Steve G.

Review of The Dragon Bar

14 Apr 08, 13:17

R.I.P.

Dragon Bar is no more, although they will be opening at a new location on Shoreditch High St later this year according to a sign on the window a couple of weeks ago.

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Review of Firezza

03 Oct 07, 14:24

Food was poor and the portions were tiny.

A great disappointment. Menu sounded good and the prices were "premium" so we had high expectations. First annoyance was the misleading price - if you order by the metre the least you can buy is half a metre, but the prices are per quarter metre (READ THE SMALL PRINT). So everything ended up costing twice what we expected, making a basic takeaway pizza order for a few people something over £50. Would've been just about tolerable if the pizzas were great, but the toppings were meagre and nothing special anyway. The crust was ok but I don't expect to pay fifty quid for a few feet of fancy toast.

Tried them again a few weeks later by accident (a friend ordered before anyone had the chance to veto). This time we got the round pizzas, which weren't quite so much of a scam but still pretty poor. Again the toppings were pathetic, and the crust must've somehow shrunk in transit (maybe I missed the small print again, which probably said something like "14 inch does not actually refer to size of pizza").

The menu went straight in the bin this time, just in case anyone was foolish enough to try them again. Go to Basilico instead.

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Review of Brixton Village

25 Sep 07, 10:35

Even better than Brixton market. Praise the Lord.

Quiet and relaxed compared to the market outside, although I've no idea why as the quality of the produce seems to be generally higher. The fish stalls are superb, with dozens of types of clear-eyed fresh whole fish available. There are a couple of decent general butchers and greengrocers, and plenty of places selling ingredients so obscure I've no idea if they're even actually food.

My favourites are the South American pork butcher near the Coldharbour Lane entrance - try the huge sausages or the great slabs of ribs - and the religious paraphernalia shop, for all your fire-and-brimstone preaching window sticker needs, complete with a life-sized crucified Jesus statue by the door.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of The Breakfast Club

25 Sep 07, 10:12

Hungry Like The Wolf

Newish 80s themed cafe for high quality lardy breakfasts. They probably do granola and fruit and healthy stuff like that but their sausage and bacon-based offerings sounded too good to miss. All our meals were excellent, particularly the spicy chorizo, hash browns and eggs I had. Coffee and smoothies were good too. They sell booze as well, and open in the evenings, which makes up a little for the flashback-inducing Saturday Superstore tat covering the walls.

Not cheap but decent value. Main downside was the lack of free wifi when I went.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of The Angelic

15 Aug 07, 10:07

Comfy

Excellent Sunday-afternoon-with-a-hangover-reading-the-papers pub, with lots of comfy sofas and decent comfort food. They also do smoothies and fresh juices, but why you'd want those in a pub I've no idea. There's some seating outside - the junction of Liverpool Road and Tolpuddle Street is hardly scenic, but it's not bad for people watching. The toilets are pretty special too, not that I'd recommend going to a pub just for the toilets.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Electrowerkz

07 Aug 07, 12:49

110%

The 100% Dynamite reggae nights are fantastic fun.

The club itself is pretty shabby and probably hasn't changed much from its old industrial days. For drinks expect a cold can of Red Stripe, and there's not much of a chill out area. The lighting on the dancefloor amounts to a projection of a few Studio One album covers. But the music is faultless, and as everyone's just there to dance the atmosphere is always superb, so the reliably young and gorgeous crown don't seem to look down on old dudes like myself as they're too busy dancing like loons.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Sounds Of The Universe

07 Aug 07, 11:12

You got "Legend" mate?

Owned by the people who run Soul Jazz records, mostly known for their Studio One reissues and the long-running 100% Dynamite night at Electrowerkz, Sounds Of The Universe has, unsurprisingly, a fantastic selection of Jamaican music from mento all the way to dancehall.

They cover dance and roots music from around the world, as well as a lot of experimental post-punk and electronic stuff, dubstep and grime, some jazz and various other random things. Apart from the staff being a bit too friendly and helpful for a proper record shop, SOTU is pretty much perfect.

0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.

Review of Neals Yard Dairy

07 Aug 07, 08:02

Cheese.

If you like cheese then this is possibly the best shop in the world as they sell lots of cheese from around Britain and Ireland. The staff know their cheese and are always helpful and happy to answer your cheese-related questions. They'll recommend cheeses for you, and obviously you can try as many cheeses as you like. They also sell other non-cheese foods that complement cheese, like biscuits and chutneys.

If you don't like cheese then you're weird and probably wasting your time reading a review of a cheese shop.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Jaffna House

06 Aug 07, 20:56

Snacktastic.

I haven't eaten in and I rarely get curries from here as there are better places further up Tooting High St, but Jaffna House is worth mentioning for its fantastic selection of snacks. I particularly like the lamb rolls, but they're all good, and it's physically impossible to buy more than a fiver's worth.

My usual order goes "I'll have one of those, one of those, 2 of those, that, that, 2 of them, what's in that? yep, just one thanks, that, that, some of that. Cheers". They then say "£4.35 please".

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