• Added: 9th of September 2008
• Area: Barnsbury
• Category: Bars and Pubs

London N1 0RJ

paulash134 said

Arranged to meet up with friends for a quick pre-dinner drink 18.15 on Friday evening they'd been there a while, but when I arrived the place was packed, great atmosphere, till I got to the bar, there were three people behind the bar serving, but at least 5 other bar staff not doing anything, some were glass collectors but the rest just seemed to be enjoying the fact that they could all ignore the customers. They were doing something up by the dumb waiter behind where there was a food display. I waited nearly 10 minutes. Thankfully I was served by a very nice person. Whilst I realise that there may be some waiting time at the bar, it's 18.15 on a Friday and they haven't got enough staff to cope with the rush, whatever the manager was doing it wasn't managing staff effectively enough to placate the crowds of customers. So if you want quick service maybe you should choose another bar, at least to save you from seeing so many staff not able to serve you.

• Added: 8th of June 2008
• Area: Southwark
• Category: Restaurants

London SE1 8HA
020 7928 1111

paulash134 said
Nice but...
Three of us decided to go to Baltic as it was close to where we were and we fancied trying something different, I don't remember when I last tried Polish quisine.

The place is amazingly deceptive, hidden at the back of the bar is a spacious, light and comfortable dining room, the tables are crammed into the area, even so, as the night progressed it wasn't difficult to exit.

The decor is pleasing with accents of amber in the fixtures and lighting including a large piece of artwork as the focal point at the far end of the room.

We hadn't booked and were told we could be seated as long as we left before 9.30 p.m. The menu is good and has a variety of starters and main courses, however, I found it difficult to choose. I settled on the Pierogi, dumplings stuffed with potato, cheese and served with sour cream, as a main course. The food is enjoyable but I didn't feel challenged by my choice. One of my fellow diners had the starter of Jewish Fish, which was very nice but tasted flat even with the dressing on the accompanying celeriac. The main course of Schnitzel was a little dry but very good. The Salmon in pastry was also good, the salmon was full of flavour.

The experience overall was very nice but I didn't feel as if I was satisfied. I'll go again and choose something else. The setting is brilliant for a romantic dinner or a party, good also for the business crowd, ideal for meeting friends. Service level is acceptable and the staff are knowledgeable. For what we ate I thought that it was a little expensive. With two beers and sparkling water we paid £69 for three, service included.

• Added: 20th of April 2008
• Area: Herne Bay
• Category: Restaurants

Herne Bay CT6 5EB

paulash134 said
Lunchtime home from home
If you like to have a good lunch with friends whilst out in Herne Bay you should try to get into Mortimers. It's very busy so you should book, the owner oversees the operation, all the staff are well trained and adept at dealing with everyone. Many locals obviously use the place for their meals and are known by the staff and a warm welcome is extended to returning patrons. Everyone is friendly and helpful. The meals are what you would expect from an establishment like this, so why write a review you may ask, well everything is freshly prepared. If you ask for a pot of tea for two, you are given a pot of tea which makes tea for at least two cups of good quality tea, not just one teabag either. You are given a run down of the specials not on the menu when you are seated, you can have a roast lunch or a light snack. I'm going back again. I really enjoyed my visit.

• Added: 20th of April 2008
• Area: Primrose Hill
• Category: Restaurants

London NW3 3AJ
020 7722 8028

paulash134 said
Delightful return!
I visited Manna many years ago, enjoyed the food then as I did on this occasion. I'm not vegetarian, but would recommend Manna to anyone. The menu is eclectic, you can't go wrong, I was with four other diners and everyone had something different no one was disappointed, all had starters, main course and dessert, two bottles of wine, drinks, coffee, tea and water. Service was attentive and very friendly, timing was perfect. £45 each including service charge. The Chef Salad is massive. The place was full but you didn't feel crowded. The decor is pleasing and the ambiance great. If you like the finer things in life then this is the place to take your friends for a lovely intimate meal.

• Added: 10th of December 2007
• Area: Clerkenwell
• Category: Restaurants

London EC1M 5PQ
020 7490 2244

paulash134 said
Lunch time treat
I've been wanting to go to the Hat and Feathers for two reasons, one it was lovingly restored by craftsmen, well that's what I thought each day I passed by when it was being re-built, and two the ambiance of a traditional local pub. Well I was dissappointed on both accounts. The exterior seems to have been restored well but inside it's all very faux pine/orange. There wasn't a traditional pub feel inside. I'd booked to dine at 1 up in the restaurant. We were expected, thankfully as there were 4 christmas lunches booked in. The decor is lovely and the tables are well set and not too close together. Plenty of space to walk around. Menu's are handed to us and the fare really pleasingly varied. We'd chosen almost immediately but no one came to take our order for some time, probably about 15-20 minutes. When they did they were attentive and pleasant, our drinks were served and we continued talking. After a long while our drinks depleated and still no food; watching the other diners and they too were waiting a long time for their food. It arrived almost 45 minutes after sitting down. We hadn't had a starter. (Most of my lunch hour is now over.) The food was marvellous and really tasty exactly as the menu. The side orders were ample, but the Winter vegetables weren't very appealing, looks wise they were all shrivelled up, tasted fine though. We took our time but were finished by about 20 minutes later, it's nouvelle, so not much on the plate. We then waited again for ages to order our pudding, they didn't have one of the listed deserts so another was chosen, we waited again for the pudding to appear, it's now nearly 1 hour 40 mins since coming in, the pudding appears and we eat and ask for the bill. A full two hours to be served lunch! The food was great and I didn't say anything about the wait. But if you are going here please leave plenty of time to be waited on, they are willing and probably working their little socks off but I didn't have 2 hours for lunch. It was £85 for two with only 1 water and 1 beer.

• Added: 18th of October 2007
• Area: Queen's Park
• Category: Restaurants

London W10 4DT
020 8969 9853

paulash134 said
I kinda like - Ida
18 Oct 07 - I was told that the place we were eating last night was lovely, and I wasn't dissappointed. I'm there to be with friends, eat and drink and enjoy the ambiance, the place was clean and tidy, well run, efficient, pleasant, the people working there are helpful, discreet, charming, work well/hard together. The food we had was good and enough, with the starter and main. I am recommending the place to my friends and hope that the family that run the restaurant do well.