• Added: 13th of September 2008
• Area: Kensington
• Category: Food and Drink

London W8 6SU
0870 442 8282

marie_sk said
expensive but good
Hotel Chocolat makes high quality chocolate. The shops are very open and modern. Sometimes they give you chocolates to try when you go in.
The chocolates are very expensive but they are of the finest quality. A box of 30 chocolates will cost about £18.
They sell chocolate for every occasion. They have a wide range of products, including chocolate enrobed fruit, truffles, turkish delight, low sugar chocolates and big chocolate slabs. The chocolate slabs come in many tempting flavours like caramellow and rocky road. Most of the chocolate is very dark and I wouldn't recommend the 100% cocoa bar (its very bitter).
I have signed up to their newsletter and they regularly send me their new product details

• Added: 13th of September 2008
• Area: Piccadilly Circus
• Category: Restaurants

London W1D 7DH
020 7287 1000

marie_sk said
Good food cool decor
Planet Hollywood is a very touristy place and it is aimed at families with children.
Inside it is full of props from the movies like a life size model of the Terminator and a leather jacket from Grease. There are over 200 items of film memorabilia inside the restaurant. They have a live DJ but I think it is only at weekends.
The restaurant looked like it needed doing up and it isn't the smartest place to eat. The service was really slow but when the food arrived it wasn't dissapointing. I ordered a burger and chips and the portion was very generous. Burger and chips costs about £13

• Added: 13th of September 2008
• Area: Hitchin
• Category: Food and Drink

Hitchin SG5 1DR

marie_sk said
Well worth a visit to Hitchin!
Halseys is a delicatessen and tea room in Hitchin.
They sell seasonal, locally produced vegetables, have a large and varied cheese counter and a fine selection of sliced hams.
At lunchtimes they cook a roast which is on display in the window. The meat is used to fill giant rolls and sandwiches for a quick but delicious lunch. The joint they cook varies all the time from lamb to beef and pork. I would recommend the roast pork roll. It is delicious with apple sauce and stuffing and the portions are generous.
They have a small tea room with a large selection of fine teas and coffee. No visit to Hitchin would be complete without a visit to Halseys!

• Added: 13th of September 2008
• Area: Oxford Circus
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London W1D

marie_sk said
Good for a shopping break
Whenever I go to London a visit to Topshop is always a must. Eat is a new coffee shop that they have put in on the ground floor. They also have a little bar that sells ice lollies upstairs by the jewellery.
The Eat coffee shop has rows of delicious ready made sandwiches, salads, cakes and ciabattas. They also sell hot breakfast as well as hot pies and soups.
It is better if you get there early because at the end of the day they don't have much food left.
It is an ideal stop half way through shopping in Topshop and a welcome bit of calm in all the madness of the shop

• Added: 12th of September 2008
• Area: Bond Street
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London

marie_sk said
not to be missed!
No trip to London is complete for me without a visit to Square Pie at the back of Selfridges.
It has a small take away bar where you can buy hot pies with all the trimmings (mushy peas, mash and gravy). There isn't a very big seating area but it doesn't get as busy as it used to.
They sell hot seasonal pies that you can also buy cold to take home with you. They come in a variety of fillings like steak and kidney, jerk chicken and lamb and rosemary. The pies come served in a big box with a lot of mash if you opt for it.
The prices have gone up over the last year but they are still my favourite thing to eat when visiting london.

• Added: 12th of September 2008
• Area: Welwyn Garden City
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Welwyn Garden City AL8 6NA
01707 331444

marie_sk said
Bustling small cafe
Bebo's is always packed which can be a problem because it is quite a small cafe.
You can choose a sandwich or panini ready made from the fridge. If you prefer you can order from a wide selection of food at the counter. They do a selection from jacket potatoes, salads, fresh sandwiches to order, breakfast and cakes. I always walk past before and at 10am it is bustling.
They serve fine coffee and a selection of cold drinks at reasonable prices.
The only bad thing is that the wide range of choices can be a bit confusing.
Overall, well worth a look

• Added: 12th of September 2008
• Area: Dartford
• Category: Restaurants

Dartford DA9 9ST
01322 386868

marie_sk said
Tasty chinese food
The Amoy restaurant at Bluewater gets really busy so you might have to queue for a long time for a table. I was lucky to get seated in a booth so it gave us some privacy, otherwise the tables are quite close together.

There is a varied menu of chinese food with the main meals costing about £13 each. You can watch the chefs prepare the food and it is bought to the table quickly. I had the beef in black bean sauce and it was nice except the broccoli was raw. The worst thing about it was that the service was quite slow. If I go to Bluewater again I would probably try somewhere else before coming back here.

• Added: 12th of September 2008
• Area: Hertford
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Hertford SG14 1EX

marie_sk said
French style cafe
Cafe Rouge is a French style cafe with many branches in Hertfordshire. There are cafes in hitchin and st albans as well but I normally visit the hertford one.
The style is quaint and cosy. In the summer they regularly put tables outside and I normally go there for a late coffee and a snack. They do a nice continental breakfast and have french style food throughout the day. The coffe isn't bad either and it's not that expensive. Two courses would set you back £8.95 from the price fix menu. It always has a nice friendly atmosphere and the service is quick

• Added: 12th of September 2008
• Area: St Albans
• Category: Restaurants

St Albans AL2 1BG

marie_sk said
New makeover
Marks and Spencer in London Colney had a big makeover last year. The old style cafe was replaced with a posh new restaurant on the first floor. It has a very new, modern feel. Most of the restaurant is white and it is very clean looking.
The menu has classic british dishes. They serve breakfast until 11am. A stack of pancakes with berries and creme fraiche will cost you £3.95. For lunch they do a small selection, from ploughmans lunch to fish and chips or sausage and mash. All of the food is the same food you can buy downstairs in the food hall. The cheapest things to order are a cup of tea and a teacake and they are always good value.
The service can be a bit slow which is why it only gets 3 stars. When it first opened it got so busy that you had to queue for a long time but now it is a lot calmer up there.

• Added: 12th of September 2008
• Area: St Albans
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

St Albans AL3 5DQ

marie_sk said
expensive
Carluccio's in St Albans is located next to Wagamama in Christopher Place.
It gets very busy and you can sit indoors or out. They also sell food to take away with you like cheeses, biscuits and oils. Sometimes Carluccio himself goes there and cooks outside for people to watch.
The service isn't great and I always end up waiting for a long time. Last time I went there a waitress spilled coffee all over me and they took a long time to bring the manager out to apologize.
The coffee is nice and so is the food but it is also expensive for what you get. I wouldn't recommend it over Barrisimo on St Peters Street.