• Added: 11th of October 2008
• Area: Knightsbridge
• Category: Food and Drink

London SW1X 0NA
020 7730 1234

nell4tune said
Willy Wonka's birthplace?!!!
It was my birthday and my family opened their cheque books and risked it by asking me where I wanted to spend my birthday. BIG BIG MISTAKE!! Never mind how old I am, I wanted to indulge in blissful sin...this is my chance. Alarm bells started getting louder and louder till it deafened their ears when I locked myself in our little study and started chomping away at the keyboard googling for Chocolate restaurants... And hey presto! this place came up. Oh oh Harrods - hmmm that might be expensive. Just mention Harrods and every wallet in this planet will start to tremble nervously as if wanting to flee from pockets. My answer to that is research, research and research - prepares you for anything... Catch my drift? It paid off, I even got a copy of the menu and emerged out of the study with a big grin on my face like a kid in a candy store! Well at least I will be a big kid but in a Chocolate... Ha ha ha! can you hear the thunder crackling above... Anyway we got to Harrods - found the cafe pretty easily. On a weekend Harrods is pretty packed and yes you guessed it - there was a long queue just to get into this cafe. By hook or by crook I am going in there to have my chocolate indulgence. No actually I NEED to get in there no matter how many bodies I have to trod on...!!! 30 minutes later we're at the head of the queue!!! Yippee!!! By now you may probably have sussed that this cafe is really not that big. To get a table you have to wait for people to leave. So there I was at the top of the queue peering hard at people happily eating away at their melted chocolate wishing them to go away as quickly as possible. I began to grow horns. My heart tells me "why are these greedy ba...s taking so long to eat for goodness sake", but my head tells me "patience Nadia patience...your time is coming soon - you will get your fix". Oh my god what is happening to me? I must be going mad!!! A waiter comes up and escorts us to a table - YIPPEEEEHHH!!!we made it! I'm thinking - there is fondue set in my name - A Fantastic Chocolate Desire - A chocolate Miserable - A Chocolate Milkshake - A Chocolate Bar Colibri - aaarrrgggghhh!!! everthing there has my name on it. My kids had to calm me down - what is wrong with me??!! Would you believe it even my kids! I am a chocoholic!! I need help. The fondue arrived and dipping my fingers into it and licking the melted chocolate off was absolutely am mammia - heaven - hmmm. It was warm and oozing. My first sip of the Chocolate milkshake was just... ooooh la la! Need I say anymore?! Frankly I nearly got carried away by wanting to order the white, the dark and the milk chocolate fondue but as everyone else like milk chocolate that was the unanimous decision. The fresh strawberries and champagne needed to be tried so moi tried it... It is a glass of tasty Harrods champagne with melted chocolate dip where you can dip your strawberries into. I guess that is how posh people do it - a bit pretentious to me as it felt like a contradiction of tastes - the chocolate and champagne. Maybe it is me - I am not big on champagne. Give me a Guinness, melted dark chocolate and a Cohiba cigar and I am yours!!! Anyway I had my fix and washed everything down with an expresso and a capuccino with sprinkled chocolate. What a good way to put a finale to my fix. Strangely enough though the cafe has an open concept to it, we could not hear or feel the shopping hustle & bustle around us. Okay so I was in another planet indulging & working my way through the menu but the cafe seems to be placed in one corner and the acoustics seemed to have worked to keep the noise level down. Clever. Remember it is a very popular place and you cannot make reservations. It is on a first come first serve basis so be patient with the wait. Our party consisted of 6 people and the bill was very affordable. By the way the menu do cater for a light lunch and it is not all for chocoholics like me. So if you just want a sandwich and/or salad you will not be disappointed. I would advise you to leave your car at home - tube it! Do not be frightened of the HARRODS name - go to their website and access the menu and you will see what I mean about the price. Please for goodness sake you really do not need to dress up in your best 'whistle & flute' to get there. It is a pretty relaxed atmosphere. It is one of the best & memorable birthdays I have ever had.

• Added: 8th of September 2008
• Area: Chelsea
• Category: Restaurants

London SW3 5UR
020 7352 4071

nell4tune said
John Wayne Country also liked by Royalty alike...
Do you remember watching some of the cowboy movies where they sit by the open fire eating their beans out of their metal plates and sipping coffee off metal cups well dream on - but the menu is pretty much American Style. Huge racks of ribs caked with barbecue sauce, mouth watering steaks with chips the size of wrestler's fingers. The food is definitely to die for if you like good authentic American style food which I like now and again - absolutely worth every penny. Take note though dress up in your jeans and t-shirt or causal top. This is not 'Gerard Depardieu' ambience. Take note of the my heading... All tables are very close together and can be very noisy. So guys if you want to propose to the 'one who could be it'... if you take her to this place hoping for her to say yes, big mistake...!!! The place almost resembles the ambience of a saloon bar restaurant. Our party of 10 (with 2 kids) arrived for dinner only to be met with 'maitre de' whom appreared to have missed our booking (initially) and huffed and puffed at me (big big mistake!!!). Luckily I brought my booking print out and showed it to her - strangely enough she was still flusterred!!! Please note the place was very busy indeed and I figured they may have been pretty greedy and took more than they could handle hence the reaction... The other staff were very nice and friendly but 3 times they messed up our food and drinks order... However the food was really fabulous. I ordered half a lobster which was very simply cooked with white cream sauce and cheese was absolutely fabulous and costing approximately £9.50. Despite the poor service the food was fantabulous. As we were treated like 'Red Indians just out off a reservation' we decided to complain to the manager and she decided to give us 30% off our bill. Frankly we would have just preferred to be treated a bit nicer as we were already prepared to pay the full price anyway. Despite the place being pretty crammed in with tables and people a small 3 piece band was playing great music (no not all country music - you will be pleased to know) but Bryan Adams type of music which was right up our street. Great for the family and mates. A noisy and buzzing atmosphere. I am told by the staff that Sheryl Crow and the 2 princes ate there as well. It is different and easy going - not expensive and you will definitely love the food. Highly recommended. Word of warning - Parking in Chelsea is a nightmare ... be prepared to walk a way from where you parked...

• Added: 12th of August 2008
• Area: Chiswick
• Category: Restaurants

London W4 1PD
020 8742 1435

nell4tune said
Tara Palmer-Tomlinson meet Frank Lampard ...
This place deserves the star rating I have given it. Okay so my heading is a bit naff but that is the vision I have of this place. It is trendy, hip, fantastic ambience inside & out. Service is second to none though not cheap but not expensive either. My favourite is the selection of freshly baked bread in a basket that they serve you with olive oil mixed with a dash of balsamic vinegar. Oh simply fantastic!!! I have never tasted such lovely bread and that is while you are waiting for your meal to arrive which by the way does not take long either. The trick is to drink a rose or red wine with the bread. The waiting staff will ask you first if you would like to have it or not - so please do not turn it down - you will not know what you are missing. They serve breakfast, lunch and of course dinner. In the summer it is absolutely lovely to sit outside although you have to contemplate with watching the High Road traffic but you know what it is worth you do not even notice it. The experience is so much better than sitting on the Champs Elysee in summer - especially you are guaranteed the food is more reasonably priced, the waiting staff are 'colourful characters', genuine and welcoming. The music is rock & pop and sometimes 80's music - frankly you will not be disappointed - and I am being modest about this. I have so much to say about the ambience frankly I will not do it justice so try it. They have Balans cafes in Soho and Brompton Road as well. Although the food is a tad pricey than most cafes believe me it is well worth it. This is not a place only for business lunches, I have taken my grand-daughter (when she was only 6 months young) and daughter already 3 times in the last year. We have had family meals there with our grown up children and my son has also taken his date there only last night. Okay okay let me get to the menu - Aperitifs = well I love my Bloody Marys - and I am pretty fussy about that - but this place does it just how I like it, a touch spicey! The food is served as nouvelle cuisine but believe me not pretentious at all. The kitchen is open concept so you can see how it is prepared and no messing!!! I have been cheeky on ocassions when I ordered smoked salmon benedicts for lunch, which is actually on the breakfast menu, but they kindly accommodated me with it at 4pm. It is simply out of this world - it has now become my favourite though I would recommend you work through the rest of their menu. The food is almost perfect - come on I never give a perfect score to anything!!! Even the simple sandwich is a whole new experience at Balans. Balans is always 80% full but get there quick but you will not see any queing outside as the staff have got the system worked to a fine art.

• Added: 12th of August 2008
• Area: Twickenham
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Twickenham TW1 4EZ
020 8891 1777

nell4tune said
Excellent value for your money...
Although I have classified this place under Pub/Bar it has a dining room that is hip & modern. You do not need to dress up to eat there - as it is pretty casual. I would recommend the surf & turf where the steak is cooked to how you requested it. The meals are so well presented and the taste goes with the presentation. The food is absolutely tasty and if you want to pay less they have a promotion night - on Monday evenings you pay only 50% off your bill (this does not include drinks I am afraid). Already the food is reasonably priced and to make it even more pleasant 50% cheaper makes everything even better - I am sure you will agree. I have become a regular there whether we want drinks only at the pub area or even for a meal. It really is a pleasant place to go to chill out. Usually it is 30% full with tv screen strategically placed (with sports of course showing - like all pubs). Rugby match days it can get very noisy. Please note the pub cum restaurant is actually right next to the rail tracks which should be easy to find but not a hindrance at all. In fact we hardly notice the trains when they go by. There is a great selection of food including an absolutely delicious hamburger to die for. They have a house speciality - ale and beef pie - which is highly recommended. On the other hand you can go for the spicy prawns with puy lentils... absolutely lovely. All I can say is this place is pretty under-rated and you get many regulars that frequent the dining room for it good value & ambience. I understand that they now have another promotion in the dining room which is 2 courses for £15 on Tuesdays which I intend to try out soon. If you down Twickenham way deviate over to The Albany and you will not be disappointed.