• Added: 2nd of September 2008
• Area: Chalk Farm
• Category: Shops and Amenities

London NW1 8AN
020 7692 6261

marmalade said
A Fascinating place..
Most instrument shops are a bit dull if you're not a musician, I'm sure. Once you've seen your 30th guitar your brain probably starts to grey out, let alone the annoying staff showing off how well they play.

Well, I challenge you to be bored in Ray Mans!

Formerly located in Parkway, now nearer to Chalk Farm, this long running family business is a treat to visit.

They sell a wide variety of instruments from four corners of the globe, with a main emphasis on Chinese and east asian traditional instruments.

Things range in price from the £1 or £2 pound bamboo flutes and jaw harps, to the £2000 odd sitars and wonderful hammered dulcimers in the back room.

They excel in percussion too, with many different types of shakers, rattles, small drums and finger cymbals too. The staff are very welcoming and they don't seem to mind if you have a little twang or rattle here or there.

Somebody buy me a gift voucher!

• Added: 2nd of September 2008
• Area: Fitzrovia
• Category: Shops and Amenities

London W1T 1JA
020 7323 9040

marmalade said
Great resource for trad instuments
Hobgoblin is a bit of an institution really, having been based in Parkway in Camden for years, it now lives just off Oxford street.

They have a great website too, and a mail order service, so you can have a proper browse online before you decide to buy.

They stock all the instruments you would need to play traditional folk or acoustic instruments, everything from guitars, banjos and harmonicas, to autoharps, mouth harps and melodeons.

The prices are ok, not the cheapest, and sometimes the instruments are not particularly good quality, but as the only place you can step off the street and buy something that isn't a guitar, I suppose they can get away with it.

The service in the shop varies, some of the staff are extremely friendly and helpful, and one or two are the wrong side of flirty or patronising, or something I can't quite name. I certainly don't always feel comfortable shopping here.

I play a fairly unusual instrument, and have learned a lot about it by experience. I therefore know a little more than the staff, and this seems to annoy them when they can't answer my questions.

The spares and strings can be hugely overpriced too, one set of strings for my instrument costs 10 times as much in here as anywhere else, and the quality of cases etc are really quite shoddy.

A mixed package.

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

London W1D 1BH
020 7580 0062

marmalade said
Great value, healthy food.
One sunny day I was wandering down Oxford st looking for some cheap food.

I really fancied Sushi for some reason, but knew there was no chance I would find anywhere cheap enough for my poor empty wallet.

Imagine my delight then, when I found Wasabi! I had never heard of the chain before, and at this point I think this was the only branch in London.

Wasabi now have a few branches all over, one near Liverpool st for example, and they all sell the same low priced sushi/sashimi, and hot food like satay and noodles.

I confess I haven't tried the hot food yet, even though it smells mouth watering (especially the Teriyaki) as I've always fallen for the delicious pick n mix style sushi.

It's self serve, and the pieces of sushi are individually wrapped, and are priced at 2 for £1, or 2 for £1.50, for everything from cucumber seaweed rolls, to squid and prawn. If you are careful, it's possible to fill up a whole tray for £5, or just blow the bank with sashimi, edamame, and well dressed japanese salads.

There is always a selection of interesting Japenese soft drinks, always worth a try for the adventure.

The only downside I can see is that as each piece is individually wrapped, your carbon footprint probably suffers every time you visit!

• Added: 2nd of September 2008
• Area: Camden Town
• Category: Restaurants

London NW1 7PN
020 7267 2700

marmalade said
Unpretentious, healthy, and great value.
I love this restaurant so much.

I stumbled across it by chance, looking for some cheap noodles, and didn't really expect it to be particularly good quality.

My boyfriend and I were sat at the white, space age tables, all part of the minimalist and charming decor.

A friendly smiling waitress then came and took our drinks orders, I plumped for the jasmine tea, £1 for unlimited top-ups, which was steaming hot and very fragrant.

My other-half went for one of the fresh home-made health drinks, with carrot juice and other goodies. This was also delicious and not packed with sugar like most commercial drinks.

We decided to order the Tong Mein soup, with chicken and seafood respectively.

After a few minutes, the HUGE bowls of steaming broth arrived, and we tucked in hungrily.

The bowls really are massive, and are full of a delicious and very nutrient rich. In the bowl with the soup, are a large helping of noodles, sliced carrot, broccoli and bok choi.

The veg are so fresh and bright, they must have been just thrown into the broth, losing none of their vitamins.

Then there is a very generous helping of prawns, seafood, chicken, and other goodies. The king prawn soup is bursting with prawns, unlike some restaurants they don't skimp on the goodies!

I also highly recommend the dumplings, which are bursting with flavour (my mouth is watering as i type!).

It's approx £7 for a Tong mein, so it's pretty good value for a great big feast of good food!

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

London N1 9EX
020 7833 1167

marmalade said
delicious, cheap, and healthy (don't eat too much)
This restaurant is fantastic.

I was taken here by some friends about 10 years ago, and couldn't quite believe just how inexpensive it was.

It's a buffet set-up, with delicious vegetarian dishes, with potato, lentils, all sorts of beautifully cooked veg curries, and yummy samosas and poppadums on the side.

The place itself is very unusual, with low key decor and very functional seating etc, all topped off with the amazing posters of Indian beauty queens.

These posters show how beautiful it's possible to be when you eat veggie food, and are really entertaining propaganda.

There is a full drinks menu, with treats like lassi and exotic juices, and it's all good value for money.

It's also pretty healthy, if you avoid the fried treats which are crunchy and delicious. The curries are really mild, and are full of turmeric and other spices, famed now for their cancer-busting properties.

This food probably will make you beautiful, and may extend your life as well!

• Added: 28th of August 2008
• Area: Hackney
• Category: Restaurants

London E2 8DP
020 7739 0966

marmalade said
Quick, cheap, delicious!
I love this place!

As one of the many bustling and vibrant Vietnamese establishments in Shoreditch, Tay Do has to compete for it's share of customers.

It's a large and fast moving place, with a selection of small tables seating 6, and then one very long table that seats at least 30 people.

At busy times it's likely that you'll be asked to share a table with strangers, but combined with the "Bring Your Own" policy it just adds to the atmosphere of the place.

When you arrive, you'll be seated quickly by the attentive and businesslike staff, and asked for a drinks order.

Then you can start to check out the delicious menu, full of meat and veggie options, ranging from familiar Chow Mein and Rice dishes, to Frog's Legs and soups.

I highly recommend the lip smackingly good Pho Bo (rare beef soup) which comes in a huge bowl, full of tasty broth and noodles. This comes accompanied by a plate of raw chillies and beansprouts, to add into your dish.

Also worth trying are the many fish dishes, and the delectable "Summer Rolls", chilled parcels of prawn, floss noodles, and cucumber. Delicious!

Nip next door for some booze, and bear in mind that if there are lots of you, your orders might arrive fairly randomly, and just enjoy the low price and lovely grub!

• Added: 28th of August 2008
• Area: Harlow
• Category: Restaurants

Harlow CM17 0AP

marmalade said
Mixed menu, mixed fare.
Being a bit of a fan of Japanese/Thai food (more of that vagueness later) I was extremely excited to see that this place had opened, and I couldn't wait to treat myself to some noodles or soup!

The place looks extremely appealing from outside, with very minimalist Japanese style decor and signage.

As you enter, the staff are prompt to serve and are very welcoming and friendly.

You are sat at low bamboo look benches, and the table is laid with paper, Wagamama style.

The menu is very varied, sort of a pan-asian thing. Japanese, Chinese and Thai dishes all nestle together, a sort of greatest hits of Oriental food.

I ordered a seafood soup, which came very promptly, and was a generous serving.

My friends ordered satay, and a few other dishes.

All of us enejoyed the food, which was beautifully cooked and delicately flavoured, all for a good price.

My only complaint is that of the 4 of us on the table, 2 of us started to get a very strong reaction to something in the food. My friend suggested that it was to MSG, as he had experienced the same thing before.

My face went bright red, the roof of my mouth tingled unpleasantly, and I started to get very hot!

I can't guarantee that the food was heavy in MSG, but I strongly suggest it. I would be thrilled if this restaurant set themselves out as an establishment that avoided these unnescessary additives.

• Added: 28th of August 2008
• Area: Harlow
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Harlow CM20 1HP
01279 454809

marmalade said
Yuck!
I stopped into Yates for a meal a few months ago, thinking that it would be similar to Wetherspoons, as it has the same sort of styling, and also 2 for type offers

The staff were unhelpful and surly, and the pub was full of rowdy yobs, boozing away in the afternoon.

3 of us sat down and ordered our food, and waited for it to arrive. It didn't take long.

But was it any good? No.

It was slimey, greasy, over cooked, sloppy, tasteless and deeply unappetising.

It seemed to all be reheated from frozen, probably by people who hadn't ever eaten out before.

The vegetable dishes really were so gross they were impossible to finish, with a slick of oil glistening on top.

The portions were stingy too, just a small plateful of chilli and rice, or sickly gloopy pasta and cream.

I wouldn't eat here again, no matter how cheap the meals, I'll stick to Wetherspoons instead!

• Added: 28th of August 2008
• Area: Harlow
• Category: Restaurants

Harlow CM20 2DQ
01279 442151

marmalade said
Good value, but watch your waistline!
Toby Carvery is a chain specialising in a "Sunday Roast" type of fare, with freshly carved meats, a wide selection of veg, and all at a good low price.

The building itself is sort of amazing, because it seemed to be knocked together in a couple of weeks, and despite it's mock-tudor appearance, you can sometimes find the odd spot where the walls don't quite join!

There's a nice atmosphere in the place, the staff are extremely helpful and smiley, and the music isn't too obtrusive or loud.

You are shown to a seat, and asked for drinks orders, and then you select one of the buffet options from the menu. They then give you a plate and you go and fill it with meat, veg and gravy!

There are choices of Beef, Turkey, stuffing, all sorts of blanched and roast veg, all looking very fresh and healthy.

Sort of. The only problem is the portions are GIGANTIC!

If you wanted to come here every day, or even once a week, you would probably start to resemble some of the other customers here, who are slightly rotund.

• Added: 28th of August 2008
• Area: Bishop's Stortford
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Bishop's Stortford CM23 2NZ

marmalade said
They re-use the milk..
I know, I used to work here.

This is a small and locally owned cafe, with freshly made sandwiches and cakes, tea and coffee etc.

The cafe is staffed by friendly young waiting staff, and I was one of those.

the coffee and tea are nice enough, and the food is wholesome and home-spun. It's all cooked from scratch and salads etc are always tasty.

Coffees are augmented with hot milk, (microwaved I think) rather than made with a cappucino machine. When tea/coffee is served, milk is brought to the table in a little jug so you can add your own.

When I worked here (it may have changed since!) we were instructed to bring any unused milk back from the tables, to re-serve it to the next customer, to save a few pence.

In my opinion, the management could afford to be a little nicer to the staff, and a bit less stingy and more health conscious with the food!
Revolting behaviour! I would always refuse.