• Added: 29th of April 2008
• Area: Nelson
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

Nelson 7001

mundek said
Best coffee in Nelson
This is the Sublime Coffee roastery, but they also sell beans and have a coffee bar at this shop. Its fairly small so can get crowded at the weekend. Excellent coffee I can't recommend it enough. No food.

• Added: 29th of April 2008
• Area: Wellington
• Category: Restaurants

Wellington 6010

mundek said
Good burgers
Central Wellington branch of the popular burger chain. Good meat, vege and fish burgers. And excellent milkshakes.

• Added: 29th of August 2007
• Area: Fitzrovia
• Category: Restaurants

London W1T 4RP
020 7636 2744

mundek said
yuk
I disagree with the other reviewer. 4 stars - no way!!!

This grotty little place at the back end of of Fitzrovia is an insult to Italian cuisine. Really. It is that bad. I have had some bad meals in my time, but this place takes the biscuit.

The calzone is probably the only palatable thing on menu (even that is pretty ropy), the pasta dishes look and taste like the sauce came from jar with a Tesco value label. The house red wine tastes like paint stripper. When I visited the staff were more interested in watching football and smoking than serving customers, which begs the question why would they bother opening a restaurant in the first place. The whole building looks like it should be condemned.

They should try harder or shut the place down. Avoid.

• Added: 14th of August 2007
• Area: Maidenhead
• Category: Restaurants

Maidenhead SL6 9SN

mundek said
Nice views, dissappointing pizzas
Nestled alongside the River Thames close to the fancy village of Cookham, The Ferry is pub converted into a restaurant with excellent views across the river. The menu is mostly mediterranean with wood fired pizzas, pasta, risotto and grilled meats. I had high hopes for this place after some glowing recommendations from friends.

Unfortunately on our visit the food didn't really match up to the views. Things started well with a very tasty greek mezze platter (10) which was hearty and well presented. The three of us then shared a couple of pizzas and a beef Carpaccio dish. The Carpaccio was more than adequate, but the pizzas were highly disappointing. Firstly, the pizza base was bland and bit too crispy, secondly the mozzarella tasted cheap and wasn't melted quite properly (in fact both pizzas were cooked somewhat unevenly) and thirdly the raw tomatoes on top added nothing to the pizza, I suppose that is personal preference though. For a place that advertises its pizzas so much this was disappointing.

Still, the wine list is good (Stop Banks Sav Blanc - Yum), the service fine and they have boat moorings available outside. I would say 2.5/5 to be fair.

• Added: 14th of August 2007
• Area: Norbury
• Category: Restaurants

London SW16 1BW
020 8677 7786

mundek said
Streatham based oriental delights
Slurp is local noodle place on Streatham High Road. They serve a variety of Thai, Chinese and Japanese dishes (of varying levels of authenticity) and both non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. The food was of a good standard on both of my visits, and the house ramen is excellent. It is also certainly good value for money as mains range from 6 to 9 and they do a lunch special (main and a drink) for 5.50. Service was great when I have visited, though the premises are a little lacking in amtosphere. Probably the best place in the area for a cheap, informal meal. I'd recommend it.

• Added: 23rd of July 2007
• Area: Holborn
• Category: Restaurants

London WC1R 4PS
020 7405 6820

mundek said

An interesting little Chinese restaurant in the Holborn area. There are rumours that they have two different menus - one in Cantonese and one in English, and apparantly the Cantonese one is better and cheaper! Those concerns aside Kam Fung is pretty decent - the portions are well priced for their size (don't over order!), service was good when we visited. We had Peking duck, beef and black bean and spicy vegetables and all dishes were above average compared to most Chinese restaurants.

They lose points for the addition of MSG in their food though. Maybe take a Cantonese speaking friend with you too and find out if those rumours are true!

• Added: 10th of July 2007
• Area: Battersea
• Category: Restaurants

London SW11 1NZ
020 7228 3309

mundek said

Just the name says. Gourmet burgers. Similar to the NZ chains Burger Fuel or Burgers Wisconsin, unsuprising as this chain was set up by some expat-NZ chefs. Branches can be found in various locations around London.

The burgers are cooked well, decent sides, pretty reasonably priced for the quality. I had the 'Pesterella' - burger with pesto and mozzarella. Very tasty.

The Clapham Common branch seems pretty standard. Good service when we visited. Oh and they sell Macs Gold! Recommended.

• Added: 5th of July 2007
• Area: Soho
• Category: Restaurants

London W1F 8GT
020 7439 4096

mundek said
Yeah, what they said.
I agree with the other reviewers - Malletti's is a revelation. Their pizza and pasta is of the highest quality, I especially like the sausage and mushroom penne. My one down point though - the food (like a lot of Italian food) does tend to swim in (tasty) grease though so if you are particularly health conscious you may want to avoid. But other than that I couldn't fault it.

I hope they open some more branches though as the current one is so busy. Queues out the door by 1230, sold out by 1430-1500. But yum, makes me hungry just thinking about it.

• Added: 5th of July 2007
• Area: Bray
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Bray SL6 2AB
01628 626151

mundek said
Mmm, Heston you do spoil us.
The Hinds Head is an historic 16th Century Inn in the famous gastrovillage of Bray. Taken over by acclaimed chef Heston Blumenthal (owner of the three Michelin starred Fat Duck just up the road, and the only celebrity chef named after motorway services) a couple of years back it has changed from a somewhat staid village pub to one of finest food serving pubs I have ever visited.

The emphasis is on well prepared, traditional British fare. On a recent lunch visit I started with the goats cheese tart, followed by the 8oz rump steak with marrowbone sauce and triple cooked chips. The goats cheese tart was outstanding, as I understand it the goats cheese is sourced from a local farm and it was certainly very fresh. As for the main, well the steak was excellently cooked and the sauce definately adds to the flavour. The triple cooked chips are some of the best chips I've ever eaten, they veer towards being mini roast potatos really, but still they are excellent too.

My companions had a number of different items from the menu and no one was disappointed. The potted shrimps, hotpot and mussels all were very tasty. I really can't put in to words how good the food is.

The service was really professional, the atmosphere inviting (not stuffy as few of us had expected) and the wine list extensive, the Argentinean Malbec we had was really good. Not exactly cheap for a pub meal but this ain't burger and chips down the Dog and Duck! Oh, sandwiches and bar snacks available too.

Highly recommended for those who love quality British food.

• Added: 20th of June 2007
• Area: Stepney
• Category: Cafes and Coffee Shops

London E1 6EU
020 7247 4906

mundek said
mmm pastries
Branch of the Soho institution, famous for throwing currant buns at the Luftwaffe in World War 2 or something.

I've never eaten in the brasserie, but have a had coffee and pastries here a few times. The coffee is nothing special, the service is hit or miss (I've had overattentive, uninterested and nice waiting staff here in equal measure). All the glass and steel at this branch creates a funny ambience too - not really somewhere you want to linger.

The pastries and cakes are awesome though.