• Added: 30th of August 2008
• Area: Southampton
• Category: Restaurants

Southampton SO15 1RE
023 8033 8622

lferrier said
Great menu and atmosphere
I've eaten here a few times now and I must say I love it! It has a great menu and each time I've been I've tried something new and always been happy. My favourite is the warm chicken salad though, very tasty.

There is something so soothing about being around all that swing music, it has a really great atmosphere. I've also taken children and found their menu is also very good, they enjoyed eating there and the staff were very accommodating even when we turned up with a birthday cake one day. Being able to see the kitched gives a homely feel to the place. Am a little confused by the pictures visible screwed through the picture frames to the wall though!!! Bit strange! Loos could be better but a lovely restaurant.

• Added: 30th of August 2008
• Area: Portsmouth
• Category: Restaurants

Portsmouth PO1 3TW

lferrier said
Beautiful setting
Gunwharf is great for a night out and this lovely Italian restaurant overlooks the water and as evening draws in has a lively but intimate atmosphere. We had an excellent meal, I particularly enjoyed the basil, tomato and buffalo mozzerella salad, gorgeous!!

We were a large party and unfortunately the staff serving our table seemed to struggle a bit and we ended up with a somewhat confused order and some missing desserts but all was sorted out eventually. The menu is varied and attractively presented. Tiramisu is just lush! The venue itself modern in design, lots of wood and clean lines, the toilets were good, something I'm particularly fussy about!!

• Added: 30th of August 2008
• Area: Southampton
• Category: Take Aways

Southampton SO32 1AB
01489891017

lferrier said
A very popular chippy!
Large portion sizes, tasty chips, everything a chippy should be. Paul's has a decent sized menu to choose from, all the usual favourites, am a particular fan of the pea fritter!

The proof of the quality of this chippy is in the fact that there is often a queue trailing outside the shop and down the road at peak times. We have now become savvy to this and go later! (No I'm not going to give my secret time away, don't want it getting busier!) Cod is usually nice and chunky. Staff are efficient and friendly and food is usually cooked to order except for the most popular items which are usually ready to go. Highly recommend, worth a journey for.

• Added: 30th of August 2008
• Area: Southampton
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Southampton SO32 1AJ

lferrier said
Lovely menu
Have been to this little pub many times but it has recently changed hands and the menu has benefitted. It has a small restaurant but on a nice day there are some tables outside too. It is worth booking to make sure you can get in. We usually go for lunchtimes but on our last visit it was evening.

The menu itself is quite small but what it lacks in length it makes up for in taste! We were impressed with our pie and would definitely go back. Sadly I've knocked a star off for two reasons, firstly the waitress who served us was wearing a filthy t-shirt, while I appreciate she had probably been working in the kitchen hard all day, it is important to make the effort and secondly and all too commonly for pubs the loos could be a lot better. We had a good meal though and it's a good old country pub.

• Added: 30th of August 2008
• Area: Southampton
• Category: Take Aways

Southampton SO32 1AR
01489 895043

lferrier said
Good Value Chinese take-away
As Chinese take aways go this has a menu that is pretty standard, over the years we've tried a lot of dishes and have never had any issues. It's a tried and trusted sort of place, not as bland as some of the take aways we've had but also not amazing either.

Portion sizes are good, and prices are pretty average for a Chinese take out. The service itself is good, we've both telephoned orders in gone in spur of the moment and we're never kept waiting for too long, most usually about 10 minutes. Staff are polite, friendly and efficient. On the whole I'd recommend as a convenient, reliable service. As far as Im aware they don't deliver though.

• Added: 29th of August 2008
• Area: Eastleigh
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Eastleigh SO50 6LD
023 80643106

lferrier said
Excellent value and entertaining staff!
We went to this pub/ restaurant for a retirement lunch and happened to be at a special offer time of the day where we had a carvery for £6. It was excellent. The selection of meats was good but the variety of vegetables was excellent and the yourkshire puds were the stuff of legends!!

Particularly enjoyed the selection of gravys to choose from, a good gravy can make of break a roast and their's were lovely.

This is a modern take on rustic, lots of wood and lots on the walls, the bar area is a little more modern looking, lovely open fire. Our waiter entertainingly was able to memorise everyon's drink order without writing it down (there were quite a few of us!). A pleasant environment and superb value for money.

• Added: 29th of August 2008
• Area: Bournemouth
• Category: Take Aways

Bournemouth BH2 5AA
01202 295818

lferrier said
Very Popular Restaurant
Ate at Harry Ramsden's in Bournemouth after a long day at the seaside. This restaurant is located on the upper floor while the downstairs is the take away version. They were queing up outside of the building to get in to the take away so we were glad to be going into the restaurant. It is presented well, in a pub style with a bar. Reasonably clean although the seating apholstery had seen better days in some cases.

We both had the speciality fish and chips whilst the children went for toad in the hole. All of the food was good. The fish in particular was tasty, chunky and didn't disappoint. This was our first visit to a HR and we would go back again. Unfortunately though, as is often the case, the toilet facilities let the venue down. There was paper towels spilling out of the bin which had not been emptied for some time, no lock on my cubicle door and a general feeling of neglect.

On a positive note our waiter was chirpy and helpful and we enjoyed our visit overall.

• Added: 27th of August 2008
• Area: Southampton
• Category: Restaurants

Southampton SO31 8AW

lferrier said
A great night out!
The great thing about this restaurant is that if you book for the right sitting you are there for the whole evening, no being hurried off your table, and after service, part of the restaurant is opened out to hold a disco!!

Our meal was tasty and varied, we went for a set menu for 6 which was more food than we needed, particularly lovely prawns! We drank lots of White Zinfandel which was delicious! A disco of the old school variety was just what was required after four bottles and we had a simply great evening. Good quality, good value and great fun!! Recommend if you're group is up for a boogie and it's a party atmosphere you're after.

• Added: 27th of August 2008
• Area: Southampton
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Southampton SO32 2PZ
01489 877214

lferrier said
Cosy country pub with entertainment
It just so happened that on our visit to the Hunters Inn there was a live band playing that evening. We had a lovely meal, the menu is very varied and ranges from traditional pub fare more fancy dishes. The children's menu which we have also sampled on a later visit is much as you'd expect.

The atmosphere of this pub is probably it's strongest point it is very cosy and traditional and has a very warm ambience. After a few drinks we thoroughly enjoyed the irish band that started quite late so as to allow service to be completed. It was a great night and we will definitely bereturning for a child free evening soon.

• Added: 27th of August 2008
• Area: Cambridge
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Cambridge CB2 3PA
01223 328575

lferrier said
Service fine, food fine, bathroom awful
I spent a fair bit of time in Starbucks just recently as had several hours to kill over two days and it just happened to be dry (weather was shocking) and nearby! The service was efficient and friendly, they managed to cope with a broken dishwasher on the second day so I had a paper cup rather than china which I can live with.

The food at Starbucks is obviously pretty uniform across the company but I must say their skinny peach and raspberry muffin is lush!! I'd love to know how many calories are in it as it's way too nice to be very low.

What really spoilt my visit to this branch was the toilet. It was foul, very unclean and frankly left me retching. There was a lot of paper lying around and it just did not look like it had been checked for quite a while. I found myself having to warn the people coming in to prepare them, not a nice experience at all :-(