Rachael's reviews
Review of The Ram
29 May 08, 14:09
Jolly nice riverside public house 
The Ram is a good pub, specially in the Summer as it has a large riverside seating area at the rear. They occasionally have live acoustic bands. It's a traditional old building, with a 'real' pub feel, in the nicer part of town, and the prices for drinks are very reasonable. I have been here many times and love the vibe.
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Review of Millie's Cookies
23 May 08, 17:43
Great muffins not just cookies
When I worked in Kingston my workmate and I used to make trips here most lunchtimes to get the muffin + free hot drink deal, it was a naughty treat but the sugar rush was too good to resist. My absolute favourite has to be the white chocolate muffin, though they are all good, all warm and delicious…the cappuccino one is another winner. This is a convenient little cookie shop, very popular with good reason, and Millie’s has a more wholesome air about it than krispy kreme for me, I’m not sure why!
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Review of Zizzi
22 May 08, 21:47
Fresh and funky Italiano
Zizzi's is a really great Italian chain, serving lovely food with obviously fresh ingredients - I would liken it to Carluccio's in it's simplicity of tastes. The dishes are reasonably priced too. Lovely penne and filled pasta items to choose from, lasagne and plenty of vegetarian dishes. The one with chilli, olive oil and cherry tomatoes is great.
The design of the restaurant is nice, good furniture and spacious eating area, with a wall feature of sawn off logs (which I guess is for the wood fired ovens) - the person I was dining with suggested this could be a health and safety issue but I doubt it - and it definitely looks cool!
Go check out Zizzi's - it's well worth a visit. Friendly staff and buzzing atmosphere.
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Review of McDonald's Restaurant
22 May 08, 13:02
Busy for it's size 
Because of the location of this small franchise, right in the main shopping centre, it is common to see people sat outside on the floor with their burgers when seating inside has run out. It is one of two McDonald's in Kingston and both are run as they tend to be run - quick, no frills service. The front of this one is yet to be redecorated in the new healthier looking green and wood effects...
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Review of The Pier
15 May 08, 23:53
Nice Furnishings
This is a good store, a nice place to shop for gifts. They sell household furnishings - a few items however seem a little on the pricey side for what they are made of. You can get cushions, candlesticks, dressers and tables - most with tasteful designs and colours. Definitely worth a visit.
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Review of NatWest
15 May 08, 20:45
Good little branch
I like this little branch of Natwest, it is conveniently located in the main shopping centre and is open at weekends which is really handy. It is very small but has all you need - paying in machines and cash/statement self-service tills too. Friendly staff who put themselves out to help you also, I have been in a couple of times and got excellent advice.
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Review of Strada
08 May 08, 17:41
Not the best 
I went to the Kingston Strada when it had just opened and was impressed by the size of this site. The ceilings are so high – hung with elaborate light fixings…it’s rather like a classy cow shed. However, the pizzas took a while to come and when they did they tasted a bit of cleaning products. I don’t know if it was the ‘stone-baked’ factor, or whether they were using brand new ovens, but either way it wasn’t the most pleasant experience, and I have been to Strada branches before where the pizzas tasted much nicer than that.
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Review of Costa
07 May 08, 18:17
Nice coffee shop
I like Costa coffee - it is smooth and rich and they serve great paninis, biscuits and cakes to accompany your drink. This branch is in the great marketplace area of Kingston - go there for lunch and have a nice relaxed time in the easychairs with a window view!
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Review of Scholl Centre
07 May 08, 00:03
Good shoes and good advice
This is a great shoe shop as they can advise you on common foot ailments. Their shoes cover a variety of needs, all comfortable and well made, and Scholl are reknowned for their wide fitting range. On examinng your feet they are able to recommend solutions to problems like bunions and fallen arches. Go there if you care about the health of your feet! You'll feel like a school kid again - when every time a new pair of shoes was needed, your feet were measured to perfection!
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Review of Muji
06 May 08, 18:06
Japanese store
Muji is a great shop - you can buy all sorts of items here from stationary to bedroom furniture - all from a Japanese design point of view. They have unusual ornament gifts - last Christmas I bought 'Paris in a bag' which was small wooden models of Parisian buildings in a cloth bag, which you'd take out and place on a mantelpiece at home...something different! Generally everything is minimalist, basic materials - some items are more enduring than others. The clothing is good - linen and cotton in simple, flattering cuts. This Muji in Kingston is not particularly roomy but they pack a lot of stock in to choose from.
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Review of Holland & Barrett
02 May 08, 21:04
Shop there but please protest against their shark cartilage products!
This is a high street chain selling health products of many different brands. They stock eveything from herbal teas and cereal bars to vitamins to dietary supplements such as milk thistle. The best thing is probably their huge bottles of evening primrose oil capsules that always seem to be on special offer. However, on the negative side they sell shark cartilage capsules which have absolutely no proven health benefits and are causing the unecessary wide spread massacre of a now very endangered species.
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Review of Kernow
27 Apr 08, 13:58
Lovely friendly place 
This is a great cafe, the best in Hampton Wick. It's a great place to relax with your meal - clean, comfortable and the staff are so friendly and full of conversation as well as being efficient. Though the cafe gets busy at lunchtimes, they give you the personal feel that you'd expect from this villagey part of town. So I'd recommend trying to miss the peak time rushes and taking your time in there. Beautiful, deep filled sandwiches and great coffee.
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Review of Natural World
27 Apr 08, 13:44
Unusual gifts
This is a lovely place to shop for children's gifts, or to take children into for a mosey around. The stock focusses on toys that are educational and environmental, or just plain quirky. To name a few then, you have a lot of models in there, from the human body to bodies of animals, as well as books, stuff animals, home plant-growing kits, water features and light features such as fibre optic lamps and heat sensitive globes. Good for stocking fillers!
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Review of Past Times
27 Apr 08, 13:38
Old fashioned gift shop
This is a really nice shop to try when you're looking for a gift, possibly more geared towards ladies than men but give it a look if you have any uncles/aunts/grandparents to buy for. The jewellery range is brilliant, you've got all sorts of regional designs like Celtic patterns and Catholic crosses, and styles that pertain to different eras (e.g.victorian or edwardian).
Past Times basically stocks everything from old fashioned tea sets and toiletries to historical coffee table books with quotes and trivia. There is so much inspiration for gifts that you can get lost in there for quite a while!
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Review of West Cornwall Pasty Co
27 Apr 08, 13:01
Great Pasties
Delicious pasties as usual from this successful chain! I recommend the vegatable ones, from which there are quite a few to choose - cheese and onion, cheese and vegetable, cheese basil and tomato...And the hot drinks are good too, they give you loyalty cards to get your 5th pasty and hot drink for free. This is a take away place, but in the summer the West Cornwall Pasty Co do have seating outside in the marketplace, which makes it a nice place to sit and soak up the atmosphere, and watch the small children play in the water feature on the square!
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Review of HMV
24 Apr 08, 17:52
Always busy but great
This is a huge HMV store which is deservedly busy so on a weekend you can expect the queues to wind for quite a way...and Christmas is a madhouse in there. However, the staff are effective and keep things moving quickly. I have never gone in there and not found something I want. Things are laid out well, they make good use of the space. And you can't beat the 3 for £15 or £20 deals on CDs and DVDs!!
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Review of Gourmet Burger Kitchen
23 Apr 08, 13:01
Lovely fresh food
Two words – Chips and Sauces. The chips are amazing, proper fish n chip shop style, large and well cooked (crispy but not too over done). All the sauces are homemade and come in little pots, absolutely fresh and delicious. Oh yeah – and the burgers aren’t bad either! They do all the combos you can imagine. This is a lovely place to eat, close to the river, go check it out.
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Review of Julian Graves
19 Apr 08, 20:10
Healthy snacks galore
This shop is great, they always have something good on special offer. It is chock full of fresh nuts, sweets and nut/sweet combinations, as well as dried fruits and crisps from organic suppliers. Well worth a visit - I defy you to go in there and not come out with something! They've got everything from plain, untouched healthy nuts (for cooking or salads) to chocolate covered raisins, so there is something for everyone.
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Review of Supercuts
19 Apr 08, 19:42
Pretty good hairdressers
If you want a reasonably priced haircut, this isn't a bad joint. I've had a cut by two different stylists in here and they were both good cuts. The value you can tailor yourself - if you want to go super cheap you can even opt not to have your hair dryed to take money off the price! It works on a first come first serve basis, you put your name on the list and wait for the first available stylist (about 5 work at a time in peak periods). The queues can be long, it's just pot-luck really, I guess the best advice is to avoid weekends to wait for less time.
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Review of Office Shoes
19 Apr 08, 17:51
Shoetastic
Office is a great shoe store for value, this branch is a fair size and there always seems to be decent stuff on the sale shelves. It is probably one of the best shoe shops in Kingston, usually pretty busy but the staff are attentive so you don't wait too long.
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Review of Bentall Centre
12 Apr 08, 18:01
People travel here from miles around
The Bentall Centre...what can I say? It is a true shopping centre of the 21st Century, the inside structure even resembles that of a Cathedral and I am probably not alone in considering shopping the new religion. There are four levels of shopping heaven here, crowned with a gym. Kingston generally is mega for shopping what with the marketplace and the high street and all the interlinking roads chock full of high street names and indepedant boutiques...but the Bentall Centre is the headquarters I guess...to name but a few you have Muji, Bay Trading, HMV, Waterstones, McDonald's, Sole Trader, La Senza, The Pier and the department store that is the mighty Bentalls itself, which governs all four floors of the far end of the complex. My second job ever was in the school uniforms dept. It's a good store, probably better than stuffy John Lewis.
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Review of Druids Head
12 Apr 08, 17:20
Good for Daytime
I really like this little pub, I advise that if possible you make it a lunchtime or afternoon visit and that you take one of the very few, coveted window seats as they are perfect for people watching in Kingston's busy market place. There are two entrances - a smaller bar on the right hand side that is separated from the rest of the pub, good if you want a quieter atmosphere...otherwise, the bigger bar on the left is busier but just as nice. They serve the usual pub sorta food.
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Review of The Gazebo
12 Apr 08, 17:13
Kingston's cheapest pub?
The Gazebo is another great Sam Smith venue with all it's own branded, ridiculously cheap and fine tasting alcohol. Located on the river it's a perfect summertime pub, you can sit on the benches outside or on the balcony upstairs. The food is fair, atmosphere nice, and the staff seem mostly made up of travellers.
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Review of Boaters Inn
12 Apr 08, 17:00
Great Live Jazz!
The Jazz on Sundays is what The Boaters is all about...the musicians are really very good and for those who know their jazz, there seem to be a good mix of styles from week to week. It gets busy, so arrive early if you want a seat. The Boaters is a very popular pub in the summertime (with outside seating), it is found a good walk down the river from town, so quite exclusive and out of the way.
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Review of Bishop Out Of Residence
12 Apr 08, 16:48
Riverside pub
A good summertime drinking venue as there is seating outside near the river. The upstairs part seems to be a popular place for functions, I have been to works and wedding ones there in the past. As far as prices go it's pretty average and the staff are friendly and on-the-ball.
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Review of O'Neill's
12 Apr 08, 16:42
Late opener
Haha, the choice of photo is interesting with roadworks outside! O'Neill's is a large, crowded pub just off the marketplace in Kingston. The benefit is it's late opening, though unless you are inside before 10.30pm, you will have trouble getting in, the queues form quickly. The atmosphere and staff are fine, as you can imagine it gets pretty packed and noisy as the night goes on. Sometimes there is live music, usually average covers bands. Not a bad Kingston drinking venue.
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Review of Borders Books
12 Apr 08, 15:05
Best Bookshop
Whatever you want, a book, a CD, a gift, a DVD, a newspaper, a coffee and snack (Starbucks inside), a birthday card (Paperchase inside), Borders is a great one stop for all the above. The staff are genuinely nice, they seem to be students for the most part, laid back but helpful too. There is no objection to you picking up a book or magazine and sitting in one of their many easy chairs dotted around the floor and reading away. I have lost hours in here before, and not in a bad way.
Borders is brilliant, there is a real sense of community surrounding this shop, built up by it's uber-sociable opening times (it stays open til 10pm every night except Sundays), and it's commitment to hosting family events at every opportunity.
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Review of The Terrace
12 Apr 08, 14:57
Really great food
This cafe serves huge, delicious meals, the salads are awesome and if you don't believe a salad could fill you up, you need to get down to this place and be proved wrong. It is a converted house, so pretty cramped inside, but there are tables and chairs outside in the warmer seasons. The best place to sit inside is probably downstairs, at the far end as you go in. It is one of the priciest cafes in Kingston, but worth it. Great coffee and fresh fruit juices and smoothies too.
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Review of Chez Lalee
12 Apr 08, 13:22
Nothing Special
I love Mexican food, but why is it so hard to find a good Mexican restaurant? I find the fajitas or tacos that I make at home to be a better option than anything served to me in a restaurant. This restaurant is quite cramped, with tables shoved in around a small winding central staircase, but in an old building that I am pretty sure was once someone's home, this can be forgiven. What cannot be forgiven is that the chicken in our burrito was not breast (it was all stringy) and the service was slow. I repeat, nothing special.
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Review of Cammasan Chinese Fusion Restaurants
12 Apr 08, 13:16
Lovely food
This restaurant is a small two tier one near the river in Kingston. It has the same kind of canteen layout as Wagamama's - rectangular wooden tables at which up to ten people can opposite each other - but without the feeling of being rushed in and out on a conveyor belt. The people serving you are really sweet and friendly. The plates are funky square ones, on which your food is often divided out, like the Indian version of a Thali. All in all, a delicious Asian-fusion option and good to go to with a large group of friends.
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Review of Ha Ha Bar
12 Apr 08, 13:04
Nice Location
OK we all know what to expect with Haha, it being a chain and all, but the location of this particular one, right on the Thames in Kingston makes it a cool venue. Sofas, space and river views. The food is really nice too, with choices for all palates and a few veggie options.
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Review of Frere Jacques
09 Apr 08, 21:53
Posh Nosh on the River! Great for a Date...
This is a lovely restaurant, especially in the Summer, with outdoor tables right on the River in Kingston. Here is somewhere to go to treat yourself - or a date! - to a good bottle of wine and typical French cuisine.
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Review of The Riverside Vegetaria
09 Apr 08, 12:17
The clue's in the title!
This is a great asset to Kingston, I do not know of anywhere else which offers purely vegetarian food and lots of vegan dishes too. The food tastes fresh, wholesome and nicely blended, and the prices aren't too bad considering the location - it literally backs onto the Thames so has views of the river. The design of the place is nice if a little cramped, it's a real old style restaurant with proper furniture and many artworks on the walls.
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Review of Carluccios
09 Apr 08, 11:28
Real Italian Food!
Carluccio's is real Italian food for good prices, there is not a pizza on the menu - just simple, tasty pasta and meat dishes. It is set just off the river in the nicer, newly built area of town. If you're lucky you might get to sample the starter scamorza fritta - deep fried breaded mozzarella - the best thing on the menu but only comes to Kingston as a special these days.
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