses of wine, three soft drinks, and a 12.5% gratuity charge, came to £13 each - but don't forget that this included half price tapas.

Very nice, I'd go again. But stay well away from any garlic cloves you may find in the olives.

• Added: 18th of October 2008
• Area: Putney
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London SW15 1JN

Lacrimosa said
Stop press! Glass collecting shocker!
An average sort of a pub which benefits from having a riverside location in Putney, just along from Putney Bridge, I found it mighty difficult to get served here. Naturally I don't mind waiting when it's busy, but it would be great if the staff could pay some attention to who's next in line at the bar, since the clientele, while not unfriendly (mainly football fans when I was in there), didn't seem too bothered about that kind of thing either.

Having finally got our drinks, we moved outside to a small paved area of picnic-style tables in view of the river and set back from the noise and bustle of the Lower Richmond Road. However the staff came round collecting glasses some time later - apparently running short back at the bar - and, having not quite finished my drink, I had to stop them from whipping mine away no less than three times! One particularly harassed-looking waitress kindly agreed to take our photo, at least, while trying to snaffle up my glass.

Not somewhere I'd make a beeline for if I were in the area again, certainly.

• Added: 14th of October 2008
• Area: Keswick
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Keswick CA12 5XB

Lacrimosa said
thank ewe, Flock-in
Situated down a quiet lane in the village of Rosthwaite, some miles due south along the Borrowdale valley from Keswick, The Flock-in is a tiny tearoom aimed at walkers. It's part of a working farm conveniently en route along the Cumbria Way, the Coast to Coast path, and the Allerdale Ramble. It's also not too far, on foot, from such peaks as Bow Fell, Great Gable and Glaramara.

I visited late in May 2008, having just spent two nights wild camping up among the mountains. We had not planned to re-visit civilisation at all during our four nights out on the fells, but having just spent a sleepless night in near gale force winds up at Sprinkling Tarn I was badly in need of a pick-me-up. Having walked for several hours already, The Flock-in eventually appeared around the corner like an oasis.

As a backpacker I was a bit concerned about being smelly and grubby, but if the staff noticed anything they were too polite to say so. Expecting to be shooed out with a broom at any moment, I took care to speak with my poshest accent. Luckily, this being around 11am, the place was still quiet enough for us to get a table well away from other people and close to the open door... just in case.

Once settled, and with eyes boggling like a street urchin's at the array of cakes and savoury snacks on display, I ordered a homemade lamb pasty fresh out of the oven, made with Herdwick meat from their own farm and served with chutney. Scrumptuous! Amusingly, hot drinks are served in pint and half pint mugs here. I had a half pint of latte, which was deliciously hot and milky - and one of the best I've ever had. The prices were very reasonable too.

A range of quality gifts is on offer - particularly those using Herwick wool - and there's a sheepish theme throughout, including witty little puns on the menu and signage. "The Flock-in welcomes ewe!" Outside, a garden provides extra seating, and Yew Tree Farm itself offers B&B accommodation for those not foolishly opting to sleep in tents. Indeed I've since leant that Prince Charles often stays here. I was tempted!

• Added: 14th of October 2008
• Area: Ambleside
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Ambleside LA22 0BU
01539 431191

Lacrimosa said
Terse service, average coffee
A cafe by day and a restaurant by night, I dropped into Lucy's on a wet Wednesday morning this month with a friend. As a local himself he was able to recommend it, and told me that there's quite a few Lucy-owned places of one sort or another around the Lake District, including a wine bar and bistro called Lucy Four just over the road. All this was mildly amusing, given that my name is also Lucy (no connection).

I ordered a latte and my friend asked for an Americano, which prompted a veritable grilling by our British waitress who told us that 'Americano' means different things to different people. In the event, he was bought a caffetierre. My latte wasn't very nice, as it wasn't milky enough in my opinion. Latte means milk in Italian... MILK, damnit! I hate it when my latte isn't milky.

Nonetheless, we had time to kill so I ordered another, as follows.

Me: "Excuse me!"

Waitress: "Yeah?"

Me: "Could I have another latte, please?"

Waitress: "Yeah."

So I was beginning to be less than impressed with our waitress by this point. Add to this her perpetual thundering up and down the stairs, where the kitchen appears to be located, and you get the overall picture.

My friend tells me that the service is normally very good in there, with a high standard of (normally foreign) waiting staff, so it's a pity that the standard isn't more consistent. Incidentally, on visiting the toilets I also found it strange that an advert for staff - complete with rates of pay - had been placed at eye-level right next to the loo. This seemed rather disrespectful to both staff and customers, somehow, although perhaps I'm just turning into a woolly touchy feely do-gooder of some sort.

In fairness I only spent a hour or so in there over coffee, but - based on my limited experience of it - Lucy's On A Plate just gets two measly stars from me. It would've got three if the vase of sweet peas on the table weren't fake.

• Added: 13th of October 2008
• Area: Covent Garden
• Category: Restaurants

London WC2B 5AA
020 7242 0622

Lacrimosa said
The best of British
Tempted by the positive reviews here, I tried out this restaurant on a busy Friday night recently and wasn't disappointed. Not with the restaurant, anyhow.

Having not pre-booked a table, we were offered seats along the bar on tall barstools. This proved an excellent spot in terms of getting the attention of the staff, although those with delicate digestive systems may find it uncomfortable sitting skewed round at an angle to the bar, particularly if - like us - you plan to munch your way through three courses.

To start, my date ordered a hearty sweetcorn soup, the taste of which reminded me not unpleasantly of Sunday chicken roasts and sage and onion stuffing. I gleefully ordered three oysters which sent me into such raptures I couldn't help but wonder if there's some truth about their having aphrodisiac properties. If so, it was wasted on my date, who went on to casually mention during the main course that he was still sleeping with his ex. Nice!

For the main course, my scumbag date ordered something that we weren't able to identify from the menu, but thought might be fish. It came with quince, which he liked, so that was the clincher for him. It turned out to be pork and apparently very nice indeed, despite not being fish. Playing it safe, I ordered skate wing with capers - one of my favourites, and delicious. Vegetables had to be ordered separately, which is always slightly hit and miss as it's difficult to gauge how much one needs. Taking the advice of our waiter, we just ordered a side of buttered new potatoes initially. This turned out to be woefully small and not enough on its own for two people, so we quickly ordered an extra side of white cabbage - a portion which proved inexplicably huge. It was all very tasty though.

Wine is available by the carafe, which is a great choice for those wanting more than a glass each but less than a bottle.

Not having much of a sweet tooth - and having somewhat lost my appetite by this stage, anyhow - I consoled myself with a large malt whisky while my erstwhile companion had, if I remember rightly, a poached pear with chocolate sorbet and ice cream.

All in all a great choice. Unlike my date. NEXT!

• Added: 13th of September 2008
• Area: Henley On Thames
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Henley On Thames RG9 6TG

Lacrimosa said
Not to be trusted
Not to contradict oogywawa's review, below, in any way - all of which is pretty much on the button - I'd like to add a couple of things about this pub, as my own experiences haven't been so good.

Firstly, be aware that The Frog serves roast potatoes with everything on a Sunday for convenience, but will not trouble to tell you this when you order. Hence my liver and bacon came not with creamy mash, as promised, but with roast potatoes. Now I ADORE roast potatoes, but they simply didn't go with liver. The flavours clash in some unfathomable way. Moreover one doesn't expect short-cuts in exchange for one's hard-earned fifteen quid.

Secondly, and more importantly, the landlord is not to be trusted. Via the barmaid, I booked a large group of walkers in for Sunday lunch in mid-August 2007. No problem. A few days later a man I assumed to be the landlord phoned, clearly unhappy that the booking had been taken and stipulating that he'd want to seat us all indoors instead of in the garden (okay, fine), that he'd only be able to offer my group a reduced menu (okay, fine) and that, if it weren't for us, he could fill the same tables several times over (er... no, not fine). Thinking him a rather greedy and unpleasant little man, I promptly cancelled the booking, which he seemed very relieved about.

What's infinitely worse, however, is that another of my walking chums contacted The Frog a couple of months later to book the same group in, and specifically mentioned this conversation, wanting to know if we'd only be offered a reduced menu again. The landlord apparently claimed not only that my conversation with him had never taken place, but that neither he nor a member of his staff would have said that. Naturally I was spitting mad when I heard this! Presumably they're not as busy in the autumn as they are in the summer, hence the shift in attitude, but I don't much appreciate being branded a liar on top of having been inconvenienced over my booking. So will I ever go there again? Yeah, perhaps when hell freezes over.

Most people won't be wanting to make a large group booking at The Frog, of course, but having seen oogywawa's good review of the place I just had to pipe up.

• Added: 8th of September 2008
• Area: Shoreditch
• Category: Hotels and Travel

London E1 6JN
020 7613 9800

Lacrimosa said
Comfy but corporate
I stayed at this four star hotel on New Years Eve, as I was attending a group dinner at the Globe Restaurant on the top floor that night. (Great view, laughably inept service but friendly and apologetic.)

Wanting to book a room for later that same day, I initially rang the main reservations number for the Crown Plaza hotel group - a hub for bookings, based goodness knows where. I was told that the Shoreditch hotel was fully booked that night, but a hunch made me ring the hotel reception directly to check. Bingo! They were very surprised to hear that they were fully booked, and were pleased to offer me a room. You might want to try this trick yourself if you're booking at short notice and can't find any reduced rate deals online.

On arrival, I was a bit miffed to discover that I'd been allocated a smoking room. At my request, they moved me to a non-smoking double in a quiet location at the back of the building. The room itself was spacious and comfortable, although set up for business use which, as a New Years party-goer, I didn't need. Coming down for my coat just before midnight, I found my card-key had stopped working, so was obliged to see in the New Year out on the seventh floor rooftop terrace shivering like a jelly. Reception were later able to sort this out for me - the key, that is, not the shivering.

Breakfast the next morning, notwithstanding my hangover, was a delicious buffet affair. There was the traditional hot selection, toast, cereals, juices, and a continental selection of bread, cheeses and ham, plus croissants and pastries. I hardly knew where to start. Attracting the waiter's attention for more black coffee proved difficult though.

Note that their literature likes to suggest that the closest tube station is (the very attractive) Liverpool Street. The closest is actually (the hideously ugly) Old Street, which is worth knowing if you're lugging a suitcase.

All in all a comfortable if corporate hotel, with polite staff and a great view from the restaurant. The lack of single rooms is a travesty though - not only are none available, a room is the same price whether there's one or two of you using it. Mine was just over £205.

• Added: 7th of September 2008
• Area: Ravenscourt Park
• Category: Food and Drink

London W6 0DH
020 8741 2138

Lacrimosa said
Nasty atmosphere, grumpy staff
Okay, there's something really, really strange about this deli.

Situated in a pleasant residential area near Hammersmith, I worked close to Buchanan's earlier in 2008. The food is nice through pricey. Combining a deli store with a small cafe, it's popular with people looking for an above-average takeaway lunch in an area which doesn't have a huge amount of choice unless one walks over to the centre of Hammersmith. I tended to opt for a salad box with a sort of Italian folded pizza thing, which I asked to be heated up. This set me back about £5.50, but was very filling. The coffee's good too.

The main problem here seems to be that the staff tend to make the customers feel incredibly uncomfortable. Personally I always had to steel myself to go in. As someone who was new to the place, I needed some help with what things were, whether they were served hot or cold, what sizes were available, and so on: certainly it wasn't all labelled up in such a way that made these things obvious. The staff often seemed both grumpy and reluctant to help. Occasionally the person serving me spoke very little English, so was both unable to understand my question (e.g. "Can this be heated up?") or answer it. On another occasion when I was selecting what I'd like in my salad box, I had to be most insistent about what I wanted (nothing too vinegary) as the girl serving me that day seemed to have other ideas. Seriously, we were practically shouting at each other! All this made me feel stupid and gauche when in fact all I was trying to do was order something I'd enjoy for lunch.

This po-faced grumpiness seemed to infect the customers too. I came through the door one cold windy day and, being a well-mannered type, was just turning to close it behind me when a man sat at a table yelled at me to close the door. Not nice. Not necessary.

I know my colleagues tended to avoid Buchanan's for much the same reasons, so these aren't isolated incidents it seems. I persisted with the place at first simply because I love my food and don't mind paying for it, but later gave up and went to M&S instead. Sad.

I'm awarding two stars for the tasty food and coffee, but won't be going back.

• Added: 7th of September 2008
• Area: Windsor
• Category: Events and Entertainment

Windsor SL4 1PS
01753 853888

Lacrimosa said
A lovely old theatre
The Royal Theatre Windsor is a beautiful old place which - decked out as it is with gilt and red plush around a semi-circular, tiered amphitheatre - easily rivals any of the old London theatres for dignified good looks. It mostly seems to show plays, musicals and farces by such names as Oscar Wilde, Agatha Cristie, Daphne Du Maurier, Ray Cooney, Gilbert and Sullivan - usually the type that involves no more than five actors, with minimal set and costume design. Plus I've noticed that certain plays seem to crop up there on a fairly regular basis, or is that just my imagination? "Murder on Air", for example.

Nonetheless, the theatre does seem to attract a host of well-known actors, particularly those from the world of TV, perhaps because many of them live in the area. I saw Billy Piper starring in "Treats" last year, and Michael Barrymore famously tried to make yet another comeback there recently. There's also a fair amount of dance and music events thrown into the mix, ranging from opera, to tribute bands, to Riverdance, to The Glen Miller Orchestra, to Chas 'n' Dave. Yes, that's Chas 'n' Dave in November 2008... woo hoo! Bet you thought they were dead. Oh, and let's not forget the obligatory panto at Christmas.

This isn't fringe theatre, so tickets aren't especially cheap and, as with any older theatre, it pays to be selective about where you sit. I've heard that one needs stumps for legs in order to sit comfortably in the boxes, for instance. There's a bar which is currently looking a little worn and tired, but which is perfectly serviceable for a drink beforehand or during the interval. Plus the theatre's position is terrific - right next to the castle with masses of bars, coffee shops, and restaurants nearby, some of which offer a pre-theatre menu. Parking is available in various car parks all around Windsor, but it's pricey and can get busy, so allow plenty of time. Then find your seat and enjoy!