• Added: 9th of October 2008
• Area: Geneva
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Geneva
+41 22312190

oogywawa said
Busy, charismatic cafe bar in the Old Town
Located in the heart of the Old Town on a picturesque cobbled hill that houses several eating places, this is a very popular post work watering hole that serves good tasty tapas and more significant hot dishes until 11.30pm and stays open until 2am every night.

There is a real buzz when you first walk in and the emphasis is on being yourself, enjoying the atmosphere and sinking a few alcoholic beverages in the spirit of bonhomie.

There is a selection of tables and comfy sofas to take your pick from and order crisp draught Carlsberg (not the UK brewed rubbish) or well mixed cocktails. A good if a little overpriced Wine List ensures no-one goes home disappointed...or sober !!

• Added: 9th of October 2008
• Area: Oxford
• Category: Restaurants

Oxford OX1 2JG
01865 310066

oogywawa said
Excellent food at ridiculously cheap prices
The Observer listed this as one of their Top 30 UK places to eat for £10. We spent an astronomical £14 each at this place and had 9 different dishes !!!

This spacious Lebanese favourite of Oxford town and gown gets stupidly busy later post 8pm but my advice is go early and fill your boots ! It opens all day from midday and the food is simple, full of flavour with a vast choice including a significantly large range of vegetarian dishes.

There are over 40 hot & cold starters and the best idea is to order a few and share. For "Mains" we opted for a selection of skewered meats from the charcoal grill and a particularly tasty cod fillet in hot sesame sauce.

Delicious, fresh, affordable, highly recommended...

• Added: 21st of September 2008
• Area: Copenhagen
• Category: Restaurants

Copenhagen

oogywawa said
Excellent food in atmospheric surroundings
Located in the centre of Copenhagen, Salt is a thriving Restaurant that delivers food with panache and bags of flavour. The atmospheric surroundings of a former Coffee and Tea Warehouse next to the harbour complete the package in this stylish destination, with a smart bar serving crisp chilled Carlsberg and Tuborg.

You can select from A La Carte or a set 2, 3 or 4 course menu which is what I did. The Terrine of mackerel and potato with lemon cream, gherkin and malt combined savoury, wonderfully spiced mackeral with a really soft cream froth. The Baked plaice was intelligently complemented with a creamy curried jus, giving it an southern eastern twist.

The real star was the fillet of beef with braised ox cheek, Jerusalem artichoke and mushrooms - wonderfully deep intense flavours complemented by a dash of red wine.

All in all an extremely enjoyable evening, complemented by impeccable, friendly without being intrusive, service. Each dish was explained in perfect English and the wine never reached the bottom of the glass. My kind of haunt...!

• Added: 12th of September 2008
• Area: York
• Category: Take Aways

York YO1 8RZ
01904 656753

oogywawa said
There is NO Burger King in High Ousegate !!!
This Burger King shut at the beginning of 2007 !!!

• Added: 4th of September 2008
• Area: High Wycombe
• Category: Bars and Pubs

High Wycombe HP14 4EF

oogywawa said
Outstanding food in a beautiful remote pub
So goes the saying - "well worth finding" and there is nothing more apposite than this when reviewing the Three Horseshoes.

London chef (ex Le Gavroche and the Connaught) Simon Crawshaw swapped the city for this pretty 18th-century pub in the Chilterns. Down narrow leafy lanes, with postcard views across rolling fields, it draws a mixed clientele of locals, hikers and foodies.

You open the latch door to find a bijou snug bar, with beams, flagstone floor and log fire. The restaurant is to the right and is simply furnished and lit leaving the real star to stand out - the food. A Bib Gourmand is always a clue that you're going to get above average tucker and this was massively above average.

Crawshaw cooks local produce in a simple way and presents you with exquisite flavours cooked with real talent. The homemade Ham Hock Terrine was tender and beautifully infused with herbs. Seared Sea Bass Fillet with Pesto Potato Puree, Confit of Aubergine and Cherry Tomatoes was cooked to perfection, just moistly flaking without falling apart, the Parmesan Rissoto with seared Tiger Prawns was a little parsimonious in serving size but faultless all the same.

The Crème Brulee was light, creamy and indulgent and the Chocolate Pudding with homemade Ginger Ice Cream positively sinful.

The beers from the local Rebellion Brewery were well kept, not an afterthought to a Gastro Pub, which was postive and the wine list was thoughtful with a wonderfully crisp Sancerre to boot.

If you're near Stokenchurch (M40 Jct 5) don't go to the usual ragbag of eateries there - drive 2 miles out into the middle of nowhere and discover something really special.

If you don't want to drive back, book a room - all four are done in Farrow & Ball colours, with plump down duvets, fluffy towels and Molton Brown toiletries in the tiled bathrooms.

Bliss...

• Added: 4th of September 2008
• Area: York
• Category: Bars and Pubs

York YO1 7EH

oogywawa said
Not an auspicious start to its life as a pub...
It makes me chuckle. This was bought from the previous owner of 4 High Petergate, shut in the height of the tourist season and finally opened as a pub a week ago, although they have the cheek to mislead people by putting 1756 on the sign. The previous incarnation, a restaurant with many accolades / awards was so busy you struggled to get a table without a few nights notice.

So I went in last night and guess what - I was the only person in there, the only living being in a soul-less open space that serves as the bar area. That didn't stop the bar steward telling me that the reason that only 1 of the 3 ales advertised was available was due to customer demand. Thirsty ghosts they must have there...!!!

I'm going to put the "de Bretton Group" up for a Darwin Award for the innate ability to turn gold into iron pyrite. Clueless, stupid, witless - take your pick...

• Added: 4th of September 2008
• Area: York
• Category: Bars and Pubs

York YO1 7HP
01904 671001

oogywawa said
Superb old worlde surroundings, dreadful beer..!!
I'm not sure whether this deserves 2 stars but the bar & lounge are so atmospheric and old with authentic wooden panelling and flooring that it must be worth something.

The beer though was atrocious and served in hot glasses straight from the washer.

It's fine serving 6 ales for show - for goodness sake keep them well - both the Tim Taylors and Roosters YPA were nonesdescript messes...

Good for tourists - stay well away if you are a real ale fan.

• Added: 16th of August 2008
• Area: York
• Category: Restaurants

York YO1 8AD
01904 521100

oogywawa said
Nothing to commend this level of mediocrity !!
Who's to blame - us or them? The consumer or the provider...

It's all around us - mediocrity going unpunished. That is why the exceptional is still so relatively rare and stands out like a beacon. What I can't understand is why people think they can deliver mediocrity that they think is acceptable and worse still, 90% of people are prepared to overlook this. The vast majority of hotels, places to eat and drink are in that place that is so far from even "good" that it leaves me aghast.

So back to my original question: "who's to blame etc..."

Maybe the root of all of this is that provider and consumer deserve each other and are actually in an unwitting symbiosis. The provider can deliver fare that needs to be no better than the standards of the consumer: little matter that this is not of any quality at all by wider criteria. Reality TV perfectly illustrates the Dunning Kruger effect - just look at Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares; it’s car crash TV that delivers all the right ingredients for keeping the viewer hooked. A motley collection of half-witted underachievers that actually have little concept of why they are so close to bankruptcy.

They are unconscious incompetents - a variation of the popular football terrace chant could be "they're sh*t and they don't know they are..." These people have a totally over-inflated opinion of their talents and the fruits of their labour. That's why it comes as such a shock when they are faced with the truth and pass onto the next stage of learning - conscious incompetence: realising just how bad they are and that the skills they possess are not enough to deliver what is required.

Unfortunately these guys that get the dream makeover are a minute minority and the vast delusional majority muddle on in blissful ignorance - at our expense - or at least the expense of those who probably deserve no better.

But there are those of us who believe we do deserve better and we are constantly getting short-changed. The most simple of standards are in scarce supply. Here's my list a few simple pre-requisites for a good eating or drinking place or a hotel:

• That they actually care and show it sincerely
• They sweat the small things – attention to detail
• They have a commitment to excellence – slightly
below this just will not do
• The atmosphere is relaxed and enjoyable
• You feel you’ve had an exceptional experience
with value for money

So how do we convert the mediocre majority to the mediocre minority? You could argue that the whole mission starts with the consumer. As people become better educated in taste and quality, then their standard threshold increases and what was acceptable becomes no longer so. This sea change then imperceptibly permeates through the service providers who realise that their livelihood is on the line.

This is actually happening now with our new found fascination with food & drink. Whether or not it is happening fast enough is arguable but we are on the right track. How many food & drink programmes are there on TV? – probably too many. Chefs who formerly eschewed publicity are now lining up to fill their boots with the fiscal rewards available. What irritates me slightly is those who used to be sanctimonious about the cheapening effect that TV has, now are the most ubiquitous. A certain Mr Ramsey was merciless in his ridicule of “Ready Steady Tw*t” as he called it, and the likes of Worrell Thomson and yet there seems to be no programme that doesn’t feature his weathered visage now. There’s a certain gross hypocrisy at play – probably only mitigated by the obvious documented talent that the guy possesses. It’s good to see Marco Pierre White back in the kitchen as well although there’s a certain touch of the pantomime villain about his performances as MPW plays on his fearsome reputation. Again, there’s no doubting the genius of the protagonists though and in the wider scheme of things their efforts can only bring a positive effect to the wider industry.

So what we can do is always demand the best and be vocal, in a reasoned way, when we don’t receive this. People and establishments only learn from “feedback”and if we stay silent then they think all’s fine. Everybody benefits when quality and standards increase. We get a memorable gustatory experience and they develop their skills and gain fulfilment in their work. It’s a formula with no losers – what better incentive…

• Added: 9th of August 2008
• Area: High Wycombe
• Category: Hotels and Travel

High Wycombe HP14 3XT
01491 639 333

oogywawa said
Comfortable Country Hotel, Bar and Restaurant
At last they've spent some serious money on The Fox and it shows. Just 2 miles from Jct 5, M40 - it was a crime that this place shut for 6 months due to lack of investment. It should be packed, situated in holiday commuting equi-distance between both London and Oxford. The busy but mediocre Kings Hotel 3 miles away in Stokenchurch is testament to the holiday market available.

The new owners have done it justice and it combines all the postives you want in an overnight stay. The rooms are spotless & tasteful with light wood, and all thoughtful amenities such as a fridge and ironing board, a tea & coffee tray. There is a large plasma TV in each room and the bathroom houses a powerful shower in a generous glass cubicle.

The Restaurant & Bar area are roomy & bright with marble, stone and whitewashed walls. The food is terrific, well above usual "Hotel" standard - more gastro-pub. The Bar has a good selection of drinks, real ales and a lengthy wine list and is home to the local village cricket club, village residents as well as hotel guests.

Soon the word will spread and this place will be hard to get into, but at the moment you can get a bargain stay in a lovely country hotel with good food & drink. Just the ticket...

• Added: 9th of August 2008
• Area: Henley On Thames
• Category: Bars and Pubs

Henley On Thames RG9 6RP

oogywawa said
Staggeringly attractive village,quintessential pub
Dating back to 1015, Hambleden is one of the most perfectly preserved English villages you'll ever find. Beseiged as a TV location for the likes of Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang; 101 Dalmations and Band of Brothers - it is an idyllic part of the Chiltern landscape. You could throw a sackful of superlatives at it and probably be still found wanting.

The sad fact though,is unless you know exactly where it is you'll drive straight past it, as it's situated off the main road to Henley on Thames in a sort of distorted semi-circular road. Consisting of a charming collection of flint and brick cottages huddling around a village pump, chestnut tree and 14C Church, it has a shop, garage, butchers and even a flourishing community centre with a bar.

The Stag and Huntsman completes the modest array of ammenities available to the 800 strong residents and does it admirably. The bar is well stocked for a village pub - 3 local real ales on handpull, 2 draught continental lagers including Budvar and a generous wine list. The pub was fairly busy on a drizzly Wednesday night with mainly diners and the food looked good but not spectacular gastro fayre, but hey - sometimes you don't want posh grub, and this looked good comfort food.

There's a huge garden at the rear that is obviously host to more than a few Barbies judging by layout and purpose built serving hatch from the main bar.

Pubs like this are what gives England its character, it is the hub of a community, the glue that binds the social infrastructure. My Dutch work colleague marvelled at it all and commented that you could not get this anywhere else in the civilised world. We are all too eager to criticise and be too self-effacing in the UK - and yet just 41 miles from The Houses of Parliament is a precious stone that makes this scepter'd isle what it is...