Amanda J.

Review of Tay Do Cafe

12 Jun 08, 11:28

Good Food, Horrible Service

I never expect much in the way of service from this place but last night really took the cake. Usually service is either woefully slow and inattentive or just too fast. I'd like to finish my starter before you plonk down my main, thanks very much!

We were put on a table near the front which was fine except there were ants crawling onto it from the sideboard next to it. Me - 4, Ants - 0. Being Australian, bugs don't bother me so much, so I just had to squash those that came too close.

We had to wait ages to get even our drinks order taken. Two tables came into the restaurant after and at least one was served before us.

Once we had finally ordered we didn't have to wait long for food. Summer Rolls arrived within moments and Prawn Crackers not long after. My boyfriend went for Beef Pho and I went for Pork Yuk Sung. As usual, mains arrived before we finished our starters. Even though this isn't a posh restaurant, I still don't think it's hard to check whether a person is finished with their starter before bringing out their main. You have that awful conundrum of finishing your starter or starting your main....

After getting the bill, my boyfriend placed his bank card on the bill and walked away to use the restroom. The waiter asked me if I had cash. I replied that it wasn't my card and that my boyfriend didn't have cash on him. When my boyfriend returned, he explained that he didn't have cash on him again. The waiter asked him to go outside, go to the nearest atm and get some cash. He gave no reason as to why, I assume the machine wasn't broken, they just clearly didn't want to pay the bank charges. I have no problem with restaurants having a cash only policy but don't force your customers to go outside and use a bank machine because you're too tight to pay the bank fees. They did this to other equally unimpressed customers. No tip for you sunshine!

Despite liking the food here, I won't be going back to this place.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Water House

07 Jun 08, 15:03

Lovely for Breakfast

On recommendation of my housemate, my boyfriend and I decided to wander down here for breakfast.

Despite being only 5 minutes walk from our flat, I would never have known it was here if I hadn't been told. Whilst that makes it lovely and secluded, it certainly can't be doing the owners (who also own Acorn House) any favours.

There was only one other couple dining, so we managed to get a lovely table outdoors overlooking Regent's Canal. Venice it ain't but it's still quite nice on a sunny day.

We just missed the breakfast menu but they were still serving brunch. Boyfriend went for Scrambled eggs, pancetta and mushroom served with toast whilst I went for Sausage, pancetta and potatoes served with toast. Very healthy ;) Both of us raved on the quality and taste of all ingredients although we were wondering about the alfalfa garnish. I think this balanced out my weekly dose of saturated fats perfectly, boyfriend wasn't so sure!

Our lovely serve of saturated fats were washed down with coffee, which according to the coffee expert (not me!) were reasonable.

A little on the expensive side for breakfast (nearing £20) but both of us were left feeling satisfied and eager to return to try their evening menu, or perhaps the breakfast menu, or perhaps the yummy burgers they do..

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Wheelspin Cycles

26 Feb 08, 09:42

Excellent Service

I was hunting down the rare and elusive Lemond Fillmore Single Speed (49cm) for purchase. After trying numerous shops in London, who could only promise me a delivery date for mid March at the earliest, I spent hours searching on the internet for other shops that stocked them. I found Wheelspin cycles and saw that they stocked the model I was looking for. I gave them a quick ring before I put down my hard-earned just to make sure they had one in stock. Unfortunately they don't normally deliver bikes (quality control and all that). The guy said he would give me a ring back to see if they could make an exception. Couple of hours later, he rang to say they could put it all together for me minus the front wheel and handlebars, then send it down to London. For no extra charge! WIN! So I paid on Friday and by 11:30am on Monday, my new bike arrived in perfect condition. 15 minutes later it was put together and I was on my maiden voyage. I even had someone compliment me on my choice of bike. Hopefully their in-store service is as good as their delivery service :)

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Royal Academy Of Arts

18 Nov 07, 20:52

Always suprising

After enduring a maddening walk through London tourists in Picadilly Circus, I arrived at the Royal Academy, tucked away off Picadilly, for yet another afternoon spent perusing the galleries.

There are multiple galleries in the Royal Academy but usually I spend my time in the main galleries or the Sackler Wing upstairs. Exhibitions change every few months and they can be quite varied. In the recent few years they have shown: Georg Baselitz, Rodin, Munch, Bronze sculptures from India (Chola), an exhibition on portraiture from the 1760-1830 as well as the annual Summer Exhibition.

The Summer Exhibition is the largest open submission art exhibition and receives over 9000 pieces of artwork. Only a fraction are shown in the exhibition but even so, the rooms are the main gallery are filled to the brim with all manner of artworks. It's one of my favourite exhibitions every year.

Whilst the RA does not have many free exhibitions and may subsequently not be high on the list for those with only a passing interest, it's a must visit for those with a passion for art.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of New World

06 Nov 07, 12:05

Good for Groups

I can count on just my thumb the number of times I have ventured into this place sober (once for dimsum with my work colleagues).. I have however lost count of how many times I have entered these premises after a few wee shandies at around 10pm with a big group of friends.

We've always managed to get a table and they always tolerate our umm cheery temperaments!

The food is hardly ground-breaking but they do a great peking duck to share and all the other dishes tend to be of a reasonable standard. I wouldn't recommend this place to take a first date but great for groups and families. It's also easy on the hip pocket.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of The Crown and Two Chairmen

06 Nov 07, 11:45

Good selection of beer

Went here last night for their pub quiz with some work colleagues which is held every Monday from 7:30pm. We arrived slightly late and had to squeeze into a tiny table (it's held in their upstairs room).

Was really impressed with their selection of beers on tap -- Peroni, Staropramen, the Belgian cherry beer Kriek and the Belgian raspberry beer Frambozen -- amongst other more usual sorts.

Wasn't so impressed with the portion size of the food - we ordered two plates of chips at £2.50 each and both came out with maybe 15 chips on them. So they were lovely tasting and even came with mayo but it was pricey for pub chips. They also sell peanuts and wasabi peas in mugs for £2.50. Mains looked tasty but I neglected to check the prices.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.

Review of Buen Ayre

28 Oct 07, 17:58

The Best Steak in London x3

I went to Beun Ayre based solely on the two reviews above. I'd seen it a couple of times walking through Broadway Market and I was intrigued. Since it was payday, I thought what better way to celebrate than with a nice meal with my boyfriend after a long week at work.

We had a reservation for 9pm and arrived slightly early to find a very empty restaurant. Within ten minutes the place was full to the brim. As it was, we had to get the high up table because when I emailed on Monday to book it was one of two left.

We both ordered steaks - the 14oz sirloin for him and the 10oz fillet for me. We followed Barnaby's recommendations - having the bread and the brilliant blue cheese butter as a starter, only ordering one portion of chips and a salad, and choosing the Malbec. It was very wise advice!

The steaks were brilliant. Really. I wasn't so keen on the nut/leaf salad and butter beans that came with it but it wasn't the end of the world. I'd possibly skip ordering a salad off the menu extra but I preferred the simple combination of lettuce/tomato to what appeared with the steak. Chips were wonderful and let's face it - what is a steak without it. I was slightly confused by the oil, chilli and herb mixture that came with the steaks - tasted a bit like salad dressing to me (and maybe it was!)

By the end of all that, I was stuffed! My boyfriend ordered a bread pudding for dessert which came as a cold dish. I managed to have a few bites but it was nothing particularly special.

Service was ok but I felt at times they weren't as friendly or attentive as they could have been. Price-wise, it was very reasonable - two of the priciest mains, two side dishes, a dessert, some bread, sparkling water and a bottle of wine working out to about £30 each. For steak of that quality it was brilliant.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of Vinopolis

28 Oct 07, 17:25

Excellent Cuisine

My boss took our team here on Friday for a long "team-bonding" lunch. I think he was hoping to get us in for a wine-tasting session but unfortunately it wasn't on until later that day.

It was suprisingly empty for a Friday afternoon and we managed to get a table for 11 with no wait at all.

The menu looked impressive (and expensive) if a little light on the vegetarian main choices. Whilst waiting for our food, service was brilliant with waiters bringing the most amazingly fresh bread rolls and butter and doling out water and wine where necessary.

Mains arrived and were all beautifully presented. They must have thought we had never saw food with everyone oohing and aahing. I ordered a rack of lamb with champ, mediterranean vegetables and a port jus. The rack of lamb was absolutely faultless -- brilliant quality meat -- and everything was cooked to perfection. One of the chicken dishes came with a roast potato that deep inside had a yucky brown bit (it would have been impossible to tell from the outside). The waiters took it away swiftly and replaced it with a completely fresh dish only moments later. No kitchen can be completely perfect and handling of problems as professionally as that certainly makes all the difference.

Desserts were given ticks on all counts - taste, quality of ingredients and presentation. My strawberry cheesecake possibly the nicest I have ever had. I didn't see a single plate with an ounce of food left on it!

Thankfully my boss was paying as the food was on the pricier side but the food and service definitely exceeded expectations.

Highly recommended for the cuisine. Hopefully I'll get to come back to do a wine tasting tour sometime.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review of The Fox

28 Oct 07, 17:09

Organic but not impressive

Maybe I expected too much of this pub. I'd heard good things about their organic menu and Sunday roasts but after lunching there today I was sorely disappointed.

I had gathered a group of friends to have a roast lunch - it started well, comfy sofas and a few drinks to soothe those suffering hangovers. We ordered... some going for the roast beef, some going for the roast salmon, a steak and a burger.

When my roast arrived it looked a little too gastropub for my liking. Tiny potatoes and two (thin) slabs of roast beef drizzled with gravy, as well as a burnt yorkshire pudding and a bowl of vegies - of which only the few sprigs of asparagus saved it from being a disaster. The slabs of meat were far too underdone, sitting on the wrong side of medium rare and with big bits of gristle in it. Those who picked the salmon had a better ride - receiving a huge portion of fish. The steak was described as so-so whilst the burger received by far the best compliments of the mains.

Desserts followed - chocolate puddings and coffee cake. The chocolate pudding looked amazing with a lovely gooey filling but the coffee cake was dried out and tasted stale. A cup of tea was a safe choice and the biscuit was lovely.

The total was around £18 each which isn't too bad including drinks but I've had meals for under a fiver which were a lot more satisfying.

I'd probably go here for a drink but I'll be continuing my search for the perfect pub roast elsewhere.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.